Mike Anderson (running back)

Mike Anderson

Born	September 21, 1973 (1973-09-21) (age 38)
Career information
Year(s)	2000–2007
NFL Draft	2000 / Round: 6 / Pick: 189
College	Utah
Professional teams
Denver Broncos (2000–2005) Baltimore Ravens (2006–2007)
Career stats
Rushing yards	4,067
Average	4.4
Touchdowns	37
Stats at NFL.com
Career highlights and awards
AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2000) All-Iron Award (2001)

Michael Moschello "Mike" Anderson (born September 21, 1973) is a former American football running back and Marine. He was originally drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, and also played for the Baltimore Ravens during his NFL career. He played college football at Utah.

Anderson, who earned the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2000, has also played for the Baltimore Ravens in his career.

High school

Anderson is a graduate of Fairfield Central High School in Fairfield, South Carolina, where he did not compete in sports.

Marine Corps

Anderson spent four years in the United States Marine Corps upon completion of high school in order to earn educational benefits and in consideration of a possible military career.^[1][2] While in the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton, he played on the 11th Marines contact football team, where he was seen by an assistant coach for Mt. San Jacinto Junior College.^[2]

College career

Anderson attended Mt. San Jacinto Junior College for two years. He won the California State JUCO Player of the Year after rushing for 1,686 yards as a sophomore, and as a freshman helped his team win the L.A. Bowl. During the season, Anderson posted 1,511 rushing yards. Anderson went on to become a two-time all-conference player at the University of Utah where he was a teammate of Carolina Panthers star wide receiver Steve Smith. Anderson finished his two-year career with the best per-game rushing average in school history (102.4 avg.)

NFL career

Denver Broncos

Anderson played five seasons for the Denver Broncos. In his first season in 2000 he ended up with 1,487 yards and received the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. He was plagued by injuries in the following years, not even playing in 2004, the result of tearing both groin muscles while blocking on a punt return in the waning moments of a meaningless preseason game. The 2005 NFL season was a good one for him. He rushed for 1,014 yards in 15 games. In reaching his second 1,000-yard rushing season, Anderson set several modern-day NFL records (longest stretch between seasons leading a team in rushing, longest stretch between a player's first and second 1,000-yard rushing seasons, and greatest number of seasons passed between 1,000-yard rushing seasons with no intervening seasons rushing for that distance). On March 1, 2006, Anderson was waived by the Denver Broncos to avoid exceeding the league-imposed salary cap.

Baltimore Ravens

On March 12, 2006, Anderson and the Ravens agreed on a contract. During the 2006 season, he was third string behind Jamal Lewis and Musa Smith. He finished 2006 with 39 carries for 143 yards and 1 touchdown, as well as 9 receptions for 54 yards. On February 27, 2008 the Ravens released him, ending his NFL career.

See also

	Biography portal
	United States Marine Corps portal

References

1. ^ "Players: Mike Anderson Bio". NFLPlayers.com. http://www.nflplayers.com/players/player.aspx?id=28940&section=bio. Retrieved 2007-04-22. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Scott Baron. "Rush to Success". G.I. Jobs. http://www.gijobs.net/magazine.cfm?issueId=48&id=602. Retrieved 2007-04-22. "Former Marine and 2000 NFL Rookie of the Year Mike Anderson tells how his experience in the Corps has made him a success on the NFL gridiron." 

External links

• C. Mark Brinkley (March 1, 2007). "Test yourself against the NFL combine". Marine Corps Times. http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/offduty/health/online_life_nflcombine070301/. Retrieved 2007-04-22.  Profile of Mike Anderson.

Awards
Preceded by Edgerrin James	AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year 2000	Succeeded by Anthony Thomas
Records
Preceded by Corey Dillon	NFL rookie single-game rushing record December 3, 2000 – November 4, 2007	Succeeded by Adrian Peterson
Sporting positions
Preceded by Olandis Gary	Denver Broncos Starting Running Back 2000	Succeeded by Clinton Portis
Preceded by Reuben Droughns	Denver Broncos Starting Running Back 2005-2006(Split time with Tatum Bell)	Succeeded by Travis Henry

Persondata
Name	Anderson, Mike
Alternative names
Short description	United States Marine
Date of birth	September 21, 1973
Place of birth	Winnsboro, South Carolina
Date of death
Place of death