Willie "Flipper" Anderson's name is written all over Rams and NFL history.
He and Aaron Cox are the only wide receivers the team ever chose in the first and second rounds of the same draft, when Cox was picked out of Arizona State and Anderson from UCLA in 1988.
"You know, coming from UCLA, I was the guy there for two, three years. And even though Aaron Cox was drafted ahead of me, he was the first-round pick, and I was the second, I felt like we had equal talent," said Anderson. "My reaction was ecstatic. There were several UCLA players that were already there. Mike Young, he was also a receiver, and Henry Ellard, he really took me under his wing.
"I was just happy to stay in town and not having to make a big move as a lot of guys have to do. And that was very relieving knowing what I was going to. I knew the offense that they had, and it was just a comfortable spot for me to go to. It was an easy move."
Moving into the starting lineup the following season, Anderson set an all-time NFL single-game record – which still stands – during a Week 12 nationally-televised Sunday night game in New Orleans, when he had 336 receiving yards on 15 catches in Los Angeles' 20-17 overtime win.
"I wasn't slated to start that game until Henry Ellard got hurt that Friday. I was just thrown into the game and that happened. But I felt pretty good that day," Anderson said. "Everything that was going up, I was catching. (Our quarterback) Jim (Everett) was spot on. All the balls were right there. It was just one of those nights where everything was just clicking. I'm happy to have been in the right spot at the right time.
"I'm glad it happened. That's one of the things that's kept me kind of relevant throughout my retirement. It's a pretty important record. And given the way that they play football today, there's a lot of passing going on, and for that record to still be standing, I'm pretty proud of it."
Anderson had more to be proud of later that season. After the Rams posted an 11-5 record, they beat Philadelphia in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, and then met the New York Giants in the divisional round. Anderson had two touchdown receptions in that game, including the game-winning 30-yard catch in overtime to win, 19-13.
"Ironically enough, when we went into overtime, Aaron Cox and I, we said, 'If we catch this thing, we're going straight to the tunnel. Game over,'" Anderson said. "Back then, the other team didn't get a chance (to have a possession if the opponent scored on its first time with the ball).
"So we just happened to be in the situation, they called my number, and I got the catch. The tunnel was right there in front of me. I couldn't miss it. That Giants team was pretty good, and to catch that ball in overtime and win the game, to send them home that way, it was pretty refreshing.
"And the most memorable thing about that is the quietness of Giants Stadium at that time. You could hear a pin drop."
After reaching the NFC Championship Game that season, Los Angeles' fans became the ones who were at a loss for words on game days. A 5-11 record in 1990 was followed by a 3-13 mark the next year. That resulted in John Robinson being replaced by a former Rams head coach, Chuck Knox, who was known for favoring a run-oriented offense. So much so that he was nicknamed "Ground Chuck."
"Well, we weren't doing too much winning at that time. I guess it was time for a change," Anderson said. "Robinson's way of coaching wasn't working at the time with us. We brought in a running back, Jerome Bettis, and were kind of changing over to a running game. And with the pieces that we had then, Henry Ellard had left, Jim Everett had left, when Knox came in, the writing was on the wall as far as what kind of offense we're going to have."
Anderson wrote his name on the wall next to Ellard and Everett following the 1994 season, signing as a free agent with the Colts. In his seven years with the Rams, the always reliable wide receiver played in 106 games with 76 starts, and caught 259 passes for 5246 yards, a 20.3 average, and 26 touchdowns.
He'd conclude his playing days by suiting-up one season each with Indianapolis, Washington, and Denver. What makes Anderson most proud of his career and time with the Rams?
"The amount of years that I played, it's just tough to be in the NFL that long. And I managed to get 10 years in on that six-foot, 175 pounds or less body. To last that long, I'm pretty proud of that," he said.
"And Ram fans, they were pretty loyal. But in California, were a lot of people from everywhere that came to the games. In those other places, the Washington fans were Washington people. The Denver people were Denver people. Whereas when you played in Anaheim, we had some fans and the visiting team had fans."
After donning the Rams' iconic blue, gold and white, Anderson now wears a black and white striped shirt and officiates basketball games in the Atlanta, Georgia area.
"Twenty-some-odd years ago, I ran into one of the NCAA refs, Mike Nance. He's been a Final Four ref forever," Anderson said. "I'd just got into retirement and wasn't really looking to get into anything yet, and he asked me if I wanted to referee? And so I got into that and I've been doing it ever since. I did college for a stint, and now do a lot of the high schools around here."
A humble man, Anderson is more than fine with the players, coaches, and fans not aware that he played in the NFL.
"I try to keep that on the hush-hush. Every now and then, some people recognize who I am. But for the most part, they don't know, and that makes it even more fun. And when the gyms are full and they're all yelling, I'm like, 'I played in front of 114,000 people. What is this?'" Anderson laughed. "I enjoy just being out there and watching the competition. Having the front row seat to it all."
Making their home in suburban Atlanta, Anderson and his wife, Chantal, have three children: Summer, Seth and Drew; and two grandchildren.
Besides refereeing basketball games, Anderson has also been a longtime coach of the youth football teams that his sons have and are playing on.
"Seth goes to the University of Iowa, he's a wide receiver for them," Anderson said. "He is 21 now, and I coached until he was like in eighth grade. I took a couple years off, and now I'm coaching my youngest one. So it's been about 15, 16 years that I've been coaching the kids. And from my first marriage, I have another son who played in the league, Dres Anderson. He went to the University of Utah and played in the Pac-12."
And the best thing about being Flipper Anderson today…
"Just being the family guy, getting to take my son to school, watching my kids grow up, and still being involved in football," he said. "I always thank my kids for having me still being involved in football and help them try to be successful in that field."
