After completing his Stanford degree in 1946, he was hired as the basketball coach at
Drake University. Anderson was considered one of the most innovative coaches of his era and served a combined 24 seasons as head men's basketball coach at
Drake University (1946–1948),
Bradley University (1948–1954),
Michigan State University (1954–1965) and
Hiram Scott College (1965–1970). Anderson twice led his Bradley teams to the
NCAA Finals (
1950 and
1954). His 1950 team also finished as the
NIT runner-up. He moved to Michigan State, where his 1957 Big Ten Champion Michigan State club finished fourth in the
NCAA tournament and his 1959 Michigan State team lost in the
Elite Eight (regional finals). He was fired in the spring of 1965, whereupon he was recruited to assist in creating the athletic department at
Hiram Scott College. After Hiram Scott closed its doors, he was the head coach of Peru's national team during the 1970–71
FIBA seasons. He then began a long career as a collegiate scout for the
Boston Celtics during the 1980s and 1990s. He was instrumental in many of the Celtics' draft picks during that era. ==Personal life==