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Broncos RB
Mike Anderson
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Mt. San Jacinto reads like something a Marine would assault. Think of Mt. Surabachi. Am
I spelling that properly? Which war was that, anyhow? My war was the Korean, which we
didn’t win. Blame Cpl. Magee.
Damn, was it so long ago? So long? If I’m on a military bent, and I am, it is
because I’ve been looking into the background of Mike Anderson, the former Marine who
is doing some stunning things for the Broncos, and it led me to Mt. San Jacinto Community
College.
Where is it, you say? Good question. Not a lot of folks would know, I suspect. It is on
the northern outskirts of Hemet, which is in southern California. Driving from San Diego
to the Palm Springs area, which I often have, let me tell you this: If you venture into
Hemet, you’re on the wrong road.
Anyhow, Mt. San Jacinto is where Anderson showed up following his discharge from the
Marine Corps, which was fortuitous for him, the school (Utah) where he went next, and the
Broncos, for whom he has been rushing for a great deal of yardage.
It turns out that Anderson, his time at Mt. San Jacinto concluding, was heavily
recruited by Missouri. At length, the school sent him a letter of intent he was to sign.
"But it had another guy’s name on it," said Sean McNabb.
Anderson chose not to sign, which had to please McNabb, an assistant coach at Utah who
was able to persuade the running back to play his college football in Salt Lake City. On
things like this are careers made. At Utah, Anderson was fitted immediately into an
offense with many of the characteristics of the Broncos’ offense, in which he is
running to glory. Am I getting carried away here? If I am, excuse me, but Anderson’s
story is one of those fife and drums things — how a former Marine who did not play
high school football could have become an NFL rookie whiz at the age of 27.
Anderson’s 27th birthday was Sept. 21.
Until he stepped down recently for health reasons, Bob Stangel, 59, had served as Mt.
San Jacinto’s football coach for 27 years. Junior-college football programs, you
should know, receive almost no publicity. The leading newspaper in Riverside County
doesn’t even publish Mt. San Jacinto’s scores, Stangel said.
"But guys like Mike make it all worthwhile," said Stangel.
At Mt. San Jacinto, Anderson must have had moments when he felt he was still in the
Corps. Stangel had a squad of 55; some of his rivals had squads of 150. There is no squad
limit in junior college.
Stangel, then, made fitness a priority for his outnumbered teams. A retired former
Marine colonel, Robert Turley, served as the DL coach. In this environment, according to
Stangel, Anderson thrived.
Anderson’s only football experience before arriving at San Jacinto had been in the
service, but he became a junior-college All-American.
Said Stangel of Anderson: "I told him after his freshman year that if his attitude
remained positive, he would be in the NFL and I would be watching him on television, and
that’s how it worked out."
When McNabb, the Utah assistant coach and recruiter, began courting Anderson, the
school had just lost its two leading running backs, Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala and Juan
Johnson. Fuamatu-Ma’afala is property of the Steelers; Johnson was in the
Titans’ training camp before being released.
"We were looking for a good, big running back, and Mike fit the bill," said
McNabb. "We rated him our top pick."
Missouri, though, was aware of Anderson, and McNabb said the running back was leaning
toward enrolling there. On the Internet, though, McNabb found that Missouri also was
recruiting five or six other backs. McNabb’s pitch: If Anderson went to Missouri, he
would be "just another guy."
"Missouri told him, ‘Oh, no, that’s not true,’ " related
McNabb. When the letter of intent with the wrong name on it came, Utah had a 5-11,
230-pound running back.
"He turned out even better than we had thought," said McNabb. "He had a
tremendous work ethic. Mike had been in Somalia and Southeast Asia; he had seen some of
the seamier sides of life. The reality is that football, as tough as it is, ain’t
nothin’ compared to the reality of a Marine boot camp."
Anderson would become the first Utah running back to hit through consecutive 1,000-yard
seasons, rushing for 1,173 yards and 12 touchdowns, then 1,231 and another 12 touchdowns.
Utah coach Ron McBride has compared him with a Utah predecessor, Jamal Anderson of the
Falcons.
"I think Michael is quicker in and out of the holes," judged McBride.
"But he’s not as strong as Jamal, especially not in the lower body. Both have
very good field vision, but I think Michael is a little faster and Jamal is
stronger."
Mike Anderson had some good notices coming into this year’s draft, but he was
considered a "tweener" — lacking the speed and explosiveness of a tailback
and the blocking prowess of a fullback. The Broncos selected Anderson in the draft’s
sixth round. In his first start in Week Two, he rushed for 131 yards in a 42-14 conquest
of Atlanta. He followed in Week Three by hitting for 187 yards in a 33-24 triumph over the
Raiders.
McNabb remembered what he had told Anderson before he joined the Broncos: "Make
sure you’re always there."
Said McNabb: "I just put him in the right direction. I told him that the more he
learned, the better off he would be. Knowledge is power."
Anderson has made only one mistake in Denver. After scoring his first touchdown, he did
not render the team’s signature "Mile High Salute."
"No disrespect to the Salute," said Anderson. "That’s one of the
things I wanted to do. I just couldn’t believe I scored an NFL touchdown."
Jerry Magee has covered pro football for the San Diego Union-Tribune since 1961 and for
PFW since its inception in 1967 |
