View source for Neal Anderson

{{Short description|American football player (born 1964)}}
{{similar names|Neil Anderson (disambiguation){{!}}Neil Anderson}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name        = Neal Anderson 
| number      = 35
| position    = [[Running back]]
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1964|8|14|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Graceville, Florida]], U.S. 
| height_ft   = 5
| height_in   = 11
| weight_lb   = 210
| high_school = [[Graceville High School|Graceville]] {{nowrap|([[Graceville, Florida]])}}
| college     = [[Florida Gators football|Florida]]
| draftyear   = 1986
| draftround  = 1
| draftpick   = 27
| pastteams   =
* [[Chicago Bears]] ({{NFL Year|1986|1993}})
| highlights  =
* Second-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1990 All-Pro Team|1990]])
* 4× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1989 Pro Bowl|1988]]–[[1992 Pro Bowl|1991]])
* [[Chicago Bears#Top 100 greatest Bears of all-time|100 greatest Bears of All-Time]]
* 2× Second-team [[List of All-SEC football teams|All-SEC]] ([[1983 All-SEC football team|1983]], [[1984 All-SEC football team|1984]])
* [[List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members|University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame]]
| statlabel1  = Rushing yards
| statvalue1  = 6,166
| statlabel2  = Rushing average
| statvalue2  = 4.1
| statlabel3  = [[Reception (gridiron football)|Receptions]]
| statvalue3  = 302
| statlabel4  = Receiving yards
| statvalue4  = 2,763
| statlabel5  = Total [[touchdown]]s
| statvalue5  = 71
| pfr         = AndeNe00 
}}

'''Charles Neal Anderson''' (born August 14, 1964) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[running back]] for eight seasons with the [[Chicago Bears]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL) during the 1980s and 1990s.  Anderson played [[college football]] for the [[Florida Gators football|Florida Gators]].  He was a first-round pick in the [[1986 NFL draft]]. He was a four-time [[Pro Bowl]] selection with the Bears.

==Early life==

Anderson was born in [[Graceville, Florida]] in 1964.<ref name=pfrprofile>Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AndeNe00.htm  Neal Anderson].  Retrieved July 2, 2010.</ref>  He attended Graceville High School,<ref name=dbfprofile>databaseFootball.com, Players, {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100818135513/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=ANDERNEA01  Neal Anderson]}}.  Retrieved June 1, 2010.</ref> and played for the Graceville Tigers high school football team.

==College career==

Anderson accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the [[University of Florida]] in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for [[Charley Pell]] and [[Galen Hall]]'s [[Florida Gators football]] teams from [[1982 Florida Gators football team|1982]] to [[1985 Florida Gators football team|1985]],<ref name=ufmediaguide>''[http://web.gatorzone.com/football/media/2012/media_guide.pdf  2012 Florida Football Media Guide] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527130648/http://web.gatorzone.com/football/media/2012/media_guide.pdf |date=May 27, 2013 }}'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 76, 87, 90, 94, 95, 97, 98, 101, 104, 116, 121, 141–142, 146–148, 151, 152, 154, 156, 176 (2012).  Retrieved September 14, 2012.</ref> and shared the Gators' backfield with [[Fullback (American football)|fullback]] [[John L. Williams (American football)|John L. Williams]] for four years.  Memorably, Anderson ran for 197 yards versus the [[Kentucky Wildcats football|Kentucky Wildcats]] as a freshman in 1982, a seventy-six-yard [[touchdown]] against the [[LSU Tigers football|LSU Tigers]] in [[1983 Florida Gators football team|1983]], and 178 yards and an eighty-yard touchdown against the [[1984 Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee Volunteers]] in [[1984 Florida Gators football team|1984]].<ref name=ufmediaguide/>  He was a team captain in 1985, a first-team [[List of All-SEC football teams|All-Southeastern Conference]] (SEC) selection in 1985, an Associated Press honorable mention [[All-American]] in 1984 and 1985, and the recipient of the Gators' [[Fergie Ferguson Award]] in 1985.<ref name=ufmediaguide/>  In his four years as a Gator, Anderson had fourteen games with 100 yards or more rushing, 639 carries for 3,234 yards rushing and thirty touchdowns, forty-nine [[reception (American football)|reception]]s for 525 yards receiving and two touchdowns, and ninety-seven yards passing.<ref name=ufmediaguide/>  In terms of career rushing yardage, he remains the Gators' third all-time running back behind [[Errict Rhett]] and [[Emmitt Smith]].<ref name=ufmediaguide/>

