Canisius Hall of Famer Andy Anderson Dies at Age 74

The Canisius athletic department is saddened to learn of the death of former men's basketball player and Canisius Sports Hall of Fame inductee Andy Anderson. Anderson passed away June 17 in Tallahassee, Fla. He was 74 years old.

After graduating from Maryvale High School in Cheektowaga, N.Y., Anderson joined the Canisius men's basketball program, where he played 68 career games in Blue and Gold from 1964-67. He ended his career with 1,156 career points, which currently ranks 25th in school history, highlighted by his 21.6 points per game in 1966-67.

Anderson and former Griff forward Larry Fogle hold the honor of being the only two players in Canisius history to score 40-plus points in multiple games in the same season. On Dec. 3, 1966, he matched the program's single-game scoring record with 41 points in a win over Murray State at the Aud, and later that year he posted a career-high 46 points in a 93-75 victory at La Salle. That 46-point effort still stands as the most points scored by a Griff in a road game.

On Jan. 7, 1967, Anderson led the Griffs to a 79-73 upset-victory over No. 7 Providence, the team's first win over a nationally-ranked team in a decade. He closed out his collegiate career with a 32-point, 14-rebound performance in a 79-74 win over Niagara. Later that year, he was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the eighth round of the 1967 NBA Draft.

Anderson went on to play 194 career games for three teams in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1967-70. He started his career in the ABA with the Oakland Oaks, where he played from 1967-68. After being released by Oakland, he signed with the Miami Floridians for the 1968-69 season and then closed out his professional career with the Los Angeles Stars. In his one year with the Stars (1969-70), he helped lead the team to the ABA Western Conference crown before the squad lost to the Indiana Pacers in the ABA Finals.

Anderson was inducted into the Canisius Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. After retiring from professional basketball, he lived in Florida with his wife, Judy, and their six children. He was a teacher and coach at Miami Springs Senior High before retiring and moving to Tallahassee.

Print Friendly Version