Former Minnesota baseball coach John Anderson dies at 71

Minnesota coach John Anderson speaks during a news conference ahead of the Big Ten NCAA college baseball tournament in Omaha, Neb., May 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

2026-07-26T21:14:46Z

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — John Anderson, the former University of Minnesota baseball coach and Big Ten career victories leader, died Sunday. He was 71.

Anderson’s family announced his death through the university, where he first arrived as a pitcher in 1974 and spent 43 years as head coach of the Gophers until retiring after the 2024 season.

Anderson was hospitalized Wednesday after going into cardiac arrest, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the university did not announce the cause of death.

Anderson is survived by wife Jan and daughter Erin, who were with him when he died. His body was returned to the university for organ donation.

After an injury cut short his playing career, Anderson became a student manager and was honored as the most valuable player of the 1977 College World Series team by his peers, a squad that featured future Hall of Famer Paul Molitor.

He became the head coach at age 26 entering the 1982 season and amassed 1,390 wins to lead the Big Ten and rank 20th in NCAA Division I. Seattle Mariners manager Dan Wilson and major league All-Stars Terry Steinbach and Greg Olson were among the many standouts he coached.

The Gophers had winning records in 38 of 43 seasons under Anderson, who won the Big Ten Coach of the Year award eight times and took them to the NCAA tournament 19 times, including the Super Regional round in 2018.

Anderson was recently named the annual winner of the Wilson Lefty Gomez Award by the American Baseball Coaches Association for contributions to the sport at local, national and international levels.

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Anderson had his No. 14 uniform retired in 2024.

“He leaves behind a legacy that will never be matched, and our entire Gopher baseball family is heartbroken by this loss,” current head coach Ty McDevitt said in a statement distributed by the university. “Coach Anderson always reminded us to appreciate the people around us and to take care of one another. That’s how he lived his life, and it’s how we’ll honor his memory.”

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DAVE CAMPBELL Campbell is a sports reporter for The Associated Press, based in Minneapolis. He has covered all of the major teams in Minnesota as well as stories of national interest for the AP since 2000. twitter