Behind the rushing of Anderson, the rushing and receiving of John L. Williams, the receiving of [[wide receiver]] [[Ricky Nattiel]] and the passing of [[quarterback]] [[Kerwin Bell]], the Gators finished with identical best-in-the-SEC records of 9–1–1 in 1984 and 1985.<ref>College Football Data Warehouse, [http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/f/florida/yearly_results.php?year=1980  Florida Yearly Results 1980–1984] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118020442/http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/f/florida/yearly_results.php?year=1980 |date=November 18, 2015 }} and [http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/f/florida/yearly_results.php?year=1985  Florida Yearly Results 1985–1989] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118001027/http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/f/florida/yearly_results.php?year=1985 |date=November 18, 2015 }}.  Retrieved July 18, 2010.</ref>  Anderson graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in public relations in 1986, and was later inducted into the [[List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members|University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame]] as a "Gator Great" in 1995.<ref>F Club, Hall of Fame, [http://www.gatorfclub.org/hall-of-fame/greats  Gator Greats].  Retrieved December 13, 2014.</ref><ref>Antonya English, "[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tr5YAAAAIBAJ&sjid=c-wDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3335,1801495&dq=university-of-florida+hall-of-fame&hl=en  Anderson: Big honor, young age]," ''The Gainesville Sun'', Sports Weekend section, p. 4 (April 8, 1995).  Retrieved July 23, 2011.</ref>  The sportswriters of ''The Gainesville Sun'' selected him as No. 13 among the top 100 all-time greatest Gators from the first 100 years of Florida football in 2006.<ref>Robbie Andreu & Pat Dooley, "[http://www.gainesville.com/article/20060821/GATORS70/60821003  No. 13 Neal Anderson]," ''The Gainesville Sun'' (August 21, 2006).  Retrieved March 31, 2013.</ref>

==Professional career==

The Chicago Bears selected Anderson in the first round (27th pick overall) of the [[1986 NFL draft]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1986 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1986/draft.htm |access-date=2023-10-02 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He played for the Bears for eight seasons from {{NFL Year|1986}} to {{NFL Year|1993}}.<ref name=nflprofile>National Football League, Historical Players, [http://www.nfl.com/players/nealanderson/profile?id=AND131677  Neal Anderson].  Retrieved May 13, 2011.</ref>  He joined the franchise as a rookie immediately following the Bears' {{NFL Year|1985}} championship season.  The Bears picked Anderson to back up, and eventually succeed, [[Walter Payton]], who became the Bears and NFL's all-time rushing leader during his lengthy career.  After Payton's retirement in {{NFL Year|1987}}, Anderson became the team's [[Starting lineup|starting]] running back.

Anderson's best years came during the late 1980s, where he rushed for over 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons.<ref name=nflprofile/>  In all three seasons, Anderson scored over ten touchdowns and averaged over four yards per carry.  Ultimately, his best season came in {{NFL Year|1989}}, when he rushed for 1,275 yards, received 434 yards, and scored 15 touchdowns.  He was invited to the [[Pro Bowl]] in {{NFL Year|1988}}, 1989, {{NFL Year|1990}} and {{NFL Year|1991}}.<ref name=pfrprofile/>

Over his eight-year career, Anderson appeared in 116 regular season games, and started 91 of them; he amassed 6,166 yards and scored 51 touchdowns rushing, and 2,763 yards and 20 touchdowns receiving—a career total of 71 touchdowns.<ref name=pfrprofile/>  Anderson's career was shortened by injuries and the Bears' fall-out during the early 1990s.  He is currently the Bears' third all-time franchise rusher, behind Payton and [[Matt Forté]].<ref>Pro-Football-Reference.com, Chicago Bears, [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/chi/career-rushing.htm  Chicago Bears Rushing Career Register].  Retrieved May 13, 2011.</ref><ref>Jeremy Stoltz, "[http://chi.scout.com/2/1350346.html  Forte No. 2 rusher in Bears annals] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202225156/http://chi.scout.com/2/1350346.html |date=2013-12-02 }}," Scout.com (November 24, 2013).  Retrieved July 8, 2014.</ref>

