Hall of Fame
In 1973 Jerry Orlando Anderson came to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College from Murfreesboro, TN to play football for the Golden Norsemen. Jerry was a team captain and was NJCAA All American in 1974. He later went on to play for the University of Oklahoma and in 1975, was part of the Sooners National Championship team and was NCAA All American. Starting in 1977, Jerry went on to play professional football for the Cincinnati Bengals and later for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
During the May 1984 flood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Jerry rescued a woman that was trapped in her vehicle. On the same day 5 years later Jerry was fishing in Stones Rivers and saw two boys drowning. Without hesitation Jerry jumped in and rescued the children but was not able to escape the swollen river waters himself and drowned.
Jerry's selfless act was recognized with The Carnegie Hero Award, a F.A.I.T.H. Fallen Hero Award and each year the city of Murfreesboro, TN grants the Jerry Anderson Hero/Humanitarian Award to a community member who has gone above and beyond the call of duty for those in need. In August of 2014 the city of Murfreesboro also honored Jerry for his act of heroism by naming a street in his honor.
