Ken Anderson

At 75 years old, Ken Anderson has this physical status:

Kenneth Allen Anderson (born February 15, 1949) is a retired American football quarterback who spent his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL) and later returned as a position coach. Anderson was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 3rd round of the 1971 NFL Draft after playing college for Augustana College.

Anderson led the league in passer ratings four times, completion percentage three times, and passing yards twice during his 16-year NFL career.

In 1981, he was named AP Most Valuable Player, marking a season in which the Bengals led to their first Super Bowl appearance.

Anderson set a record for completion percentage of 70% in 1982, a record he held for nearly 30 years before being beaten by Drew Brees in 2009's season.

He served as the Bengals' quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator from 1993 to 2002.

Anderson would serve as the quarterbacks coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2003—2006) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2007—2009), before resigning from football in 2010. Anderson has been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame twice, and he is often regarded as one of the finest players not in the Hall of Fame.

Early life

Anderson was born in Batavia, Illinois. Anderson's backyard adjoined Dan Issel's back yard when he was growing up in Batavia, Anderson's backyard adjoined his neighbor. Anderson's father was a janitor at Batavia High School, and the Issel property on Harrison Street backed up the Andersons' on Republic Road. Issel and Anderson rode in Issel's red Ford convertible and frequented the Twin Elms restaurant together, growing up together. Anderson and Issel will co-own a 782-acre farm in Kentucky later this year. Byron Von Hoff, another neighbor and teammate, played basketball and other sports at Batavia with Anderson and Issel. Issel joined the Kentucky Colonels and Denver Nuggets as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame basketball player. Von Hoff was the 21st pick of the New York Mets in the 1966 Amateur Baseball draft and played in the minor leagues before returning to the minor leagues due to his injury. Craig Sager, a former NBA announcer and Batavia's friend and colleague, was also a student and mentor.

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Professional career

He was drafted 67th overall in the 1971 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he would soon be known for his short-range passes and running. In a year where the Bengals fell off from a strong start last year, Anderson made four starts in the 1971 season while playing in seven other games (Virgil Carter was the primary quarterback). He rushed for 125 yards on 22 total carries for one touchdown while being sacked 23 times. Anderson was given more freedom in 1972, going 7-6 for seven touchdowns and interceptions while still having a 56.8 completion percentage. He had 22 carries, three touchdowns, as well as fumbling it five times and being sacked eighteen times. The Bengals got off to a 5–2 start, but they only won three of their next seven games to miss the playoffs.

While being 10–4 as a starter and throwing for 2,428 yards and a 54.4 completion percentage, Anderson helped the team win the AFC Central Division with a six-game winning streak. They were slated to play the defending champion Miami Dolphins in the Orange Bowl in the playoffs this year. Special teams' help get off to a slow start on offense, which resulted in the Bengals only trailing 21–16 at halftime. However, the Dolphins pressed the Bengals for thirteen unanswered points to win 34–16, aided by a running offense that ran for more than 200 yards on Cincinnati's defense. Anderson went 14-of-27 for 113 yards and one interception.

The following year was a chaotic mess of triumph. When going for eighteen touchdowns to ten interceptions, Anderson set a record high in completions, completion percentage (64.9), yards (2,667), and passer rating (95.7). Anderson had a fruitful year in 1975. For a 60.5 completion percentage, he threw a league high 3,169 yards while throwing for 21 touchdowns to eleven interceptions. While being named to his first Pro Bowl and leading the Bengals to a 10–3 record, he had league highs in yards gained per pass, yards per game, and passer rating. Anderson passed for a franchise record 447 yards against the Buffalo Bills in November 1975, in a 33-24 victory, one of his finest performances of his early career; the Bengals racked up a franchise record 553 offensive yards. It was the Bengals' first victory in a Monday night game. Anderson was one of the first quarterbacks to play "West Coast Offense" with Bill Walsh as his quarterbacks coach. For the second time in three seasons, the Bengals won the AFC Central, but they were asked to play against the Oakland Raiders away from their stadium (as per the NFL's practice of swapping playoff hosts by year). Anderson was 17-of-27 for 201 yards and two touchdowns. However, the Bengals beat the Bengals by a ten-point lead throughout the game, with only punting once throughout the entire game (along with two turnovers), and the Raiders maintained their lead throughout the fourth quarter, winning 31-28. It was Paul Brown's last season as coach, when he selected Bill "Tiger" Johnson to replace him, but it wasn't the last time Walsh saw the Bengals, as he left for the San Diego Chargers soon after.