Anderson says his favorite memory from his NFL career was December 2, 1990, when he scored a 50-yard game-winning touchdown on a pass from [[Jim Harbaugh]] against the [[1990 Detroit Lions|Detroit Lions]], which eliminated them from the playoffs and secured an appearance by the Bears. "I caught a touchdown pass against Detroit at the end of the game. And that put us in the playoffs. One of the few things I remember was being under the pile and everybody jumping on top of me. All of the guys in the locker room called me 'The Cuz.' And I could just hear people saying: 'The Cuz! The Cuz!'"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagobears.com/photos/top-10-bears-moments-vs-lions|title = Top 10: Bears moments vs. Lions}}</ref><ref name="chicagotribune.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/bears/ct-bears-where-neal-anderson-spt-1213-20141212-story.html|title = Catching up with former Bear Neal Anderson| website=[[Chicago Tribune]] }}</ref>

==NFL career statistics==
{|class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! rowspan="2"| GP
! colspan="5"| Rushing
! colspan="5"| Receiving
|-
! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! Rec !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD
|-
!{{NFL Year|1986}}||[[1986 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
|14||35||146||4.2||23||0||4||80||'''20.0'''||58||1
|-
!{{NFL Year|1987}}||[[1987 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
|11||129||586||4.5||38||3||47||467||9.9||'''59'''||3
|-
!{{NFL Year|1988}}||[[1988 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
|'''16'''||249||1,106||4.4||'''80'''||'''12'''||39||371||9.5||36||0
|-
!{{NFL Year|1989}}||[[1989 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
|'''16'''||'''274'''||'''1,275'''||'''4.7'''||73||11||'''50'''||434||8.7||49||4
|-
!{{NFL Year|1990}}||[[1990 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
|15||260||1,078||4.1||52||10||42||'''484'''||11.5||50||3
|-
!{{NFL Year|1991}}||[[1991 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
|13||210||747||3.6||42||6||47||368||7.8||26||3
|-
!{{NFL Year|1992}}||[[1992 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
|'''16'''||156||582||3.7||49||5||42||399||9.5||30||'''6'''
|-
!{{NFL Year|1993}}||[[1993 Chicago Bears season|CHI]]
|15||202||646||3.2||45||4||31||160||5.2||35||0
|-
! colspan="2"|Career ||116||1,515||6,166||4.1||80||51||302||2,763||9.1||59||20
|}

==Life after football==

Anderson now lives with his wife and their three children in the Gainesville area, where he helped found a bank and owns a {{convert|2000|acre|ha|adj=on}} peanut farm.<ref name=forde11022010>Pat Forde, "[https://www.espn.com/college-football/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=5755060  Pressure, pigeons and playoff]," ESPN.com (November 2, 2010).  Retrieved November 3, 2010.</ref>  He is active in the community. He is a big fan of professional wrestling and attended [[Wrestlemania XI]].

In 1998, Anderson helped found, and is now on the board of directors of, Community Bank and Trust of Florida, a bank with 11 locations in and near Gainesville.<ref name="chicagotribune.com"/>

==See also==
{{Portal|American football|Biography|College football}}
* [[Florida Gators football, 1980–89]]
* [[History of the Chicago Bears]]
* [[List of Chicago Bears first-round draft picks]]
* [[List of Chicago Bears players]]
* [[List of Florida Gators in the NFL draft]]
* [[List of University of Florida alumni]]
* [[List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Bibliography==
* Carlson, Norm, ''University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators'', Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007).  {{ISBN|0-7948-2298-3}}.
* Golenbock, Peter, ''Go Gators!  An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory'', Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002).  {{ISBN|0-9650782-1-3}}.
* Hairston, Jack, ''Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told'', Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002).  {{ISBN|1-58261-514-4}}.
* McCarthy, Kevin M., ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=_Tk-IQepI6cC  Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football]'', Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000).  {{ISBN|978-0-7385-0559-6}}.
* Nash, Noel, ed., ''The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football'', Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998).  {{ISBN|1-57167-196-X}}.

{{Bears1986DraftPicks}}
{{BearsFirstPick}}
{{1986 NFL Draft}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Neal}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American football running backs]]
[[Category:Chicago Bears players]]
[[Category:Florida Gators football players]]
[[Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Jackson County, Florida]]
[[Category:Brian Piccolo Award winners]]