Alf Anderson

Alfred Walton Anderson

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 165 lb.
• School University of Georgia
• Debut April 20, 1941
• Final Game April 21, 1946
• Born January 28, 1914 in Gainesville, GA USA
• Died June 23, 1985 in Albany, GA USA

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Biographical Information

Shortstop Alfred "Alf" Anderson played in the majors for three years, and was in the minors five seasons.

Alf played football and baseball at the University of Georgia, where his time overlapped with that of Johnny Rucker. Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates, he played in the Class D Coastal Plains League for the New Bern Bears, where he led the league in runs scored in 1938. In 1939, he played for the Savannah Indians in the Class B South Atlantic League and was with the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association in 1940.

On April 20, 1941, he made his major league debut with the Pirates and over the next two seasons played in 124 games for them under manager Frankie Frisch. He was a year younger than teammate Vince DiMaggio. At the conclusion of the 1942 season, he was teaching in the same high school he had attended in Decatur, Georgia, but quit for a job as a ship fitter at the Southeastern ship yards in Savannah, Georgia. He was married and had two brothers in the service and was classified 3A in the draft. He retired from baseball to remain in his defense job for the 1943 season.

On April 22, 1944, Anderson joined the Navy in Jacksonville, Florida, and was stationed at the Jacksonville U.S. Naval Air Station where he played baseball. Ted Williams was a teammate for the 1945 season. On January 5, 1946, he was discharged from the Navy as a Specialist (A) 2c and rejoined the Pirates, playing in 2 games for them. He was sent to the Hollywood Stars in the AAA Pacific Coast League where he played one season before retiring from baseball to devote his time to his auto parts business in Decatur.

Anderson died of a stroke at the age of 71. Although there have been plenty of big leaguers remembered by the names Al, Alfred or Alfonso, Anderson is (through 2019) the only major leaguer remembered with the first name Alf.

Related Sites

• Find-A-Grave Memorial for Alf Anderson