Anderson in 2014
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No. 40 | |||||||
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Position: | Safety | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Date of birth: | February 10, 1946 | ||||||
Place of birth: | Midland, Michigan | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Boulder (CO) | ||||||
College: | Colorado | ||||||
NFL Draft: | 1968 / Round: 3 / Pick: 73 | ||||||
AFL draft: | 1968 / Round: 3 / Pick: 68 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at PFR | |||||||
Interceptions: | 34 |
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Interception return yards: | 792 |
Touchdowns: | 3 |
Richard Paul Anderson (born February 10, 1946) is a former American college and professional football player who was a safety for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons during the 1960s and 1970s. He played college football for the University of Colorado, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was selected in third round of the 1968 AFL Draft, and he played for his entire professional career for the Dolphins.
Anderson was named a consensus first-team All-American in his senior season and set a school record with 14 career interceptions. He was drafted by the Dolphins in the 1968 AFL Draft in which he was named the league defensive rookie of the year. He was a three-time Pro Bowler in 1972, 1973 in which he was NFL Defensive Player of the Year and in 1974 in which he was one of the leaders of the Dolphins well known No Name Defense. Anderson was also the president of the National Football League Players Association from 1975 until he retired.
In his nine AFL/NFL seasons, Anderson recorded 34 interceptions, which he returned for 792 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also recovered 15 fumbles, returning them for 100 yards and a touchdown. On special teams, he gained 430 yards returning kickoffs and punted the ball nine times for 335 yards.
After retirement, Anderson became a successful businessman and a Florida state senator. In 1993, he was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. His brother is Bobby Anderson, who was a running back for Colorado. His son, Blake Anderson played wide receiver for the University of Colorado.