The former Hingham H.S. football coach ranks high on the list of Boston University's three-sport athletes. The gridiron mentor was a versatile high school and college competitor, partaking in football, baseball and hockey.
His career at Boston University (1946-50) included three seasons as a varsity starter in football and baseball along with an All-American hockey nomination in 1950.
His high school prowess earned him All-State selection in football and hockey during his senior year at Waltham H.S. Following his high school graduation, the 17-year-old Walt Anderson enlisted in the Navy and saw action in the Pacific Theatre during World War II.
In 1946, he enrolled at BU for three years (1947-49), during which time he was a starting defensive end. The fact that he was only 5-foot-11 and 172 pounds never bothered Walt. His coach, Buff Donelli, tried each fall to replace Walt with a bigger man, but he could never do it. Steve Sinko was Donelli's line coach at the time. Sinko simply said at the time of induction, "Walt was the best defensive end I've ever had."
Anderson's best sport in college was hockey. In 1950 when the Terriers went to the NCAA championships and lost in the Final Four to Colorado College, he was good enough to make first team All-America. In 1948 the BU NEWS honored him as its "Athlete of the Year."
Following his 1950 graduation from BU, Anderson spent three years at Ayer High School as athletic director and then moved on to the University of Maine. At Maine, he was a member of the football and baseball coaching staffs for two years. He returned to BU in 1956 and served on the coaching staff for two seasons before taking the head job at Hingham H.S.