Anderson's Bengals won nine of their first eleven games, but the wheels fell off soon after, with them losing only one of their next three games, including two to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the Bengals retained their position due to tiebreakers. Despite this, Anderson had a Pro Bowl-caliber year, throwing for 2,367 yards with nineteen touchdowns and fourteen interceptions for a 10–4 record, but his passer rating and completion percentage had declined sharply. In 1977, Anderson and the Bengals regressed. Reaves played and won his first appearance), but the Bengals also had a chance to make the playoffs last week. Anderson, who was trying to tackle for a safety in a horrific game in which the two teams combined for five fumbles and the Bengals lost 21–16 to keep the Bengals out.

The wheels were off for Cincinnati in 1978. Anderson broke a bone in his right hand, but he did not participate in the first four games. Reaves as quarterback, and Johnson resigned as coach after an 0–5 start. Anderson went 4-8 as quarterback, but he went for 2,219 yards with ten touchdowns and 22 interceptions (a career high). Anderson played a middling role in a middling squad in the 1979 season. While leading the league in 46 sacks, he went 4-11 as a starter while throwing for 2,340 yards with sixteen touchdowns and ten interceptions. Anderson went 5-7 as a starter in 1980, with 1,778 yards passing, the few times he threw as a primary starter. He had only six touchdowns to go with thirteen interceptions.

Anderson was reckoned in 1981, 1981. Anderson was intercepted twice in the first half of the Bengals' opening game against the Seattle Seahawks, and the Seahawks led by 21-0 in the first quarter. Cincinnati coach Forrest Gregg benched Anderson and brought in third-string quarterback Turk Schonert (second-string quarterback Jack Thompson was injured at the time) in the second half, with the Bengals trailing 21-10. The Bengals fought back and defeated the game 27-21, with Schonert in charge of the offense. Despite the bench's absence, Anderson will start every game of the season. While leading the league in touchdown/interception percentages alongside passer rating (98.4), he threw for a career high 3,754 yards while losing 29 touchdowns to ten interceptions. He also gained another 320 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Both the Associated Press and Professional Football Writers of America coveted him as well as the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award for his efforts. The Bengals defeated the AFC Central and the No. 1 seed in the American Football Conference after going 12–4 on Tuesday. In the Divisional round, Anderson was the Buffalo Bills for the first time. The Bengals barely beat the Bills 28-21, with Anderson's touchdown pass to Cris Collinsworth at 10:39 remaining being the winning score. He went 14-of-21 for 192 yards with just one touchdown. Anderson and the Bengals won their first postseason game and were thus guaranteed to host the AFC Championship Game. Due to the gameday's temperature of 96 degrees in Cincinnati, the game was called the Freezer Bowl later by Hall of Famer Dan Fouts and the San Diego Chargers. Anderson survived the challenge on the frozen tundra, going 14-of-22 for two touchdowns as the Bengals led the entire game and defeated 27–7 to win their first ever conference championship. The Bengals defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XVI, now led by former coach Bill Walsh, in a matchup of the two best teams in the NFL. Anderson had an interception on the first drive of the game, and the 49ers responded with a touchdown six minutes later. As the 49ers roared to a 20-0 halftime lead, the Bengals committed two more turnovers that resulted in ten subsequent points. On the first drive of the second half, Anderson led them to a touchdown. The Bengals attempted to pass into the endzone midway through the third season, but they were stopped one yard shy of the end zone that held the score 20–7. Despite this, the Bengals made it 20–14 on a touchdown drive captained by an Anderson throw with ten minutes remaining. Anderson threw an interception that resulted in San Francisco's second field goal, which was ahead of 23-14. With two minutes remaining, Anderson did lead the Bengals on a touchdown drive of 74 yards, but there were just twenty seconds left by the time Anderson's throw to the end zone had happened, when the 49ers advanced to win 26-21. Anderson had a good showing on five rushing attempts, with 25-of-34 passes for 300 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. His 25 completions and 73.5% completion percentage were both Super Bowl records at the time.

