BRAINERD — Dan Anderson grew up participating in dirt track races and still loves watching them.
Few people know about the head women's swimming and diving coach for the Brainerd Warriors. He is best known for developing successful programs. The program was so successful that it was no wonder Anderson was inducted into the Warrior Athletic Hall of Fame on Monday, April 29, at the Warrior All-Sports Banquet at Brainerd High School's Gichi Zibi Arts Center.
Anderson joins Warrior men's swimming and diving coach John Zemke and former Brainerd players Josh Archibald, Joe Haig and Katie Etterman.
Anderson said he was “obviously surprised” to receive the news from Brainerd Activities Director Jack Freeman.
“Jack calls me a lot, but during the season he calls less,” Anderson added. “It's always a little bit interesting when I see Jack's name light up on my phone. It certainly caught me off guard. It's a great honor. It's a great honor for everyone who has joined us so far, and in my case… I think of Coach, and it's a pretty rare company to be among those guys.”
Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch
Anderson is coming off one of the best seasons for his program. Named Section 8-2A Coach of the Year, he watched his team break his seven school records, win three individual section titles and his one relay title. Two of Brainerd's relays earned top-eight finishes at state, as well as two individual finalists. The Warriors finished 10th at state.
“If you're always losing or you're just not keeping up, I think it's time to get out,” Anderson said. Sports have changed a lot. Very little of what I did 38 years ago is still done today. You have to keep talking to other coaches and keep listening. That's what keeps us competitive. That and having athletes who support the system and are willing to put in the effort. Of course, they have to be talented. And we've been lucky to have so many talented kids come here. We have a lot of great kids. ”
Anderson graduated from Alexandria High School in 1980 and was a member of the Cardinals' football and swim teams. After high school, he attended Bemidji State University and was a member of the swim team.
After college, Anderson taught middle school social studies in Rock Springs, Wyoming, where he also served as assistant varsity boys swimming coach and head middle school boys swimming coach.
A year later, he served as the head swimming coach for seven years, compiling a two-conference record of 66-31-1.
“I'm very excited for him,” said Anderson's son, fellow Hall of Famer Jared Anderson. “It's really well-deserved. He's put in so much time and so many years. He's put so much heart and time and effort into that program.
“He prepares meticulously. Sometimes he would take vacations or go to camp in the summer, and I remember him writing down his training for the year on a yellow legal pad. By the time he arrived, he had already spent a great deal of time thinking about what his priorities would be for the year, what he would work on, and what his training would be for the season.
Jared Anderson graduated from the University of Minnesota, where he swam, and then coached at Hopkins University for several years. He said he stole most of his training plans from his father, even though he had access to a college coach.
“Jared went into the Hall for athletic accomplishments, but I went into the Hall to hang out for a long time,” Dan Anderson joked. “It’s definitely an honor to have my picture displayed alongside his.”
Anderson returned to Minnesota in 1993 and was hired as a middle school social studies teacher and girls swimming director and diving coach in Brainerd. A year after he took over, Anderson welcomed longtime assistant Anne Stenglein to the team. Five years later, he hired his sister Mary Clifford as his diving coach. The three have been together ever since.
“He came from a boys coaching background, so we worked really well together,” Stengren said. “He would say, Anne is doing the girls thing so he can focus on swimming. It's worked out phenomenally well. He respects female athletes and sees how far they can go. There are no girls in his family. He raised two boys. When he first started working, he learned how to deal with girls. I think it was difficult.
“He came to really understand female athletes.”
Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch
Anderson said he coaches athletes. He makes no distinction. What he enjoys is building relationships with girls.
“You can tell when someone spends 30 years, they have a passion for the sport,” Stengren said. “I think what keeps Dan going after all this time is the girls. Swimming is great. He loves the sport, but when you have a great group of athletes that keep coming back year after year. That's what drives him. I know it is.
“He went through years where he thought this was it. I know he could have done it, but the reason he can't is because he's a great athlete and a good kid and I want to be around him.” Because we have children.”
Next season will be his 32nd year at Brainerd and 39th year overall. He has also been the boys middle school head coach for the past 22 years.
Anderson has an overall record of 236-61 in 31 seasons at Brainerd. He has coached his 121 All-Central Lakes Conference student-athletes to date. Of those, 32 have won individual conference titles, and he has coached 12 conference championship relays, 15 section championships and nine sectional relay titles. He has coached his 58 individual athletes and his 30 state relays. Of these, 28 individuals and 17 relay participants participated. Of those, he had seven athletes and three of his relay athletes earn All-State status.
Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch
One of those athletes was Hannah (McKeag) Nelson, who is currently the head swimming and diving coach at Sartell.
“Dan has probably been one of the biggest influences in my life, from when I was playing on his team to now when I'm still playing against him. '' Nelson said. “When I was on his team, he had high expectations for me. He always pushed me to strive for excellence. It's his belief. Every time I doubted myself or felt limited, he saw possibilities. He took the time to come up with crazy sets that I never would have thought of. He really took the time to teach me, coach me, and show me that he believed in me. That changed everything.
“Now I'm his opponent, but for the first few years he was an invaluable mentor to me. My first year at Sartell, maybe now reluctantly, he has shared strategies with me on tapering and how to start the season. He is always offering guidance and I know he is just a phone call away no matter what. Masu.”
Brainerd's team awards during Anderson's tenure include seven conference championships and 11 runner-up finishes, two Section 8-2A championships and nine runner-up finishes.
“We've been having coaches meetings here, just sitting back and observing the quality of coaches in this district. It's a real honor to be a part of that, to be honest,” Anderson said. . “I remember when I was first hired here at Brainerd. I called my mom. I said, 'Hey, mom, I'm here at Brainerd to teach her seventh-grade social studies. I was hired by It was more like, “Hey, Mom, I got the head coaching job at Brainerd.” It was truly amazing to be hired here and to continue for 31 years. ”
Anderson has been named Section Coach of the Year multiple times and was nominated for State Coach of the Year this year.
Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch
“He more than deserves it,” Stengren said. “He never takes a stand on his own. This is a guy who's never been section coach of the year or been named state coach of the year. It's always about the girls. It's never about what Dan Anderson did while he was here. It's just not about who he is.
“I was really lucky to coach with him. When I listen to people who have coached with other people, I hear that Dan and I are still on good terms after 30 years, but I Good luck.”
Mr. Anderson would disagree.
“For me, coaching in this district was a no-brainer,” Anderson said. “I've had great athletic directors before. They've been so great to work with. I've never had assistant coaches who have been so loyal. Ann has been with me for 30 years, Mary has been with me for 25 years. We've been together for years. It's been easy to hire the same assistant coaches for all these years. I couldn't have done it without them. And of course, I have a really supportive wife. She's important to me. That's a big difference too. When my kids were little and someone had to run the house while I was away, she certainly took care of things. Thank you.”
JEREMY MILLSOP can be reached at 218-855-5856 or jeremy.millsop@brainerddispatch.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jeremymillsop.
