Edwin J. Anderson

Edwin John Anderson (1902–1987)[2] was an American sports executive who held various positions with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) from 1948 to 1987.

Edwin J. Anderson
Personal information
Born:(1902-08-03)August 3, 1902[1]
Rockford, Illinois, U.S.
Died:February 5, 1987(1987-02-05) (aged 84)
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, U.S.
Career information
College:Beloit College
Career history
As an administrator:
Career highlights and awards

Business career

A native of Rockford, Illinois, Anderson attended Beloit College, where he was a member of the school's football and basketball teams.[3][4] He graduated in 1927 and the following year married Isabel Bort of Chicago. The couple settled in Vincennes, Indiana, where Anderson was an advertising manager for a local newspaper.[3] They moved to Peoria, Illinois, in 1931 after Anderson became an advertising manager for Altorfer Bros. Company.[5] In 1937, Anderson became the general sales manager for James Barclay and Company.[6] The following year he joined the Goebel Brewing Company as vice president and general sales manager.[7] He was promoted to president in 1941 and remained in that role until 1958 when he resigned to focus on his duties with the Lions.[8][9]

Detroit Lions

Anderson was a member of the Detroit Football Company – a syndicate led by D. Lyle Fife that purchased the Lions from Fred L. Mandel Jr. on January 16, 1948.[10] Fife resigned as president during the 1949 season and Anderson was chosen to succeed him. Under Anderson's leadership, the Lions won three NFL championships and four division titles before falling off after the 1957 season.[11] In 1958, he assumed the role of general manager after Nick Kerbawy left to take the same job with the Detroit Pistons of National Basketball Association.[9] In 1961, Anderson resigned as president after a group of stockholders, led by Fife, attempted to remove him. William Clay Ford Sr., an Anderson supporter, was chosen to succeed him and Anderson was allowed to stay on as general manager.[12] The power struggle ended in 1963 when Ford purchased the team from the other shareholders.[13] In 1964, Russ Thomas took over football operations for the Lions, but Anderson remained with the team as a vice president.[14] He was a leading force in the team's move to the Pontiac Silverdome. He remained with the team until his death on February 5, 1987.[15]

References
  1. Who was who in America - Volume 9. Marquis-Who's Who. 1989. p. 9.
  2. Boggs, Johnny D (2021). Sports on Film. Santa Barbaba: ABC-CLIO. p. 55. ISBN 9781440875564. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  3. "Marriages". The Beloit Alumnus: 30. May 15, 1928. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  4. "Former Beloit Students are Married". The Round Table. April 21, 1938. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  5. "Class Notes". The Beloit Alumnus: 30. June 30, 1931. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  6. "Alumni News Items and New Addresses". The Beloit College Bulletin - Alumni Issue: 37. April 27, 1937. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  7. "Financial Notes". The New York Times. January 19, 1938.
  8. "Anderson Heads Goebel Brewery". The New York Times. March 20, 1941.
  9. "Anderson Quits Post". The New York Times. June 24, 1958.
  10. Sheehan, Joseph M. (January 16, 1948). "Syndicate of Business Men Acquires Detroit Lions Football Club". The New York Times.
  11. Maule, Tex (February 6, 1961). "New Masters in the Den of Lions". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  12. "Pro Lions Name Auto Executive". The New York Times. January 24, 1961.
  13. "Lions' Directors Vote to Sell Club". The New York Times. October 26, 1963.
  14. "Lions' Owner Picks Thomas To Head Player Personnel". The New York Times. January 22, 1964.
  15. "Former Lion executive dies". The Windsor Star. February 8, 1987.
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