LOREN ANDERSON ’58, a two-sport standout who is still Seattle Pacific’s all-time leading men’s basketball scorer, passed away on Aug. 2, 2020, in Anacortes, Washington. He was 84 years old.
The only athlete to have a Seattle Pacific number retired, Anderson wore that No. 5 basketball jersey from 1955 to 1958 and compiled 1,948 points during that
span. He was inducted as a charter member of the Falcons Hall of Fame in 2003.
Born in North Dakota, Anderson moved to the Pacific Northwest early in his childhood and was a multisport star at Auburn High School.
He enrolled at Seattle Pacific College and excelled in baseball as a middle infielder. His lofty batting average drew the interest of Major League Baseball scouts,
hitting .410 as a junior and .419 his senior season.
On the hardwood, Anderson established 13 school records for men’s basketball, many of which still stand today.
His finest performance came during the second-to-last game of his career against Saint Martin’s in February 1958. Anderson erupted for a school-record 54 points. Nearly all of them were necessary for Seattle Pacific, which edged the Saints, 87-83.
“I think I had 30 by halftime,” Anderson recounted. “I was a one-hand set shooter, but Les [Habegger] had me shooting two-hand set shots. I had the ball near midcourt in the last second of the first half, and I just took a two-hander from 40 feet — swish.”
When his playing career concluded, Anderson served as an assistant on SPU’s basketball staff for one year and then became an assistant coach at Mount Rainier High School in Des Moines, Washington, for four seasons.
Anderson became the head coach for boys’ basketball at Yelm High School, converting a 2-17 squad into a state tournament team in his first season.
He continued his teaching and coaching career at Anacortes High School where his basketball teams won nine conference championships in his 12 years. His coaching career concluded at Ferndale High School before he retired in 1991.
