Sept. 27, 2016
THE FLATS – Former Georgia Tech football standout and longtime Yellow Jackets supporter Taz Anderson died on Monday. He was 77.
Anderson played fullback and end for head coach Bobby Dodd from 1957-60. He was an all-Southeastern Conference performer and honorable-mention all-American in 1959 and served as team captain in 1960. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh round of the 1960 National Football League Draft and spent seven years in the NFL, first with the Cardinals (1961-64) and later as an inaugural member of the Atlanta Falcons (1966-67).
After retiring from football, he became an entrepreneur in the Atlanta area, well-known for his innovative outdoor advertising displays, real-estate acumen and technology interests. He was chairman of Taz Anderson Realty Co. and founder of Tazmedia Group.
A 1961 Georgia Tech alumnus (B.S. industrial management), Anderson remained an ardent supporter of the Yellow Jackets throughout his life. He served in a wide variety of volunteer roles with the Georgia Tech Athletic Association over the course of 40-plus years, most notably spearheading the project to renovate and expand Alexander Memorial Coliseum from 6,500 to 10,000 seats in 1985.
Anderson was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1982 and became a member of the State of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
