Gary Anderson (darts player)
A two-time world darts champion from Scotland whose fluid, rhythmic throw and heavy scoring redefined power and precision in the modern game.
Born 1970 (age 56)·Scottish darts player·Birthday: December 22·Generation X
Biography
Gary Anderson's journey to the pinnacle of darts was not a straight shot. Hailing from Eyemouth, he honed his game in the British Darts Organisation, known for its methodical pace, before making a risky and ultimately career-defining leap to the faster, flashier Professional Darts Corporation. The transition was rough initially, but Anderson's natural talent—a seemingly effortless, pendulum-like throwing action that generates astonishing power—could not be denied. His breakthrough was seismic: winning back-to-back PDC World Championships in 2015 and 2016, dethroning the sport's dominant force, Phil Taylor, in the first of those finals. Nicknamed 'The Flying Scotsman' for his quick, high-scoring play, Anderson combines a quiet, understated demeanor at the oche with a ferocious ability to pile on points. His success, built on consistency and one of the sweetest throws in the sport's history, cemented him as a central figure in darts' global expansion.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Gary was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Gary Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Gary's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the PDC World Darts Championship consecutively in 2015 and 2016.
- Achieved the world number one ranking in both the BDO/WDF and later the PDC systems.
- Lifted the Premier League Darts trophy in 2011 and 2015.
- Hit a televised nine-dart finish during the 2016 Premier League Darts final.
Did You Know?
Before becoming a full-time darts professional, he worked as a carpenter.
He is known for using unusually long, 38-gram darts, which are heavier than those used by most top players.
Anderson has a pet parrot named Rocco who sometimes appears in his social media posts.
He initially struggled in the PDC, failing to qualify for the World Championship in his first two years.
“You don't aim at the board; you throw for the treble twenty and accept what comes.”
