John Anderson talks retiring as Gophers baseball coach after 43 seasons

John Anderson retiring from Gophers baseball program

Gophers baseball coach John Anderson talked Tuesday about retiring from his post after the 2024 season, which will be his 43rd at Minnesota.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - John Anderson came to the University of Minnesota baseball team in 1974, wanting to pitch for then coach Dick Siebert.

The first player he saw live? Hall of Famer Paul Molitor.

"Saw him take batting practice and I knew my career was coming to an end pretty quickly. Better find something else to do," Anderson said.

John Anderson starts final season with Gophers

John Anderson is starting his 43rd and final season with the Gophers baseball team. He will retire after the 2024 season and is already Minnesota's all-time winningest coach.

Anderson has been the face of Gophers’ baseball since he was offered the job by Paul Giel in 1981. It was either coach baseball, or take a full-time job in sales. Anderson is now entering his 43rd season with the Gophers, and he announced back in December that 2024 would be it for him as a head coach as he’s retiring.

He talked about that decision on Tuesday at Athletes Village.

"I have to pinch myself sometimes, it’s a little bit surreal. I surely didn’t write a career paper in eighth grade about being a Division I baseball coach for 43 seasons, my mother wanted me to be a priest. Here we are," Anderson said. "I don’t believe I’ll be bored for a second, to be honest with you. But the hard part for me is whenever you make the decision, it’s going to impact others. It’s not just about me, there is no perfect time."

Anderson has spent most of his career trying to win baseball games, and help college kids leave campus as adults. He said Tuesday about 95% of his players have earned degrees. He’s been in players’ weddings, been invited to weddings, seen birth announcements and had to go to at least one funeral. He’s coached as many as 18 sons of players.

"I think we’ve graduated close to 95% of the guys, I think I’m most proud of that. That tells you the relationships meant something," Anderson said.

Here’s a look at Anderson’s career by the numbers as he enters his 43rd season, which starts Friday against CSU Bakersfield in Surprise, Ariz.:

Anderson has 1,365 career wins, 612 Big Ten wins, is the all-time winningest coach in Minnesota history and is fourth in wins among active Division I coaches
He’s led the Gophers to 11 Big Ten regular season titles and 10 Big Ten Tournament titles
He’s led Minnesota to 19 NCAA Tournament appearances, and to an NCAA Super Regional in 2018
He’s been the Big Ten Coach of the Year eight times

Anderson also joked that the Gophers have already made history in 2024. They played outdoor baseball in Minnesota in January and February for the first time in his tenure as a coach. They normally practice inside and play indoors until heading south to start the season.

Stepping away wasn’t an easy decision, but Anderson wanted to make sure he still had the energy and passion to be a college coach. He also wants to leave the baseball program in a better place than where he started it for the next coach.

"I don’t think it’s a decision you wake up one morning and say you’re going to retire. Over the last five or six years, I’ve tried to pay attention to where I’m at health-wise," Anderson said. "I’ve seen guys stay too long, I didn’t want to be one of those. I feel good about where the program is at right now, I feel like the time is right."