Anderson led the Bengals to a 7–2 record in 1982, which was good for third in the AFC. When he led the league in completions, completion percentage (70.6%), and passer rating (95.3), he threw for 2,495 yards to nine interceptions. They were upset by the New York Jets at home this year, with Anderson going 26-of-35 for 354 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions in the 44-17 loss. The Bengals' wheels were off this year. They began the year by going 2–6 in the first half of the season before ending 7–9 in Forrest Gregg's last year as head coach. Anderson played in thirteen games and finished 5-8 while still leading the league in completion percentages while throwing 2,333 yards with twelve touchdowns and thirteen interceptions. 1984 was his last primary season as quarterback, but he appeared in only nine games as starter (with two other appearances) and went 3–6. Despite a 63.6 completion rate, he threw for 2,107 yards with ten touchdowns to twelve interceptions. Boomer Esiason was fired after the first two games of the 1985 season (having gone 14-of-28 for 156 yards in two games combined), and he retired after the 1986 season.

Anderson completed 2,654 of 4,475 passes (59.3%) for 32,838 yards and 160 interceptions, as well as 20 touchdowns and scored twenty rushing touchdowns on 397 yards in his 16 NFL seasons. All Bengals records, including completions, passing yards, and touchdown passes, are among his Bengals' most notables. His 2,220 passing yards are the most by a Bengals quarterback ever. Anderson led the NFL in quarterback ratings four times (1974, 1975, 1981, and 1982), and 1982, the league's top pass yards leader (1974, 1975). He was nominated for four Pro Bowls (1975–76 and 1981–82). Anderson was voted All-Pro in 1981, 2nd Team All-Pro in 1975, and 2nd Team All-AFC in 1974 and 1982. Anderson retired as a starter, ranking him 32nd out quarterbacks of his time, such as Dan Fouts and Roger Staubach).

Anderson had his seventh all-time passing yards at his retirement (five of the players who were above him at the time of his retirement are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame).

At the time of Anderson's retirement after the 1986 season, he held NFL records for consecutive pass completions (20-of-22, 90.9%, vs. Pittsburgh in 1974), as well as completion percentage (since broken by Phil Simms), as well as the Super Bowl records for completion percentage (73.5%) (since broken by Phil Simms). Although Anderson's record for regular season completion percentages coincided with a nine-game season (1945), the previous record he beat was set by Sammy Baugh in a ten-game season (1945), in which Baugh threw 125 fewer passes than Anderson did in 1982. In addition, Anderson was ranked seventh all-time for passing yards in a career at the time of his retirement. Anderson's record in a season stood for 27 years after his retirement (broken by Drew Brees in 2009). He led the NFL in passing yards and completions twice, twice, and led the league in fewest interceptions per pass attempt three times. At 93.5, he ranks 11th in NFL history for postseason passer ratings.

In comparing Anderson's stats to those from his time in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, such as Dan Fouts, there has been a case. Outsiders argued that in the period of 1973-1984, the two teams had similar completions and completion percentages but with different touchdowns/interceptions (Fouts threw for more than all), but Anderson's dominance over Fouts in rush (over 2,000 yards for sixteen touchdowns to Fouts' 480 for eleven). Although the majority of the quarterbacks to have been inducted into the Hall of Fame have won at least one NFL/AFL Championship or a Super Bowl, only eight have been inducted who did not win a championship, and Fouts is one of them. Anderson outranks him in games played/starred, yards, touchdowns (197 to 194) and less interceptions (160 to 222). Anderson is currently ranked second in the most seasons (thirteen, with Jim Hart) in a category of those eligible for the Hall of Fame (Vinny Testaverde with fifteen is the most eligible).

Anderson went 41–34 in appearances and 36–30 in total against division rivals in the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and the Houston Oilers, as part of AFC Central competition. Terry Bradshaw and the Steelers, Anderson's era, were the most difficult opponents, winning nine division titles and three others, as well as three themselves. He went 8-8 in sixteen starts against Bradshaw.

Coaching career

Anderson re-joined the Bengals' radio broadcasting from 1987 to 1992, a position he held until 1996. From 1996 to 2000, he served as the team's offensive coordinator and later as the team's quarterbacks coach in 2001 and 2002. In 2003, he became a Jacksonville Jaguars wide receivers coach and was also their quarterbacks coach. Jack Del Rio, offensive coordinator Carl Smith, and special teams coach Pete Rodriguez were fired after the 2006 season. Under offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, the new Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin hired Anderson as his quarterbacks coach in January 2007. Anderson will be retiring immediately, according to Tomlin, who confirmed it on January 5, 2010. When the Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII, Anderson received a Super Bowl ring.

NFL career statistics

Anderson has at least 29 Bengals franchise records, including: The '1999 Bengals' off-season.'

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