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'Gary Anderson' (born April 18, 1961 in Columbia, Missouri) is a former professional American football running back who played in the NFL and the USFL from 1983 to 1993.

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Career

Career

Gary Anderson signed to play for the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League in 1983 after a college football career at the University of Arkansas.
Gary started late in the season and quickly became the starting running back for the Bandits. He finished with 516 yards on 97 carries with 4 touchdowns in 1983. In 1984, Gary rushed for 1008 yards on 268 carries and scored 19 touchdowns ''(league leader)''. In 1985, Gary had his best USFL season as he rushed for 1207 yards on 276 carries and had 16 touchdowns. He was named to one All-Star team in his USFL career and is the 4th leading rusher in USFL history.
In 1985, he signed with the National Football League's San Diego Chargers and was used primarily as a backup running back and kick returner. He returned a kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown on November 17, 1985 that was the longest kickoff return of the 1985 season. He continued to be a reserve and special teams player for the Chargers until 1988, when he became the starting running back and rushed for 1119 yards on 225 carries. He scored 3 touchdowns and was named to the Pro Bowl that season. In 1986, he caught 80 passes out of the backfield for 871 yards and 8 touchdowns.
In 1989, he sat out the season in a contract dispute with the Chargers. Gary returned in 1990 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and rushed for 646 yards on 166 carries. He played with the Buccaneers as a reserver running back until 1993, when he played briefly for the Detroit Lions before retiring.