Henry "Hunk" Anderson (Football, 1927-29)
Henry "Hunk" Anderson starred at guard for Northwestern from 1927-29, a period of time that signaled the beginning of a memorable stretch for Wildcat football.
Anderson's three seasons coincided with the first three years of Dick Hanley's tour as Northwestern's head football coach. The Table of the Wildcats, long-time Northwestern Sports Information Director and member of the Northwestern Hall of Fame Walter Paulison's book about the history of Northwestern athletics, recalls the beginning of the Hanley era. "(Hanley) inherited a dozen lettermen from the (1926 Big Ten) championship team, headed by Capt. Vic Gustafson. The new class introduced such as Russ Bergherm, Bill Calderwood, Mickey Erickson, Henry Anderson, Johnny Haas, Bert Fox and Harry Kent."
The Wildcats posted record of 4-4 in 1927 and 5-3 in 1928. Paulison's recollections of the 1929 team included this passage about Anderson and his fellow linemen. "The (1929) season also witnessed the forging of a great line which was to perform exceptional deeds in the next two years. Frank Baker, one of the ablest of all Wildcat pass receivers, Larry Oliphant and Ted Egbert were the ends; Mickey Erickson and Bob Clark were fine centers; the guard positions were capably manned by Capt. Anderson, Red Woodworth and Jimmy Evans; and the tackles were in the hands of three mammoth sophomores, Dal Marvil, Jack Riley and Tiny Engebretsen."
The Wildcats finished 6-3 in 1929. As Paulison hinted, the success continued after Anderson's graduation as the Wildcats won Big Ten championships in both 1930 and '31 under Hanley's guidance.
Anderson earned All-American status after the 1929 season when he captained the Wildcats to wins in six of their first seven games. He lettered three times for the Wildcats and played in the East-West Shrine Game following his senior campaign in 1929. After his graduation from Northwestern, he played one season with the Chicago Bears (1931).
