Willie Lee "Flipper" Anderson Jr. (born March 7, 1965) 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 ...

player who was a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL), primarily with the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

. 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 ...

for the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Big Ten Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF ...

and was selected by the Rams in the second round of the 1988 NFL draft. Anderson played in the NFL for the Rams (1988–1994), the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

(1995), the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

(1996), and the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

(1997). As a Bronco, he was a member of their

Super Bowl XXXII Super Bowl XXXII was an American football game played between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion and defending Super Bowl XXXI champion Green Bay Packers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide t ...

championship team. As a Ram, he set the NFL record for most receiving yards in a game with 336 against the Saints on November 26, 1989.

Early life

Anderson was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. He 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 ...

Paulsboro High School Paulsboro High School is a comprehensive community six-year public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Paulsboro, in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the sole secondary school of th ...

in southern New Jersey and was one of the nation's top high school football recruits of the Class of 1983.

College career

Anderson played

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, where he was a receiving target for quarterback

Troy Aikman Troy Kenneth Aikman (born November 21, 1966) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. After transferring from the Oklahoma Sooners, he play ...

. In his time at UCLA, Anderson had eight games with at least 100 receiving yards. His eight games reaching the mark were the most in school history at the time of his departure to the NFL.

Professional career

Los Angeles Rams

Anderson was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round (46th overall) of the 1988 NFL draft. He was the seventh wide receiver to be selected that year.

1988 season

In his rookie season, Anderson finished with 11 receptions for 319 receiving yards in 1988. He was part of a crowded receiving unit that contained Pro Bowler

Henry Ellard Henry Austin Ellard (born July 21, 1961) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams (1983–1993), Washington Redskins (1994–1998), and New England Patriots (1998) of the National Footb ...

1989 season

In Week 4, against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

, Anderson scored his first professional touchdown on a 65-yard reception in the 13–12 victory. He finished the season with a career-high 1,146 yards off just 44 receptions, giving him an average of 26 yards per reception. Anderson led the NFL in yards per reception in the 1989 season. Anderson and Henry Ellard combined to be a 1,000-yard receiving duo for the Rams.

=Record-breaking game

= Anderson set the

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, during the 12th week of the 1989 season in a 20–17 overtime victory over the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

. Forty of those yards came in overtime. He broke the previous mark of 309 yards, set by

Stephone Paige Stephone Paige (born October 15, 1961) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). An undrafted free agent after playing college football for the F ...

of the Kansas City Chiefs, in 1985. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his record-breaking game.

=1989 postseason

= On January 7, 1990, during a Divisional Round game, the Rams won the

coin toss A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by a ...

after taking the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

. 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 The end zone is the scoring area on the field, according to gridiron-based codes of football. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on the opposite side of the field ...

and ran directly through the tunnel and into the locker room. He caught two touchdown passes in that 19–13 win.

1990 season

Anderson had four games with at least 100 receiving yards in the 1990 season. In the 1990 season, Anderson finished with 51 receptions for 1,097 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. For the second consecutive season, he led the NFL in yards per reception. In addition, Anderson and Ellard gave the Rams' a 1,000-yard receiving duo for back-to-back seasons.

1991 season

Anderson was inactive for four games with a back injury. In the 1991 season, Anderson appeared in 12 games and finished with 32 receptions for 530 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.

1992 season

From Weeks 12–15, Anderson recorded a receiving touchdown in four consecutive games. In the 1992 season, Anderson appeared in 15 games and recorded 38 receptions for 657 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. He led the Rams in receiving touchdowns.

1993 season

In the 1993 season, Anderson finished with 37 receptions for 552 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns in 15 games. He tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns with Troy Drayton.

1994 season

In Week 2, against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

, Anderson had five receptions for 154 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 31–13 loss. In the 1994 season, Anderson finished with 46 receptions for 945 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. He led the team in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts signed Anderson as a free agent before the 1995 season.

1995 season

In the 1995 season opener for the Colts, Anderson scored two touchdowns in the 24–21 loss to the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

. Anderson suffered a knee injury in Week 2, which sidelined him for the rest of the season. The Colts later waived Anderson.

Washington Redskins

During the 1996 season, the Redskins signed Anderson. He only appeared in two games and recorded no statistics.

Denver Broncos

Anderson joined the Broncos for the 1997 season. He appeared in four games and recorded no statistics. He won a Super Bowl title when the Broncos defeated the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

. Anderson finished his career with 267 receptions for 5,357 yards and 28 touchdowns, giving him a 20.1 career yards per catch average.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Personal life

Anderson lives in

Suwanee, Georgia Suwanee is a city in Gwinnett County and a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 15,355; this had grown to an estimated 20,907 as of 2019. In 2020, its population was 20 ...

and is a high school basketball referee. His son,

Dres Anderson Dres Flipper Anderson (born July 20, 1992) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He played college football at the University of Utah. Early life Anderson attended John W. North High School in Riverside, California. He was r ...

, played wide receiver for the

Utah Utes The Utah Utes are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans in the Unite ...

. His other son, Seth, plays wide receiver for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Flipper 1965 births Living people American football wide receivers Indianapolis Colts players Los Angeles Rams players UCLA Bruins football players Washington Redskins players Denver Broncos players Paulsboro High School alumni People from Paulsboro, New Jersey Players of American football from Gloucester County, New Jersey Players of American football from Philadelphia