Buddy Anderson

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Dovey Ralph "Buddy" Anderson (born c. 1950 in Thomasville, Clarke County) was the head football coach for the Vestavia Hills High School Rebels football team for 43 seasons. His teams had an overall record of 342-154, giving him the honor of the winningest coach in Alabama high school history.

Anderson was the son of Thomasville High School Tigers head coach Dovey Fair Anderson Jr and the former Mary Belle Powell. He played three sports for the Tigers just after his father's retirement, and went on to attend Samford University on a football scholarship. He earned his bachelor's degree in physical education with a minor in math in 1972.

After several fruitless interviews, Anderson was hired as an assistant football coach for the newly-opened Vestavia Hills High School, filling one of the vacancies left by the deaths of three coaches in a vehicle collision on U.S. Highway 31 the previous August. He succeeded Thompson "Mutt" Reynolds as head coach in 1978 and as director of athletics in 1981. He led 31 Rebels football teams into the Alabama High School Athletic Association playoffs. His first and second teams were runner-ups, and and his 1980 and 1998 teams won state championships. As director of athletics, he supervised a staff that accumulated more than 45 state championship trophies across all sports. He also founded the Vestavia Hills chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Anderson was inducted into the Alabama High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2003, and into the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) Hall of Fame in 2018. Buddy Anderson Field at Vestavia's Thompson Reynolds Stadium is named in his honor. Anderson retired after the 2020 season.

Anderson and his wife, Linda have three daughters: Lindsey, Abbey and Stacey.

References

  • Battle, John (April 2011) "Up Close With Coach Buddy Anderson." Sports and Family p. 16–20
  • Karle, Rick (September 15, 2014) "Buddy Anderson of Vestavia Hills: Through triumph, never forgetting tragedy." WBRC.com
  • Ells, Blake (August 23, 2017) "The Forty Year Plan: Vestavia’s Buddy Anderson Reflects on the Past But Looks to the Future." Over the Mountain Journal
  • Parmley, Kyle (June 8, 2020) "Buddy Anderson set to retire following 2020 season." Vestavia Voice

External links

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