Another Trophy for the Anderson Family Trophy Case

With the University of Alabama winning the National Championship in football again this year, I thought I'd re-post one of my personal favorite articles written for the Gateway from back in 2016. That year, a member of the Anderson family added another championship to the Anderson family trophy case.

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ANOTHER IN THE LONG LINE OF ANDERSON CHAMPIONSHIPS
by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Championships come in many forms.  But you normally wouldn't think of the College Football National Championship when you think of Anderson family championships.

Mid-Atlantic and Georgia tag team titles? Certainly. NWA World Tag Team championships? Most definitely. But a college football national championship?

Well, yes indeed.

Add the 2015-2016 National College Football Playoff title to the long and storied list of Anderson family championships.

Gene Anderson

Pro-wrestling legend Gene Anderson, head of the famous Anderson wrestling family and founder of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew, died of a heart attack in 1991 at the age of 52 -- way too young -- and several years before his son Brad's three boys would be born. 

He would have been proud of all of his grandson's various accomplishments in school and athletics, but he would have been extremely proud of one particular recent accomplishment.

Blaine Anderson, the oldest son of Gene's only son Brad Anderson, was a high school football standout at Myers Park High School in Charlotte, NC. After graduation, he left home to attend college at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and probably felt his football days were behind him.

But his desire to play football, a sport he truly loved, continued to gnaw at him. And so Blaine Anderson worked up the courage to do something most would never have the guts to even consider: walk-on at one of the top college football programs in the nation, a team that has its pick of the best high school players in the country. What were the odds, one might reasonably ask. The Alabama Crimson Tide is arguably one of the two or three most storied programs in all of college football history.

Blaine tried out his sophomore year. "The day before school started I found out I didn’t make the final roster," he told Rick Bonnell in the Charlotte Observer. But Blaine's's ability and determination had apparently caught the eye of someone in the program. "My junior summer I was told they wanted me back if I still wanted to come back."

He did, and this time Blaine made the team.

"It took a lot of willpower not to quit with all the running and conditioning," he told the Charlotte Observer. Yet he persevered.

His contributions as a defensive back were mainly on the scout team. But anyone in football will tell you what a critical role those on the scout team play in a team's preparation for their next opponent, especially when your team is gunning for a national championship. Blaine did so well in that role, he dressed for four of Alabama's home games in his senior year, as well as the two college football national championship playoff games against Michigan State and Clemson. Members of the scout team don't always get to dress for games. So it was a particular honor to be chosen to dress for the two games in the National Championship play-off.

Blaine's resolve and hard work earned him further recognition from his coaches and teammates. It even earned him a championship belt. And as you know, championship belts are something very familiar to Andersons. 

Blaine won the "Ball Out" award three times in training camp, a special team award given to the outstanding defensive player of the week. That recognition went along with a custom championship belt he would hold until the next time it was awarded.

Championship belts. Anderson tradition.

Blaine's high school friends and teammates back home in Charlotte were happy to read about him in the hometown newspaper the week leading up to the National Championship playoff game between Clemson and Alabama.

But many of those friends were not aware he had a famous grandfather in professional wrestling, a grandfather that established a wrestling dynasty, and a grandfather Blaine never got to meet. But Blaine knew of the stories of Gene and Ole Anderson, their tag team championships, and the legendary history of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew.

Blaine's father Brad, himself once a pro-wrestler, instilled in him such a degree of pride in the Anderson wrestling tradition that Blaine had the image of his grandfather's wrestling boots tattooed on his left shoulder. And not just any boots. These were the famous maroon-and-gold striped boots that were a trademark of the Anderson tag-team. All the Andersons -- Gene, Lars, Ole, Arn,  - - were famous for wearing those boots.

Anderson boots. Anderson tradition. 

On Monday night, January 11, 2016, the University of Alabama Crimson Tide squared off against the Tigers of Clemson University with college football's top prize at stake.

One fall. Sixty minute time limit.

The Crimson Tide prevailed in a tough battle and hoisted the national championship trophy, its fourth national title in 7 years.

"I can't begin to describe how proud and excited I am," Blaine's father Brad wrote me recently in a hand-written letter. "My Dad would be beside himself. He never missed any of my sports games, and definitely would be screaming from the mountain top that his grandson was a national champion." 

And now with a national championship ring on his finger, the third generation of the Anderson family had just added one more championship to the Anderson family trophy case.

Roll Tide. 

Blaine Anderson (41) of the National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide
(Screen capture from the ESPN broadcast.)

Blaine Anderson (middle) with his brothers Forrest and Carter. 
The New Wrecking Crew?

 

 

Edited from an earlier post originally published January 27, 2016
on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

 

 

Carter Anderson Keeps a Family Tradition Alive

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

Ever since Brad Anderson and I became friends, his youngest son Carter was always afoot. Carter was always angling to get into a wrestling ring, even as he had just seemingly learned to walk. He got involved in the finish of a match at an outdoor show at his grandmother's church once, he couldn't have been more than 7 or 8 years old. It was all for fun, but even at that young age, he was fearless and always willing. I wrote in the epilogue to my book "Minnesota Wrecking Crew" that Gene Anderson would have been proud of his grandson that day. Brad later laughed and told me his father probably would have rolled over in his grave if he knew his grandson was in the ring without any real training. Gene was fiercely protective of the business.

Carter changed all that when he enrolled at George South's pro wrestling training school at the Highspots.com facility in Charlotte several years back. South had his hand in training the kids of several of the biggest names in the business including Ricky Steamboat's son Ricky Jr., Ric Flair's son Reid, Bobby Eaton's son Dillon, and most recently Tully Blanchard's daughter Tessa (not to mention his own son, George Jr.) So it seemed only fitting that an Anderson should be added to that list. And Carter Anderson was a natural.

