IN A MOVE SURPRISING TO MANY in the Houston area high school football world, Galveston ISD opened its head football coaching position for applicants, ending the seven-year run of Ball High school coach and icon Kimble Anders on Friday.
The news came as a shock as Anders, who amassed a 26-44 record in his career, had reestablished the program after the team fell into freefall in the mid-2000s. Anders’ best work came in 2017 when he guided the Tors to the area round of the 5A, Region III playoffs, marking the first time Ball had reached the postseason since 2009.
Despite a record that was hampered by playing in one of the state’s toughest districts (10-5A-1) over the past two seasons, Anders had put together a team that played with the same pride and focus that defined Anders’ high school stint with the Tors, where he rushed for over 2,000 yards in 1984 and took Ball on the program’s deepest postseason run.
Recruited by the University of Houston, Anders was part of the Cougars’ resurgence in the late 1980s and played both running back and receiver at UH. Anders was on the 1989 team that saw Dickinson’s Andre Ware capture the Heisman Trophy.
Signed by the Kansas City Chiefs after college, Anders spent 10 seasons (1991-2000) with the franchise and earned three straight trips to the Pro Bowl (1995-97). He had five straight seasons with at least 55 receptions and still ranks among the team’s all-time leaders in receptions with 369.
Prior to his arrival to his alma mater, Anders was head coach at Northeast High School in Kansas City before serving as running backs coach at Mid-America Nazarene University (KS).
There is no word on when Galveston ISD will intensify its coaching search, but it will likely come right after the Christmas break.
