Flipper Anderson
Willie Lee "Flipper" Anderson Jr. (born March 7, 1965) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Rams (1988–1994), the Indianapolis Colts (1995), the Washington Redskins (1996), and the Denver Broncos (1997). As a Bronco, he was part of their Super Bowl XXXII championship team over the Green Bay Packers. As a Ram, he set the NFL record for most receiving yards in a game with 336 against the Saints on November 26, 1989.[1] (Anderson accumulated 40 of those yards in overtime).
| No. 83, 84 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wide Receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | March 7, 1965 Paulsboro, New Jersey | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Paulsboro (NJ) | ||||||||
| College: | UCLA | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1988 / Round: 2 / Pick: 46 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
Early life
Anderson was born in Paulsboro, New Jersey.[2] He played high school football at Paulsboro High School in southern New Jersey and was one of the nation's top high school football recruits of the Class of 1983.[3]
College career
Anderson played college football at UCLA where he was the main receiving target for quarterback Troy Aikman.[4]
Professional career
Anderson was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2nd round (46th overall) of the 1988 NFL Draft.[5]
Anderson played ten seasons in the NFL, and holds the National Football League record for most receiving yards and yards from scrimmage in a game, with 336 yards on 15 receptions with a 22.4 yards per reception average, set during the 12th week of the 1989 season against the New Orleans Saints.[6] He finished the season with a career-high 1,146 yards off just 44 receptions, giving him an average of 26 yards per catch. On January 7, 1990, during a divisional playoff game, the Rams won the coin toss after taking the New York Giants to overtime. The Rams drove 77 yards in four plays, the last being a 30-yard touchdown pass to Anderson, who caught the ball in the end zone and ran directly through the tunnel and into the locker room. He caught two touchdown passes in that 19-13 win.
Anderson finished his career with 267 receptions for 5,357 yards and 28 touchdowns, giving him a 20.1 career yards per catch average.
Personal life
Anderson's son, Dres Anderson, played wide receiver for the Utah Utes.[7]
References
- http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-time-a-guy-named-flipper-set-the-single-game-nfl-receiving-record/
- "Flipper Anderson". NFL Enterprises LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- Carchidi, Sam. "Hodges leads Raiders over injury-riddled Herd", The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 28, 2007. Accessed November 26, 2007. "On the second score, Hodges received a key downfield block from receiver Willie "Little Flipper" Anderson, whose father, Flipper Anderson, was a Paulsboro standout who later played in the NFL."
- "He Sounds Like Good Catch for Dolphins : Flipper Anderson Has a Name for the Pros and the Speed for UCLA". Los Angeles Times. October 16, 1985. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- "Flipper Anderson". Pro-Football-Reference.Com. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- "Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints - November 26th, 1989". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- Cook, Everett (October 3, 2014). "Dres Anderson is more than Flipper's kid at Utah". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
External links
- Pro-Football-Reference.Com: Flipper Anderson
- The Official Site of the Pro Football Hall of Fame: History: Flipper's Record
- NFL Enterprises LLC: Flipper Anderson
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Stephone Paige |
NFL single-game receiving record November 26, 1989 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |