South Floridian, former New York Jet goes from the Gridiron to the Greens
It is really hard to uncover two sporting activities that are polar opposites a lot more than golfing and soccer, Stevie Anderson is earning the circumstance that there are some similarities involving the two sports activities. Anderson, who used 5-many years completing acrobatic catches in the Nationwide Soccer League (NFL), is connecting the dots in between the athletics by earning major inroads in his very hot pursuit of a PGA tour occupation.
Anderson is 1 of three brothers from Jonesboro, Louisiana – a little bucolic city – who remarkably all performed in the NFL. Now he finds himself, in of all locations, on the back links, in which he is traveling through the region taking part in PGA qualifying tournaments.
While it is obvious by the electrical power of his swing that Anderson has the physical goods to participate in on the tour, it is even now a gargantuan obstacle that he has forward of him. Anderson has spent his entire existence-time overcoming obstacles. He defied all odds when he was drafted in the NFL’s eighth spherical by the Arizona Cardinals in 1993, after participating in at Grambling Point out, an obscure university with an enrollment just shy of 5,000 students.
Anderson was a really distinctive participant at Grambling Condition, a historic, black college where by he experienced the luxurious to engage in for legendary soccer coach Eddie Robinson, the 2nd winningest mentor in division a single university football historical past. Nonetheless, taking part in for Robinson experienced its negatives.
Robinson preserved a demanding rule, exactly where just about every senior on the group – regardless of whether you were a superstar or bench-warmer – was presented an option to perform. In Anderson’s case, this resulted in 50 percent a game enjoying time. Robinson utilized this measure to give seniors the prospect to be viewed by scouts.
Though this unconventional coaching philosophy was noble of Robinson, it seriously handicapped Anderson’s skill to place up the lofty numbers as a wide receiver typically required from players on groups that are not on the NFL scouts’ radar.
Anderson’s senior year was by considerably his most productive. He manufactured the most out of every person of his 36 receptions by changing them into a staggering 12 touchdowns. For math geeks, this interprets into a person touchdown for each a few receptions.
These figures ended up superior adequate for Anderson to be invited to play in the Hawaiian Hula Bowl – school football’s all-star game – a rarity for players from compact systems like Grambling Point out, in spite of their heritage to develop NFL alumni, which checklist includes Doug Williams, the to start with African American quarterback to get a Tremendous Bowl in league historical past.
Anderson, the 6-6, 215 pound large receiver – gifted with blazing speed, measurement, and length – was rewarded appreciably for his stellar collegiate job when he was drafted in the 8th spherical by the Arizona Cardinals in 1993. Anderson went on to perform 5-yrs in the NFL with equally the Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets.
In his fifth NFL year though competing in opposition to the Seattle Seahawks, he endured a profession ending personal injury soon after managing a routine go sample. Anderson’s defender tripped him and subsequently landed awkwardly on his knee – tearing his Posterior Important Ligament (PCL). Immediately after his football career ended, Anderson properly transitioned into a modeling vocation and his daily life appeared to be on monitor.
Now the activity of golfing is his avocation. If history repeats itself for Anderson – the comeback kid – you will see him competing on the identical environmentally friendly grass as Tiger Woods a single day in the not so distant future after an illustrious job on the gridiron.