John "Doc" Anderson (2013) - Hall of Fame - Troy University Athletics

John "Doc" Anderson

Induction:
2013

Dual responsibilities were the name of the game in intercollegiate athletics in the 1960s and 1970s with many head coaches also serving as administrators and support personnel. John “Doc” Anderson was no exception, serving as Troy State’s track and field and cross country head coach while also serving as the head athletic trainer.

However, Anderson didn’t just serve in two roles, he excelled in two roles. Serving as the Trojans’ head track and field and cross country coach for 12 seasons (1969-80), Anderson’s squads won three track and field conference championships and seven cross country conference championships. All while Anderson was also in the midst of a 14-year stint as Troy State’s head athletic trainer (1967-80).

Anderson coached fellow Troy University Sports Hall of Fame member Charles Oliver to his 1976 NAIA 400-meter National Championship.

“Doc always cared for us as individuals and wanted to see us reach our potential, be it a national championship or just improving,” Oliver said. “The most important thing for me was the fact that we were a small college competing with bigger schools, but he didn’t pressure us. He always relaxed us and just guided us to be our best.”

Oliver was one of 45 All-Americans coached by Anderson in his two separate stints as a coach at Troy. Anderson left Troy in 1980 and served as the head athletic trainer at LSU for 10 years before returning to Troy in 1990. After his return, Anderson continued to coach the Troy cross country teams.

Between his two stints, Anderson was named conference coach of the year six different times in either track and field or cross country. He was the NAIA Track Coach of the Year twice (1973, 1974) and was named the National Cross Country Coach of the Year once (1992). His six conference coach of the year honors all came in the Gulf South Conference and spanned both stints (1975-76, 1978-79, 1991-92). He was also named the NCAA Division II Regional Coach of the Year four times (1978-79, 1991-92).

Overall between his two coaching terms at Troy, Anderson’s track and field teams won two Alabama Collegiate Conference championships (1970, 1971) as well as one Gulf South Conference Championship (1978). Anderson’s cross country teams dominated the Gulf South Conference as they won 10 conference titles (1971, 1974-79, 1991-92, 1994) and five NCAA Division II Regional Championships (1974-76, 1978-79).

While his coaching accolades are numerous, Anderson’s athletic training awards and experiences are just as impressive. Already a member of the Alabama Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame, Anderson has served as an athletic trainer for U.S. Track and Field at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and was a member of the U.S. Track and Field medical team in 1984, 1988 and 1992.

“His ability to coach and be the athletic trainer was outstanding because he did it all basically by himself,” Oliver said. “Not only did he coach and serve as the athletic trainer, but Doc had a family and was a great husband and father.”

In addition to his 14 years as Troy’s head athletic trainer (1965-80) and his 10 years in the same capacity at LSU (1981-90), Anderson is currently an associate professor in Troy University’s award-winning Athletic Training Education program and formerly served as the program’s curriculum director.

Anderson has earned prestigious awards in his profession that range from the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer award (2006) to the NATA Service Award (1997). He was inducted into the Alabama Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame in 1999.

Anderson was a distance running star at Auburn, helping the Tigers to the 1964 SEC Cross Country Championship before graduating in 1965. He and his wife, Susan, reside in Troy and have two children, Cindy and John III.