Eden Prairie honors 2000 state champions; Anderson legacy lives on

The scoreboard glowed, the marching band took the field, and a cluster of men who once ruled Eden Prairie football stood together again Friday night at Eden Prairie High School.

They were Eden Prairie’s 2000 state champions, honored at halftime of the Eagles’ 40-19 win over Edina on Sept. 12. Lined up behind the benches, 35 former players and coaches watched a 3½-minute video tribute on the scoreboard before the second half began.

Among them was Erik Anderson, a linebacker who helped deliver coach Mike Grant’s third state title with the program. His son Mak, a junior free safety, was in the locker room preparing for the second half – wearing the same No. 29 jersey his father once did.

“It’s cool to think that he played for the same school and was coached by the same coach,” Mak said.

A legacy of winning

The 2000 team’s path to a championship ran through Cretin-Derham Hall and its quarterback, Joe Mauer. Before the season, many figured the Raiders were untouchable.

“Joe was that good,” Erik said. “He could have been an NFL quarterback. He had this uncanny ability to throw 20-yard outs on a rope. That team was stacked. We were ranked No. 2 all year, and we knew we were going to have to go through Mauer to win it all.”

Anderson and his teammates pulled it off, and he still takes pride in it. Mauer went on to star for his hometown Minnesota Twins, spending 15 years in the majors, and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this summer.

For Anderson and his classmates – a group that had lost in the semifinals two straight years – the mission was simple.

“Our group lived, breathed and slept winning,” he said. “Doing it with my high school buddies – the guys I’d grown up with, played sports with since third grade – that’s what made it unforgettable.”

Anderson later captained the defense at Iowa State, playing on national TV before crowds of 100,000. But he said nothing matched the feeling of winning a state title with friends.

Back together again

Players and coaches returned Friday, slipping easily back into old rhythms. Others texted from afar, wishing they could be there.

“Winning a state championship is hard,” Erik said. “A lot has to go your way, and there’s so much discipline involved – all the summer workouts, doing the right thing when no one’s watching. That’s what we committed to as a team.

“So being back together, telling stories and laughing like it was yesterday – that was really special.”

From linebacker to dad on the sideline

A quarter-century later, Anderson sees the game through a different lens.

“Playing Division I football at Iowa State was a rush. Winning the state title with my high school buddies – that was unforgettable.

“But nothing compares to watching my own kids play,” he said. “Honestly, last night, as much as I loved seeing my old teammates, I was a nervous wreck because I’m so proud of my son. That’s No. 1 for me.”

His older brother, Erik Jr., wore No. 29 last year and opened the season with a pick-six against Buffalo.

Now the torch has passed to Mak.

“I think it’s kind of cool that we all wear the same jersey for the same high school,” Mak said. “I think my younger brother will also wear it when he’s in high school if he continues to play football.”

Erik Jr. has since moved on from football. “He’s at Arizona State now,” Erik said. “I did that first-ever drop-off a couple weeks ago, and it was emotional taking my oldest son down there. But he’s doing great – he loves it, he’s got friends, and he likes the school.”

Learning and growing

Mak admits he’s still adjusting to his new role at free safety. Both his father and his brother played linebacker.

“So yeah, we’re all defense – all the Anderson boys are defensive-minded. Let’s go hit somebody,” Erik said.

“I never played free safety before, until this year,” he said. “I made some mistakes on coverages, especially playing Edina since they’re a big passing team. But I think I’m learning and getting better as the season goes on.”

Mak also credits Grant for the program’s consistency.

“I like the way he holds the players accountable on and off the field,” Mak said. “Kind of like a standard that we have.”

More than a game

For Erik, the lessons outlive the final score.

“What’s cool is, he’s earned his spot,” he said of Mak. “The coaches like him out there because he does the little things right. He’s disciplined. When you don’t want to get up and work out, he still does it. That’s what he’ll carry with him.

“The other big piece is the camaraderie. There’s nothing like football for teaching teamwork. You learn accountability, having your buddies’ backs. I call it finding your true foxhole or dark-alley guys – the ones you know will always be there for you.”

Sweet revenge

Friday offered one more memory for the Anderson scrapbook.

“It feels good to beat Edina because they’re our rivals,” Mak said. “They beat us last year, and watching my brother lose to them last year … so a little bit of revenge.”

The Anderson legacy may stretch even further. Erik’s son Beck, an eighth grader, now wears No. 29, and youngest brother Banks, 5, might one day follow.

“If he wants to be like his brothers, that’ll be fun,” Erik said. “It’ll keep me young.”

Twenty-five years ago, Erik Anderson and his teammates were on a mission to bring home a title. Now, as his son plays under the same coach wearing the same jersey number, the goals are still lofty and the lessons still hard-earned. For Erik, the sweetest victory is the simplest – watching his son take the field.