Daniel Anderson, only a sophomore at Bishop’s High School, has an awareness of and caring about other people’s feelings that you wouldn’t expect in a person so young. “Even in school,” says the friendly young man in a big man’s body, “if someone is having a bad day, you can go and cheer them up, let them know that there’s someone there for them.”
Anderson has had this sensitivity since he was a young boy. Undoubtedly, the influence of his mother Samantha, who works for Child Protective Services when she’s not rooting hard at Daniel’s football games, has had its impact. “She’s caring,” the defensive lineman states with the kind of respect in his voice that makes you believe him. “She’s a very kind person. She comes home from work exhausted” after a day of attending to other children’s well-being. Her son’s sports are an outlet, not just for him but for mom as well, as she played softball in her school days.
On the other side, the enormous and still-growing 16-year-old gains a lot from dad Erwin, who, according to his son, has an “insane” ability to strike up a conversation with people he has never met, and an uncle, J. J., who provides Daniel the truth-telling that made him a better player.
“(My dad) is laid back, relaxed,” the Bishop’s starter said. “I heard he was a great football player at Marian Catholic (now Mater Dei in the South Bay). He’s kind of like me. He likes to joke around a lot. He knows a lot of people (and chats it up with them).”
J. J., Anderson’s godfather, “doesn’t sugarcoat it. He tells it the way it is. When we went to youth games, he would tell me how I did. I think it helped me in the long run. He gives me a lot of guidance on life and football. He hasn’t let me down, or lied. He tells the truth.”
Daniel, presently weighing in at 295 pounds on a 6-foot frame, was probably at 275 or 280 pounds last April, standing about 5-feet-10 when a reporter met him and took photos of him shotputting at a Knights track meet at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. “He’s a growing boy” isn’t just a saying in the Anderson household. It’s being lived out at every meal of high caloric content and weightlifting sessions on the La Jolla private school’s campus.
Anderson, who embodies the kind, gentle giant, thrives on the “physicality” of his favorite sport. He played offense and defense on the Bishop’s football team that won the CIF Division IV title in the fall under Coach Joel Allen.
But his true football identity is at defensive tackle. Asked what he attributes his effectiveness at the position, he says, “My overall strength, both lower body and upper body.” The areas he has grown in are his technique, his play recognition, and “playing for the team. “I was selfish,” he says. “I used to try to make the big play. I played for myself. Now, I try to play for the team” and what it needs.
Headed to a junior varsity basketball game at Coronado after the interview, he mentions a lower body asset: a 25-inch vertical leap, especially sizable for a person of his near-300-pound (and increasing) girth. It would be quite a sight for an opponent seeing this man-mammoth come off the bench and propel himself under the boards to bang a body and snag a rebound.
The family has a unique Thanksgiving tradition, celebrated this year around the time of the taking of the CIF title by Daniel and his team: Younger brother Isaac, who has a birthday in December, Abigail, a younger cousin whose birthday falls on Nov. 22, and Daniel, a Nov. 23 baby, all celebrate their birthdays at the family turkey gathering. At the time of the interview, Anderson was holding on to his birthday gift cards, plotting what goodies at Footlocker and elsewhere he might buy combined with the additional booty he anticipated at Christmas.
Underscoring the young man’s care and sensitivity to others is a faith in God. “It helps me,” he offers. “It’s another factor that helps me show compassion to people.”
But he’s not a morose navel-gazer or goodie-goodie. He and teammate Reggie Davis, who plays running back and safety, rib each other. “I mess with my buddy,” the Escondidan admits with a grin. “If he’s wearing something weird, or he trips or I trip, (we give it to each other).”
Interestingly, Daniel, who would like to work in a profession dealing with people, enjoyed the often-hard-to-wade-through Old English story of Beowulf in English class. “Beowulf came in from another country and helped the people” by ridding them of the monstrous villain Grendel. “I like to help people if I see them struggling.”
Anderson appreciates the support he receives at Bishop’s. It’s a long day, waking at 5 a.m., mom driving him to the Bishop’s pick-up point at Carmel Mountain in North County. During third and fourth periods, he receives study help from Jane Mattox. This enables him to troubleshoot questions he has in math and English.
Self-described as “goofy,” Daniel tells the anecdote of when he was about 5 and the family Rottweiler-German Shepherd mix bumped him into the backyard cactus garden. “My mom heard me screaming,” Anderson remembers with a laugh. “She came out and got me.”