Safety making most of opportunity with IU

The cleats aren't new. The wide receivers and defensive backs aren't given gloves to ease the pain of catching a hard-thrown football. And the meals, well, sometimes there just aren't any.\nWelcome to the world of junior college football.\nTwo years ago, senior free safety Johnny Anderson experienced this lifestyle. Now, he's wearing new cleats, catching passes with soft black gloves, eating massive smorgasbord meals on a regular basis and starting for a Big Ten team.\nNot bad for a guy who was roaming the streets of Fort Pierce, Fla. five years ago.\n"This is a great opportunity for me," Anderson said in regards to attending IU. "I greatly appreciate it and I'm trying to make the most of it, because I know where I've been."\nDuring his days at Westwood High School in Fort Pierce, Anderson said he was in and out of juvenile facilities. Anderson won't comment on what he got into trouble for as a teenager and simply says, "I made some bad decisions in life."\nDespite his problems off the field, Anderson was a standout on the football field at Westwood. For three years, Anderson earned the city of Fort Pierce's defensive-player-of-the-year honors. Anderson's play senior year earned him a spot in the Southern Florida Outback Steakhouse All Star Game.\nAnderson had no interest in attending college after high school. But he did have a passion for football, and this passion eventually landed him 3,100 miles away from home and at the City College of San Francisco.\n"I love football, I love it with all my heart," Anderson said. "I just wanted to try junior college. I turned down the offer I had right out of high school to go to junior college and I sat around for a semester."\nAnderson's love for football persuaded him into calling George Rush, the coach at the CCSF. "I told him, 'I'm sick of sitting around here, I'm not doing anything with my life; will you give me the opportunity?'"\nWithout hesitation, Rush fulfilled Anderson's request.\n"He had interest in coming right after high school and he didn't come," Rush said. "He then called a few months later and said 'Do you remember me?' and he wanted to join the team."\nLike life in Fort Pierce, things weren't easy for Anderson in San Francisco. He was forced to adjust to a new part of the country while paying his own way through junior college. \nBut Anderson did have football. He received Golden Gate Conference player-of-the-year honors in 1998 after tallying 122 tackles and three interceptions. \n"He was a fabulous player," Rush said. "I never had to do anything to get him to play harder. He plays as hard as he can every play. He's very coachable and was always working hard to get better."\nCCSF is a junior-college powerhouse known for producing Division I players. Every year, recruiters flock to the campus to scout CCSF's talent pool. IU tight ends coach Marty Fine traveled to San Francisco in the fall of 1998 to recruit Anderson.\n"I've known Marty Fine for years and I told him, 'If you're looking for a defensive back and in particular a safety, then Johnny is the guy,'" Rush said. \nShortly after Fine's visit, IU offered Anderson a scholarship. Joining Anderson at IU in the spring semester was wide receiver Jerry Dorsey, who also played for CCSF. \n"We were close, but he was always on the other side of the ball wanting to hit me," Dorsey said of his relationship with Anderson at CCSF. \nEvery year, first-time IU players have an opportunity to tell their stories. Coach Cam Cameron said he will never forget the story Anderson told in 1999.\n"He just came here from San Francisco City College," Cameron said. "And he says 'I thank you every time I eat a meal here at our training table. I know all you guys are used to being on scholarship, having all these things that athletes do. You got to realize at junior college you … You go to the game hungry and after the game they don't feed you.'\n"All of a sudden, there was a lot less complaining around our football program." \nAnderson committed to IU in the late fall of 1998. Just before his arrival in Bloomington, Anderson's mother died of a sudden illness, leaving behind two sisters, ages 14 and 17, who are now in Anderson's custody. Anderson, a general studies major, plans on using his degree to help his sisters. \n"I got two younger sisters to support and they're my drive right now," he said. "It will mean a lot to me to get a degree from (IU) and further my education."\nAnderson's sisters have never seen their older brother play in person. One of his goals is finding a way for his sisters to see him play before the season ends.\n"I want to talk to coach Cam to see if anything can be done to get them out here to see me," he said. "I want them to see me play at least my last college game." \nIf his sisters do manage to make the trip to Bloomington they are going to see a lot of their brother. After playing sparingly in 1999, Anderson is now IU's starting free safety and leads the team with 24 tackles. Anderson also plays special teams, and last weekend against Cincinnati he recorded IU's first punt block since 1996.\nRegardless of what happens on the field the remainder of the season, Anderson has come a long way from his days at Fort Pierce.\n"Johnny Anderson has overcome a lot," Cameron said. "I think that's why he plays the way he plays. It's been hard and he appreciates what Indiana University is doing for him and we appreciate what he's doing for us"