Forddy Anderson (1919-1999)
Teams coached: Drake Bulldogs, Bradley Braves, Michigan State Spartans
Drake record: 32-23 (.582)
Bradley record: 142-56 (.717)
Michigan State record: 125-124 (.502)
Overall record^: 299-203 (.596)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0 (Runner-up in 1950, 1954)
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 4 (1950, 1954, 1957, 1959)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 3 (1954, 1957, 1959)
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 3 (1950, 1954, 1957)
- NIT Championships: 0 (Runner-up in 1950)
- NIT Appearances: 2 (1949, 1950)
- Big Ten Regular Season Champion: 2 (1957, 1959)
- Missouri Valley Regular Season Champion: 1 (1950)
Awards:
- Missouri Valley Coach of the Year: 1 (1950)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 1965-1970 | Hiram Scott |
| 1954-1965 | Michigan State |
| 1948-1954 | Bradley |
| 1946-1948 | Drake |
Forddy Anderson Facts
- Forrest Anderson
- Born March 17, 1919
- Died October 25, 1999
- Hometown: Gary, Indiana
- Alma Mater: Stanford University (BA, 1946)
- After graduating from Ralph W. Emerson HS (IN), Anderson played for head coach Everett Dean at Stanford
- Joined the US Navy during World War II, spending time playing basketball for Tony Hinkle at Great Lakes Training Facility
- Returned to Stanford after the War to finish his degree in 1946 and was then hired as the head coach at Drake
- Went 32-23 in two seasons as the Bulldogs’ head coach before leaving for Bradley
- Won 142 games in six seasons as the head coach at Bradley, reaching two NITs and two NCAA Tournaments
- Finished as NCAA Runner-up in both 1950 and 1954, also finishing as NIT Runner-up in 1950
- Left Bradley for Michigan State in 1954, coaching the Spartans for the next eleven seasons
- Was 125-124 overall, finishing over .500 in each of his first five seasons at MSU
- Led the program to its first ever NCAA Final Four in 1957 and then back to the Elite Eight in 1959
- Won the Big Ten title in each of those seasons, earning consistent top-10 AP rankings throughout
- Fired in 1965 following a 5-18 season that saw the Spartans finish in last place
- Hired to build the athletic department at Hiram Scott College in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, serving as AD and head basketball coach
- Left the school in 1970 when the athletic department shut down; the school shut down officially shortly after
- Coached Peru’s national basketball team in FIBA competition through 1970 and 1971
- Spent the latter part of his career working as a scout for the NBA’s Boston Celtics in the 1980s and 1990s
- Died in 1999 at the age of 80 from complications due to pneumonia
- Survived by three daughters, Connie, Barb and Tracey, and son, Forrest Jr.
Forddy Anderson Coaching Tree
- Stan Albeck (Bradley, Chicago Bulls, New Jersey Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver, Northern Michigan)
- John E. Benington (Michigan State, Saint Louis, Drake)
- Bill Berry (San José State)
- Chuck Orsborn (Bradley)
- Bob Stevens (Oklahoma, South Carolina)
- Joe Stowell (Bradley)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I level only
