Ian Anderson

Who was Ian Anderson?

Ian Anderson was a Scottish professional football defender who spent most of his career playing in the United States.

Anderson began his professional career with Dundee F.C. when he was sixteen, his debut with the first team coming in August 1972. In December 1975, Dundee sent him to St. Johnstone F.C., and in 1977 St. Johnstone sent him on loan to the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League. In 1978, the Rowdies traded the American rights to Anderson to the Houston Hurricane in exchange for draft picks. Houston then purchased his contract from St. Johnstone. That fall, the Houston Summit became a member of the Major Indoor Soccer League. The team was essentially the Houston Hurricane in an indoor guise. He was a 1978–1979 MISL All Star with Houston.

When both the Hurricane and Summit collapsed in 1980, Anderson signed with the Cleveland Force of MISL. In December 1980, the Rowdies selected Anderson in the NASL Dispersal Draft which included players from the disbanded Hurricane. While the team wanted him for the NASL indoor season, he remained with the Force for the rest of the season, garning first team All Star honors. He returned to the Rowdies for the 1981 outdoor season before moving indoors permanently that fall with the Force.