Ottis Anderson had one of the best rookie seasons ever for a Running Back, gaining over 1,600 yards on the ground. Too bad he did it for a bad St. Louis Cardinals team that was barely on the National radar.
Anderson would prove he was not a one-season wonder. Although he never again matched those rookie numbers, he still posted decent numbers and was the highlight of a poor Cardinals team. As it does in football, injuries piled up, and he lost his explosiveness. Anderson was, however, reinvented as a short-yardage specialist by the New York Giants, and he again accumulated impressive tallies. He was a natural leader, and as he rarely fumbled, he was a strong key to the Giants’ ability to control the ball for extended periods of time. As a Giant, Ottis Anderson twice won the Super Bowl, capped with an MVP performance in Super Bowl XXV.
Although Anderson gained major exposure with the Giants, few remember that he retired in the top ten all-time in Rushing Yards. He has since fallen down that list, but he had a long, fruitful career few could match.
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