The 29th player on our list was part of one of the most talented backfields in Big 8/NIC-10 history.
After spending most of his junior year as a backup, in 1970 Mitch Anderson teamed up with future NFL running back Jerry Latin to power East to a 7-2 season and a conference title. Latin dominated the league with 1,325 yards in nine games, but Anderson kept the defenses honest with 1,006 yards passing and 12 touchdowns against just two interceptions.
In 1995, Anderson told the Register Star his biggest athletic regret was that the IHSA didn't have football playoffs until 1974. He would have liked to see how far that 1970 East team could have gone.
While Latin's big season earned him a ticket to Northern Illinois, Anderson accepted a scholarship to play at Northwestern in the Big Ten.
After playing on the freshman team in 1971 - players weren't eligible for varsity in this era of college football - Anderson won the starting job in 1972. This wasn't a golden era for Wildcats football. In Mitch's three years running the offense, Northwestern went 9-24.
It wasn't Mitch's fault. In 1972, Anderson led the Big Ten in pass completions, completion percentage, passing yards and passer efficiency rating. In 1973, he was No. 1 in the Big Ten in completions, completion percentage and passing yards. In 1974, his play slipped slightly and all he led the Big Ten in was interceptions. Still, he started 33 games for the the Wildcats, passing for 3,841 yards and 26 touchdowns.
He showed enough for the NFL to take a flier on him. The Atlanta Falcons took him in the 17th round in the 1975 NFL draft. He didn't make the team as Atlanta also had taken Steve Bartkowski. In 1976, he got another shot, signing a free agent contract with the San Diego Chargers. He didn't make that roster either as the Chargers were beginning to rise with Dan Fouts at QB.
Anderson taught and coached briefly in Elgin before returning to Rockford in 1978 to start Anderson Heat Treating. He spent the rest of his life running the business and coaching. He coached or sponsored youth teams in football, basketball and baseball. He also returned to East, serving as a freshman football coach and offensive coordinator.
Mitch died tragically young. In 1998, at the age of 45, he suffered an aortic aneurysm.
| No. 29 - Mitch Anderson, East | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Level | School | Accomplishments | Points |
| 1969 | High School | East | Winning Team | 1 |
| Conference Champion | 1 | |||
| 1970 | High School | East | First Team All-Conference | 2 |
| Winning Team | 1 | |||
| Conference Champion | 1 | |||
| League Leader (passing) | 1 | |||
| 1971 | College | Northwestern | Freshman on Power 5 Team | 2 |
| 1972 | College | Northwestern | Letter Winner on Power 5 Team | 4 |
| Starter | 1 | |||
| League Leader | 1 | |||
| 1973 | College | Northwestern | Letter Winner on Power 5 Team | 4 |
| Starter | 1 | |||
| League Leader | 1 | |||
| All-Big Leader | 1 | |||
| 1974 | College | Northwestern | Letter Winner on Power 5 Team | 4 |
| Starter | 1 | |||
| 1975 | NFL | Falcons | Drafted in 17th Round | 1 |
| 1976 | NFL | Chargers | Free Agent Contract | 1 |
| Total | 29 | |||
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