The Bobcat Nation

Anderson, all-time wins leader at Gonzaga, dies at 84
Sep. 7, 2005
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Hank Anderson, the Gonzaga basketball coach for 21 seasons who had the most wins in team history, died at 84.

He died Monday in Gig Harbor near Tacoma of an aortic aneurysm, the university said.

Anderson, a former athletic director at the school, had a career record of 291-275 and a 51.4 winning percentage that is third for coaches with five or more seasons.

"Hank left a legacy at Gonzaga," athletic director Mike Roth said. "He definitely helped lay the foundation for what Gonzaga basketball has accomplished in recent years."

In the 1951-52 season, Anderson took over a team that had gone 8-22 and led it to a 19-16 record. He left as coach in 1972.

He led Gonzaga into the Big Sky Conference for the 1963-64 season. Gonzaga remained in the Big Sky until the 1979-80 season when the Bulldogs joined the West Coast Conference.

After leaving Gonzaga, Anderson went to Montana State, where he posted a 28-24 record from 1972 to 1974. He then became athletic director at Northern Arizona from 1974-83.