Ken Anderson (quarterback)
A cerebral and accurate Cincinnati Bengals quarterback who revolutionized passing efficiency and led his team to its first Super Bowl.
Born 1949 (age 77)·American football player and coach·Birthday: February 15·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ken Anderson didn't possess the cannon arm or flashy style of some contemporaries; he won with precision, intelligence, and a revolutionary understanding of the passing game. Drafted by the fledgling Cincinnati Bengals, he became the franchise's first true star, operating under the innovative system of coach Bill Walsh. Anderson mastered Walsh's timing-based offense, leading the league in passer rating four times and setting new standards for completion percentage. His 1981 season was a masterpiece: he was the NFL's MVP and Most Improved Player, guiding the Bengals to a dramatic AFC Championship victory and their inaugural Super Bowl appearance. Anderson's quiet leadership and consistent excellence, often behind a suspect offensive line, made him a beloved figure in Cincinnati. His statistical profile, emphasizing accuracy over sheer power, presaged the modern passing era, cementing his status as one of the most underrated and influential quarterbacks of his time.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ken was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ken Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Ken's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
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
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 70
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 77 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the NFL Most Valuable Player award in 1981 after leading the league in passer rating and completion percentage.
- Quarterbacked the Cincinnati Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance (XVI) following the 1981 season.
- Led the NFL in passer rating four times (1974, 1975, 1981, 1982), a record at the time of his retirement.
- Set a then-record for highest single-season completion percentage (70.55%) in 1982.
Did You Know?
He was the first quarterback to popularize the use of a wristband with play calls written on it during games.
Anderson played his entire 16-year professional career for the Cincinnati Bengals.
After retiring, he returned to the Bengals as a quarterbacks coach and later served as the Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receivers coach.
He was a third-round draft pick from tiny Augustana College (Illinois).
“The key is not how hard you throw, but where you throw it.”
