| Bob Anderson | ||
|---|---|---|
| Birthday: | 7. November 1947 |
|
| Lives in: | Clevedon, England | |
| Born at: | Winchester, England | |
| Nickname: | The Limestone Cowboy | |
| Darts: | 24g Unicorn Signature (previously 18g Unicorn Signature) | |
| Walk-On-Music: | Rhinestone Cowboy (Glen Campbell ft. Rikki & Daz)/Won't get Fooled Again (The Who) | |
| Organisation: | PDC | |
| Ranking: | ||
| Internet-Site: | ||
Bob Anderson is a former BDO World Champion and founding member of the PDC who was in the late 1980 for some years the number 1 of the sport.
Thereby Anderson - who threw his first 180 with seven - had first another sports career in mind. In his youth he was a very successful javelin thrower who almost qualified for the Olympics in Mexico in 1968. But when he threw in the down pouring rain a javelin for a photographer he came by an elbow injury which ended this career. Beside Anderson played football but when he broke a leg he had to stop playing football as well.
And so Anderson turned towards darts and 20 years after his balked Olympic dreams was crowned BDO World Champion. Beside the World Championship he won in the years 1986 - 1988 the Winmau World Masters three times in a row. Two years after his World Champion title had had surgery due to back problems. He never was as successful after that but he came back and was nominated captain of the national team - a notional team in which players like Steve Beaton, Dennis Priestley, John Lowe, Phil Taylor and Martin Adams played. Eric Bristow was not a part of this national team as he suffered from dartitis in those years. To have been captain of this national team for Anderson is in retrospect means more than all his individual titles.
Anderson was one of the players who left the BDO 1992/1993 and founded the PDC. It was a difficult time for the players not only because of the conflict with the BDO but financially as well for the players who tried to earn a living with darts. The stellar ascent of the PDC started with Barry Hearn who found a way to make the sport very popular and who managed to promote darts as the players had hoped for. The price money was far less than today but as many of the top players of the time Anderson played (and still plays) a lot of exhibitions.
Anderson couldn't win another major in the PDC but till he left he never fell out of the op 32 and qualified every year for most of the majors. 2004 and 2005 he stood in the semi-finals of the World Championship. 2008 he took part for the last time in the PDC World Championship before he decided to take part in the League of Legends instead of playing on the PDC Circuit - a decision with not awaited consequences as the PDC wouldn't allow him to take part in any PDC events any longer as the League of Legends was a televised event. So Anderson became the only player who was banned during his career from first BDO and then PDC events. Till today the relationship between Anderson and the PDC is tense. Anderson won the first season of the League of Legends but as it was not a real financial success no further season was played. A return to the PDC was out of the question for Anderson.
And so the very popular and well known Anderson ended his active career in darts but till today plays locally, still can be found on the Exhibition Circuit and now can be booked for coaching sessions as well.
He plays a lot of golf now and one hears he's in flight fishing as well. Now wonder he loves to eat fish.
Anderson became famous for one of the most bizarre walk-ons ever: during the World Championship 1995 he was accompanied to the stage by a horse.
On the internet you can find quite a lot of Bob Anderson videos among those Bob Anderson Tribute or Bobs 27 doubles practice game for dart players.
Results
Major Events
| BDO World Championship | Winner | 1988 |
| PDC World Championship | Semi-Finals | 2004, 2005 |
| World Masters | Winner | 1986, 1987, 1988 |
| World Matchplay | Third | 1996 |
| World Grand Prix | Quarterfinals | 2006 |
| UK Open | Last 16 | 2006 |
| WDC World Pairs | Last 16 | 1996 |
| WDF Europe Cup Doppel | Winner | 1990 |
| World Darts Trophy | Last 56 | 2007 |
| Las Vegas Desert Classic | Last 24 Group | 2003 |
| League of Legends | Winner | 2008 |