Charlie Alexander Anderson (born December 8, 1981) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. He was selected by the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

in the sixth round of the

2004 NFL draft The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held from April 24–25, 2004, at the Theate ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

Early life

Anderson attended and played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

Provine High School John W. Provine High School is a public high school located in Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi ...

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

. As a senior

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

and

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

, his team made it to the 5-A state finals. He also lettered in track and

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

College career

Anderson was a four-year letterman at the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

. During his senior season as defensive end in 2003, he recorded 54 tackles, 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. He finished his collegiate career having played in 48 games and racking up 127 tackles, 12.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and five passes defensed.

Professional career

Houston Texans

Anderson was drafted by the

in the sixth round (200th overall) of the

. On July 27, he signed a three-year contract worth $970,000. During his rookie season in 2004, Anderson appeared in 15 games as a reserve. His 13 special teams tackles ranked third on the team, and he also contributed a tackle on defense. In a December 19 contest against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

, Anderson recovered a

Chad Hutchinson Chad Martin Hutchinson (born February 21, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. He also is a former Major League Baseball (M ...

fumbled forced by

Dunta Robinson Willie Dunta Robinson ( ; born April 11, 1982) is an American former professional football cornerback. He played college football at South Carolina and was selected by the Houston Texans with the 10th overall selection in the 2004 NFL draft. Rob ...

and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown. In 2005, Anderson was viewed by the Texans' as their third outside linebacker behind starters

Antwan Peek Antwan Peek (born October 29, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft. He played college ...

and Jason Babin. Despite battling a hip injury late in the season, he appeared in all 16 games as a reserve. He surpassed his previous season's total with 14 special teams tackles, ranking him second on the team. He recorded his first career sack against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

on October 16, taking down

Matt Hasselbeck Matthew Michael Hasselbeck (born September 25, 1975) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Seattle Seahawks. He played college football for t ...

for a 19-yard loss. Against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

on December 18, he recovered a Reggie Swinton fumble on special teams. Anderson finished the season with nine tackles, a sack and a pass defensed on defense. Anderson suffered a knee injury during practice in May 2006 and was sidelined until training camp. After battling

Shantee Orr Shantee De'Shjuan Orr (born May 28, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines and was signed by the Green Bay Pac ...

for the starting strongside linebacker job, Anderson appeared in 13 games in a reserve role. He finished the season with five tackles on defense while adding 11 tackles on special teams - a total which ranked him second on the team for the second straight season. During his final season with the Texans in 2007, Anderson appeared in all 16 games and made the first five starts of his career in place of an injured Danny Clark. He recorded a career-high 24 tackles, two sacks and as pass defensed on the season. Both of his sacks came against

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

quarterback

Quinn Gray Quinn Fordham Gray Sr. (born May 21, 1979) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for Albany State University, a position he has held since 2023. Gray played professionally as a quarterback four sea ...

in a 42-28 Texans win on December 30.

Miami Dolphins

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in the 2008 offseason, the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

signed Anderson to a three-year contract on March 2. It was reported that team vice president

Bill Parcells Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells ( ; born August 22, 1941) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He came to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 19 ...

and general manager Jeff Ireland liked Anderson because of his speed and athleticism, especially on special teams. Despite having started only five games in four seasons with the Texans, he was told by Dolphins management he would have an opportunity to compete for a starting job. In the last game of the season, he blocked a punt against the Jets, the Dolphins went on to win the game, 24–17, and head to the playoffs.

Kansas City Chiefs

He played the 2010 season with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

. He was not re-signed following the season and was declared a free agent on July 25, 2011.

Statistics

Personal life

Anderson majored in

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

with a minor in criminal justice at the

and earned his degree during the 2007 offseason. He has five children- Devin, Kylin, Jaiden, Christian, and Ethan. His wife is Victoria Anderson.

References

External links

Miami Dolphins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Charlie 1981 births Living people Players of American football from Jackson, Mississippi American football linebackers Ole Miss Rebels football players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Miami Dolphins players