 Anderson from the 1973Montanan | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1920-12-05)December 5, 1920 Milton-Freewater, Oregon, U.S. |
| Died | September 5, 2005(2005-09-05) (aged 84) Gig Harbor, Washington, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1937–1939 | Eastern Oregon Normal |
| 1939–1941 | Oregon |
| Position | Forward |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1941–1942 | Baker HS |
| 1945–1946 | Baker HS |
| 1946–1947 | Medford HS |
| 1947–1951 | Grants Pass HS |
| 1951–1972 | Gonzaga |
| 1972–1974 | Montana State |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1953–1972 | Gonzaga |
| 1974–1983 | Northern Arizona |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 318–299 (.515) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2×Big Sky co-champions (1966, 1967) | |
| Awards | |
| Big Sky Coach of the Year (1966) | |
Thor Henry Anderson (December 5, 1920 – September 5, 2005) was acollege basketball coach andathletic director (AD). He was the head coach atGonzaga University for 21 seasons, from 1951 to1972,[1] where he compiled a 290–275 (.513) record.[2][3] Anderson later coached two seasons atMontana State University inBozeman at 28–24 (.538) for a career record of 318–299 (.515). He finished his career in college athletics as the AD atNorthern Arizona University inFlagstaff.
Born inMilton-Freewater ineasternOregon, Anderson graduated fromBurns High School inBurns at age 16 in 1937, and then played college basketball forEastern Oregon Normal School inLa Grande. After two years, he transferred to theUniversity of Oregon inEugene, and was a 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)forward for theDucks under head coachHoward Hobson.[4][5]
Anderson earned his bachelor's degree in 1941 at age twenty, and was in graduate school in Eugene when he accepted his first head coaching job atBaker High School in eastern Oregon that October.[6]
He served as an officer in theU.S. Army Air Forces inWorld War II and returned to Baker in 1945, then moved to western Oregon atMedford in 1946 andGrants Pass in 1947.[7][8] His 1950 team was state runner-up and he had a career prep record of 167–43 (.795)[9] prior to taking the Gonzaga job in April 1951 at age thirty.
Gonzaga's previous head coach,L. T. Underwood, finished the 1951 season at 8–22 (.267) and resigned after just two years with the Bulldogs. Anderson's first team was much improved in 1952 at 19–16 (.543), and after two seasons, he took on the added role of AD in 1953. The program elevated toNCAA Division I in 1958, joined theBig Sky Conference as a charter member in1963, and opened the on-campusKennedy Pavilion in1965.[2][10] Anderson was Big Sky coach of the year in 1966, and stepped down as AD in 1972, then surprisingly left several weeks later to become head coach atMontana State inBozeman, a conference rival.[9] He spent two seasons at MSU, then departed for another Big Sky school in 1974 to become the athletic director atNorthern Arizona inFlagstaff. Anderson oversaw the building of theWalkup Skydome and was also on the board of directors of theFiesta Bowl inTempe; he stayed at NAU nearly a decade and retired at the end of 1983 at age 63.[11]
Anderson then moved toLas Vegas in 1984 to work inminor league baseball for theLas Vegas Stars. The team, formerly theSpokane Indians from 1973 to 1982, was headed byLarry Koentopp, the former Gonzaga baseball coach hired by Anderson in 1969 and his successor as GU athletic director in 1972.[12][13]
Anderson and his wife Betty, married in 1943, later retired toGig Harbor, Washington.He died in September 2005 at age 84 of anaortic aneurysm in Gig Harbor.[14]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gonzaga Bulldogs(Independent)(1951–1963) | |||||||||
| 1951–52 | Gonzaga | 19–16 | |||||||
| 1952–53 | Gonzaga | 15–14 | NAIA First Round | ||||||
| 1953–54 | Gonzaga | 12–16 | |||||||
| 1954–55 | Gonzaga | 16–13 | |||||||
| 1955–56 | Gonzaga | 13–15 | |||||||
| 1956–57 | Gonzaga | 11–16 | |||||||
| 1957–58 | Gonzaga | 16–10 | |||||||
| 1958–59 | Gonzaga | 11–15 | |||||||
| 1959–60 | Gonzaga | 14–12 | |||||||
| 1960–61 | Gonzaga | 11–15 | |||||||
| 1961–62 | Gonzaga | 14–12 | |||||||
| 1962–63 | Gonzaga | 14–12 | |||||||
| Gonzaga Bulldogs(Big Sky)(1963–1972) | |||||||||
| 1963–64 | Gonzaga | 10–15 | 5–5 | T-3rd | |||||
| 1964–65 | Gonzaga | 18–8 | 6–4 | T-2nd | |||||
| 1965–66 | Gonzaga | 19–7 | 8–2 | T-1st | |||||
| 1966–67 | Gonzaga | 20–6 | 7–3 | T-1st | |||||
| 1967–68 | Gonzaga | 9–17 | 6–9 | T-4th | |||||
| 1968–69 | Gonzaga | 11–15 | 6–9 | T-3rd | |||||
| 1969–70 | Gonzaga | 10–16 | 7–8 | 3rd | |||||
| 1970–71 | Gonzaga | 13–13 | 6–8 | T-5th | |||||
| 1971–72 | Gonzaga | 14–12 | 8–6 | T-2nd | |||||
| Gonzaga: | 290–275 (.513) | 59–54 (.522) | |||||||
| Montana State Bobcats(Big Sky)(1972–1974) | |||||||||
| 1972–73 | Montana State | 17–9 | 9–5 | 3rd | |||||
| 1973–74 | Montana State | 11–15 | 5–9 | T-6th | |||||
| Montana State: | 28–24 (.538) | 14–14 (.500) | |||||||
| Total: | 318–299 (.515) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||