Dan Anderson was typical of many small-college stars of the 1960s.
After a record-setting career that included 2,052 points at Augsburg College in Minnesota, Anderson settled into playing on the AAU circuit, spending two years with the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots in the National Industrial Basketball League.
Sir Charles In Charge
Then the American Basketball Association came along.
Anderson had been selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 12th round of the 1965 NBA Draft and was never offered a contract.
Less than three weeks before their inaugural campaign was set to open in October 1967, the New Jersey Americans were shopping for a big man and signed Anderson as a free agent.
The 24-year-old responded with a solid season in the middle for the Americans, averaging 14.7 points and 11.0 rebounds in 33.7 minutes per game while shooting .494/—/.697.
He was ninth in the new league in rebounding and fourth in field goal percentage, while also leading the ABA with 329 personal fouls.
The Americans missed the playoffs, forfeiting a tiebreaker game for the fourth spot in the Eastern Division to the Kentucky Colonels, and moved to Commack, N.Y., the following season.
Anderson returned as the starter the following season, but in late December 1968 was traded with Oliver Darden to the Kentucky Colonels in exchange for Randolph Mahaffey and Manny Leaks.
He was later sent to the Minnesota Pipers that season and disappeared from pro basketball after the 1968-69 season.