Brad and Carter Anderson - Tournament Winners
Anderson Brothers Classic Tag Team Tournament (2013)

A year or so later, again in a fun little finish to a tribute show to Gene and Ole Anderson known as the "Anderson Brothers Classic Tag Team Tournament", Carter actually teamed with his father Brad. His Dad did all the work in the match of course, Carter was still a pretty young kid. But when Brad had one of their opponents stunned and staggering on his feet, he tagged in young Carter who did the prettiest flying body press from the top rope that you've ever seen. He got the three count and won the tournament trophy with his Dad, and in so doing, honored his grandfather - - the great Gene Anderson, the founder of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew.

What few people realized in the building that night was that young Carter Anderson was wearing his grandfather's wrestling boots. Yes, those boots - - "Anderson boots"- - the famous maroon-and-gold striped boots that were a trademark of the Anderson Brothers going back to the mid-1960s.

Brad had started bringing his Dad's boots to the ring with him when he wrestled in the mid-2000s. He would hang the boots over the turnbuckle in the corner where they would stay during his matches. It was a tradition started in 2005 at a big wrestling legends show in Spartanburg, SC, and Brad continued to do it for several years to follow.

Now Carter carries on that tradition, just in a different way.

Carter is not currently training. I'm not sure if he still wants to wrestle professionally or not, but it's clear that he loves honoring his grandfather. When he comes to some of George South's shows, especially the Anderson Brothers tribute shows, he always brings his grandfather's famous boots with him. Sometimes his ring jacket, too, and even the hickory cane Gene carried with him when he was a manager.

With Carter Anderson
holding Gene Anderson's wrestling boots.

Sometimes he brings them to events just because he knows I get a kick out of seeing them. Such was the case recently when Carter attended the "Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends Hall of Heroes" dinner banquet. David Chappell and I were being recognized that night for our work on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway website alongside others who were being honored for their work in the wrestling business. When we shook hands after not having seen each other in well over a year, Carter smiled and said "I brought the boots." This meant something to me because it meant something to Carter, just bringing them in the first place. He knew how much we all loved just seeing the boots. They were iconic of a wonderful time in our lives - - David, George, myself - - growing up and watching the Anderson Brothers dominate pro-wrestling.  I respect how this kid, now growing into a young man, puts so much thought into honoring the memory of his grandfather and helping keep a grand family tradition alive - - those famous Anderson boots.

It was a magic night, having Bob Caudle induct the Mid-Atlantic Gateway into the Hall of Heroes Class of 2016 (Bob a member of the inaugural Class of 2007 himself), and receiving our plaques. But Carter's gesture was just as special. I was as honored standing there holding his grandfather's boots as I was standing on the rostrum later that night.  ✦

Don't miss another story posted here of another one of Gene's grandsons keeping Anderson traditions alive: Another in the Long Line of Anderson Championships

The Unexpected Gift

by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
Originally Published December 28, 2006

Sometimes the unexpected generosity of people around you completely catches you off guard. And it’s not always big moments. It is often the simple acts of kindness that mean the most. Such was the case when I recently met up with Brad Anderson.

Brad dropped by on a late November evening at a show George South was running in Mooresville, NC. He was visiting friends and also brought his Dad’s maroon-and-gold wrestling boots and maroon ring jacket for me to photograph for the Minnesota Wrecking Crew website.

Brad is constantly uncovering buried treasure when sifting through his Dad’s belongings. This time he had found an old metal key ring made by the Zippo Manufacturing Company, the maker of classic lighters going back to the 1930s. The key ring was embossed with the full color Mid-Atlantic Wrestling logo. Equally cool was the felt-lined Zippo box that contained the key ring, a throw back to an earlier time, with the Zippo logo from over 30 years ago.

Zippo began making lighters in Pennsylvania in the early 1930s and branched out to other products in the mid-1950s, mainly in support of their promotional products division. These included pocket knives, golf greenskeepers, pen-and-pencil sets, and pocket flashlights.

And key rings.

Brad said he didn’t know the story on this item other than that it had belonged to his father. We laughed as we speculated that there were probably at one time stacks of these things sitting around Jim Crockett’s office. Perhaps it was a gift that Big Jim gave the folks that worked in the office. Maybe all of the wrestlers got one, too. Or maybe there were only a handful made for trusted members of the inner circle. Who knows? Whatever the case, this was one cool artifact, and a vestige of a simpler time and better days.

I marked out over it, of course. Anything with the Mid-Atlantic logo gets my attention to begin with, much less a genuine item over thirty years old that belonged to Gene Anderson. It was something he had bothered to hang on to and now it was his son’s. I held it and looked at it for awhile, imagining that Gene Anderson might have briefly thought about using it, but then maybe he decided it was a little too nice to get all scuffed up and left it in the box, tucked away for years in some drawer in an old chest at the house.

"Bet you Ole didn't keep his!" we laughed.

Santa's Boots

Later that evening Brad was getting ready to leave, saying his goodbyes to a few folks. As we shook hands, he held out the Zippo box. “This is for you,” he said. “I could tell how much you liked it.”

I was speechless.

Since that night, I have reflected back a time or two on that moment and can’t decide what about Brad’s gift meant more to me; that it was something that once belonged to his Dad, the great Gene Anderson, or that the great Gene Anderson’s son had been nice enough to give it to me. Either way, it was more precious than any present I would find under the Christmas tree later that December.

Santa Claus had snuck by a few weeks early, wearing his maroon and gold boots, and brought me the most special gift of all.


Key ring image by Dick Bourne, from an original photograph by Blake Arledge taken November 20, 2006, Mooresville, NC. Copyright © Mid-Atlantic Gateway