Normally we in the press see Dave Anson at any Warsaw Tiger home sporting event, and he was conspicuous in his absence at Friday’s Max Truex Invitational boys track meet.
Anson spent the weekend in Manhattan, Kan. where his late brother Steve was remembered before Kansas State’s baseball game with Arkansas State on Saturday.
Steve Anson was a standout baseball player who left Mishawaka to accept a baseball scholarship at K-State. The elder Anson won the Big Eight batting title in 1974, and remains the career leader at KSU with 19 triples.
According to Dave, his brother liked Kansas so much he decided to stay, and accepted a position as an assistant coach at Washburn University in my hometown, Topeka.
I met Steve as a kid with big-league dreams. In hindsight, I think he took one look at me and knew if I was ever going to make a living in baseball, it was going to have to be from the press box.
There is no way to overstate what Steve Anson meant to Washburn athletics. Back in those days, it was common at NAIA schools for coaches to be in multiple sports; Anson was a longtime assistant basketball coach as well. He also served in a number of administrative capacities during his time at Washburn.
He became the head baseball coach for the Ichabods in 1980, and was still in that position when he passed away in a tree-trimming accident at his home last June. A memorial service was held for him at Washburn’s baseball field.
Earlier this year, Washburn held “Steve Anson Day,” where his number 19 was retired and all the players and coaches wore 19 for a game. Dave Anson was there for that event as well.
This past weekend K-State made Steve the focus of its annual baseball alumni weekend. Dave was asked to throw the ceremonial first pitch before Saturday’s game.
“Kansas State, just like they did in June after my brother passed away, they really rolled out the red carpet,” Dave said. “They treated us with class, and it was a really nice event. They coordinated their tribute to my brother along with their alumni weekend. I’d say they had 25 alumni players there, several of which were teammates of Steve’s back in the early 70s.
“I was really young back then, being 12 years younger than my brother. I worshiped all things Kansas State baseball, and all things Kansas State, and I recognized a lot of those guys because I’d studied the media guide so many times.
“It was my first K-State baseball game since 1978. I have a lot of memories from childhood; some are a little blurry, but I remember when I was around eight, maybe nine years old, but I can distinctly remember playing catch. They put the catcher’s gear on me and took me out on the field to play catch with my brother, Lon Kruger (who played basketball and baseball at KSU, and is currently the head basketball coach at Oklahoma) and a lot of those guys.
“Having the opportunity to throw out the first pitch in honor of my brother was really special. To be able to do that, with the guys who helped me make those distinct memories, was very special.
“Because he coached at a college so close to K-State, he remained active with K-State baseball. He did a lot of camps, and he stayed very close to the program.”
Steve Anson was known for his encouragement of student-athletes, and sticking with them through thick and thin. My personal encounter with him was brief, but afterward I felt like I’d been told the truth regarding my baseball talent in such a way as to not crush a kid’s dream. In my book, that’s a special talent. Maybe the best compliment I can pay is to say Dave reminds me of his brother.
Anson spent the weekend in Manhattan, Kan. where his late brother Steve was remembered before Kansas State’s baseball game with Arkansas State on Saturday.
Steve Anson was a standout baseball player who left Mishawaka to accept a baseball scholarship at K-State. The elder Anson won the Big Eight batting title in 1974, and remains the career leader at KSU with 19 triples.
According to Dave, his brother liked Kansas so much he decided to stay, and accepted a position as an assistant coach at Washburn University in my hometown, Topeka.
I met Steve as a kid with big-league dreams. In hindsight, I think he took one look at me and knew if I was ever going to make a living in baseball, it was going to have to be from the press box.
There is no way to overstate what Steve Anson meant to Washburn athletics. Back in those days, it was common at NAIA schools for coaches to be in multiple sports; Anson was a longtime assistant basketball coach as well. He also served in a number of administrative capacities during his time at Washburn.
He became the head baseball coach for the Ichabods in 1980, and was still in that position when he passed away in a tree-trimming accident at his home last June. A memorial service was held for him at Washburn’s baseball field.
Earlier this year, Washburn held “Steve Anson Day,” where his number 19 was retired and all the players and coaches wore 19 for a game. Dave Anson was there for that event as well.
This past weekend K-State made Steve the focus of its annual baseball alumni weekend. Dave was asked to throw the ceremonial first pitch before Saturday’s game.
“Kansas State, just like they did in June after my brother passed away, they really rolled out the red carpet,” Dave said. “They treated us with class, and it was a really nice event. They coordinated their tribute to my brother along with their alumni weekend. I’d say they had 25 alumni players there, several of which were teammates of Steve’s back in the early 70s.
“I was really young back then, being 12 years younger than my brother. I worshiped all things Kansas State baseball, and all things Kansas State, and I recognized a lot of those guys because I’d studied the media guide so many times.
“It was my first K-State baseball game since 1978. I have a lot of memories from childhood; some are a little blurry, but I remember when I was around eight, maybe nine years old, but I can distinctly remember playing catch. They put the catcher’s gear on me and took me out on the field to play catch with my brother, Lon Kruger (who played basketball and baseball at KSU, and is currently the head basketball coach at Oklahoma) and a lot of those guys.
“Having the opportunity to throw out the first pitch in honor of my brother was really special. To be able to do that, with the guys who helped me make those distinct memories, was very special.
“Because he coached at a college so close to K-State, he remained active with K-State baseball. He did a lot of camps, and he stayed very close to the program.”
Steve Anson was known for his encouragement of student-athletes, and sticking with them through thick and thin. My personal encounter with him was brief, but afterward I felt like I’d been told the truth regarding my baseball talent in such a way as to not crush a kid’s dream. In my book, that’s a special talent. Maybe the best compliment I can pay is to say Dave reminds me of his brother.