Five years ago, redshirt track and field senior Thomas Anderson was faced with a choice: to stay in his home state and attend the University of Minnesota or travel south to join one of the best throwing programs in the nation at ASU.
Part of Anderson's decision was looking to get away from the legacy his parents left in Minnesota, so he set out to pave his own way in the desert.
“Both my parents coached at the University of Minnesota,” Anderson said. “I basically grew up on that campus and I just wanted something different.”
Anderson’s parents, Colin and Lynne Anderson, were both throwers in college – Colin at the University of Minnesota and Lynne at the University of Oregon. After college, they continued their throwing careers, both competing in the 1976 and 1980 Olympics.
Anderson's parents helped coach and guide him during high school.
Lynne Anderson was the assistant coach at the University of Minnesota for 33 years. She coached the throwers and has been around a track her entire life and she is still involved in Anderson's athletic training.
“If I am struggling figuring something out, I can always call her and she’ll figure it out in like 15 minutes,” Anderson said of his mother. “I was struggling last year really bad for a couple of weeks, talked to her for about 15 minutes, went to practice the next day and everything was fixed.”
Growing up with Olympian parents was the normal way of life throughout his childhood, Anderson said.
“That was my normal,” he said. “Like, some people grow up with a super rich family, super poor, super famous. That’s their normal, this is my normal.”
Anderson’s parents never pushed their son toward track. In fact, Anderson said he remembers a time when his mother didn’t want him to compete in track because of the expectations people may have placed on him.
Greg Kraft, head coach of the ASU track and field program, spoke about the one of a kind bond Anderson has with Minnesota.
“Growing up and going to Minnesota football games and stuff, it is easy to understand if he chooses Minnesota as the hometown school,” Kraft said.
Anderson said Minnesota and ASU were “tied” at one point, but his visit to Tempe pushed ASU out in front.
“The thing that changed everything was everyone on the team down here. I didn’t know anyone but they accepted me right away,” Anderson said. “When you bring recruits in you try to integrate them as much as possible. When I got here, I felt completely taken in, and I clicked with the team right away.”
It was no accident that Anderson fit in right away with the track and field team, Kraft said. The student athletes and former ASU throwing coach David Dumble welcomed Anderson with open arms.
Kraft said Thomas’ recruitment was a unique situation. With both parents as two-time Olympians and a mother who was the assistant coach of the University of Minnesota, Anderson knew the track and field community well.
"(Anderson's mother) had an opportunity to observe our program, particularly the quality of our student athletes at the meets," Kraft said. "I think his mom had a real strong comfort level with the work of coach Dumble as a technical coach, and I think she had a comfort with the quality of student athletes we had in our program.”
Anderson said he and Dumble's immediate bond made the decision to attend ASU much easier. He was also very excited about the prospect of training outdoors year-round.
Looking ahead to this season, Kraft and first year throwing coach Brian Blutreich are working together to help Anderson be the best he can be.
“I want him to get a personal best, score as high as you can in Pac-12 and make nationals,” Blutreich said.
Also with a second place finish is senior Tom Anderson in the shot put with a toss of 17.97m (58-11.50)!
— SunDevilTFXC (@SunDevilTFXC) January 21, 2017
However, with only a few months remaining in his collegiate career, Anderson’s focus is starting to shift to life after ASU.
His hope is to continue his athletic career after college and try to become a professional thrower.
“I am planning on competing professionally for another year or two after college and then we’ll see how it goes,” Anderson said. “Track is not very lucrative, so if I can’t finance my training then I will have to move on to something else.”
Thomas plans to either stay in Arizona and train with Blutreich or move to Oregon, where his mother is taking care of his grandparents.
Since Anderson trained with his mother when he was younger, the transition back to her coaching would be seamless and beneficial, especially given her place in the Minnesota track and field hall of fame.
As his collegiate career comes to a close, Kraft said the question of Anderson’s legacy has yet to be answered.
“The best part is just about to come up,” Kraft said.
Reach the reporter at jzaklis@gmail.com and follow @JoshZaklis on Twitter.
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