Derek Matthew Anderson (born June 15, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. A 2007 Pro Bowler, he also played for the Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, and the Buffalo Bills. Anderson played college football at Oregon State.
Early years
Anderson grew up in Scappoose, Oregon, where he led the Scappoose Indians football team to one of their record three consecutive state football championships in Class 3A football. He excelled at basketball and was named state player of the year in both football and basketball his senior year. He participated in the first ever U.S. Army All-American Bowl game in 2000. He was a childhood friend and schoolmate of Playboy Playmate Sara Jean Underwood.
College career
A Beaver fan growing up, Anderson wanted to play for Oregon State most of his life, and his decision as a top national prospect to play for the Beavers was celebrated by fans.
At 6-feet-6-inches, many believed Anderson would play basketball in college. Despite his stature, Anderson was highly recruited nationally for football, especially after his dominating senior year performance in high school as quarterback.
Freshman season (2001) As a freshman in the 2001 season, Anderson appeared in five games and recorded 263 passing yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.
Sophomore season (2002) Anderson's early entry as the starting quarterback came on the heels of Oregon State's most successful period to date. Capped by a crushing 41–9 Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame, the team went 11–1 in 2000 and ranked 4th in the nation under head coach Dennis Erickson. Following the breakthrough season, fan expectations were exceptionally high in 2002 for the Oregon State program to pick up where they left off.
Unfortunately, Oregon State had lost the majority of its star players to the NFL in 2001 and the inexperienced Anderson was handed the reins of a team many overestimated and believed would again crack the top 25. However, the team's youth was easily apparent from the start and led to a string of early losses. Still, Anderson and the team's performance rapidly improved and the Beavers recorded an 8–5 season. He and the team's work was good enough to give them entry into the 2002 Insight Bowl, against the University of Pittsburgh. Oregon State lost 38–13 and coach Erickson left for an NFL head-coaching position with the San Francisco 49ers.
Even though it was clear Anderson was unprepared for a starting position as a sophomore, he had no serious competition at the quarterback position and his job remained secure through the following season.
Junior season (2003) Pressures on the team to repeat the program's 2000 performance were compounded by the coaching change at the end of 2002–2003. The return of previous head coach Mike Riley from the NFL meant learning an entirely new system. With help from teammate and star running back Steven Jackson, Anderson again rose to the occasion and played a leading role in propelling the team to an 8–5 record, capped by a 55–14 Las Vegas Bowl win over a then up-and-coming New Mexico program.
Senior season (2004) Throughout the 2004 season, Anderson surprised many defenses with his ability to escape the tackle and run the ball effectively. He became a dual-threat quarterback and began showing a true command of the game by his improvisation in the pocket and successful outlet passing when under duress. Although the team's 7–5 performance was far from spectacular, Anderson became nationally recognized as a dangerous offensive weapon who could strike long gains at will. The Beavers were without Steven Jackson, who was drafted into the NFL the previous spring. Even without the star running back, Anderson led his team back to the Insight Bowl where they again faced Notre Dame (led by Anderson's future Browns teammate Brady Quinn). The Beavers never trailed in the game and defeated the Irish 38–21. Anderson passed for 359 yards and had four touchdown passes with no interceptions.
Anderson is the fourth player in Pac-10 history to throw for over 4,000 yards in a single season, setting an Oregon State record at 4,058 yards in the 2003 season. He ranks second in the Pac-10 for career touchdown passes, at 79 (also an Oregon State record). He is the 6th person ever to throw for 10,000 yards in a career in the Pac-10.