 The Gary, Indiana native led his Ralph W. Emerson High to a IHSAA Sectional title in 1937; he was recruited to Stanford University by fellow Indiana native Everett Dean.Anderson was named All-Pacific Coast after the 1940–41 season; after Pearl Harbor was attacked, he joined the US Navy and spent two years at Great Lakes Training Facility, where he played basketball for Tony Hinkle.After completing his Stanford degree in 1946, he was hired as the basketball coach at Drake University.