Jerry Anderson

Who was Jerry Anderson?

Jerry O. Anderson was an American football safety. He played one season for the Cincinnati Bengals and one season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League. He played in 14 games in 1977 with Cincinnati and two games in 1978 with Tampa Bay, but never recorded an interception. He then played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League in 1980 and 1981.

Following his career, he was viewed as a hero by his family and community. On May 27, 1984, he rescued some trapped motorists from floodwaters in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Exactly five years later, on May 27, 1989, he died attempting to save two young boys from drowning in his hometown of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. On October 31, 1989, the story of his heroism and death was aired on Rescue 911.