Where Are They Now: Richie Anderson

During his final season at Penn State, Richie Anderson rushed for 900 yards and scored 19 touchdowns, 18 on the ground, finishing second in the nation in scoring.

But still, when the Jets selected him in the sixth round of the 1993 NFL Draft, he was equally excited and nervous about taking the next step.

“Very excited because I had just accomplished one of my life’s dreams,” Anderson said. “Nervous because of the unknown. Was I going be good enough? How much better was the competition versus playing college ball?”

Anderson felt fortunate during his rookie season to have those and any other questions he’d have answered by a now Hall of Famer who had taken him under his wing, Ronnie Lott.

“He taught me about how to be a professional player,” Anderson said. “How to practice. How to develop habits. How to work on my weaknesses. He gave me confidence.”

The Jets were confident they were getting someone who could run the ball when they drafted Anderson. What they may not have known is that after making him their fullback, besides being a solid blocker, he’d excel as a receiver. Catching 37 passes for 353 yards during his three seasons in college, he’d total 74 receptions for 623 yards in his first three seasons with New York. And that was only the beginning.

“I worked very hard at catching,” Anderson said. “Then it became very natural for me to catch the football. I took pride in catching the ball as a running back or at tight end, H-back, wide receiver. I played wherever we could get the best matchup for the passing game.”

The Jets didn’t match up too well with their opponents during Anderson’s first five years. Playing under four head coaches – Bruce Coslet, Pete Carroll, Rich Kotite and Bill Parcells – New York won only 27 of 77 games.

“It was very frustrating and extremely difficult. Players who had been around a while became very frustrated with the change,” Anderson said. “It was mostly having to restart each year with an entirely different offensive scheme, and new…