John Anderson: The Coach Who Turned Water into Wine

John Anderson, the booming voice synonymous with the iconic TV show *Gladiators*, passed away on Sunday, 28th July, at the age of 92. While his catchphrase "Contender ready! Gladiator ready!" made him a household name in the 1990s, his true legacy lay in his phenomenal career as a track and field coach.

Anderson's coaching prowess guided the careers of numerous Olympians, including world record holder Dave Moorcroft, whom he mentored from the age of 16. Moorcroft credits Anderson with breaking the world 5000m record with a time of 13:00.41 in Oslo in 1982.

“I can’t speak too highly of John,” says Moorcroft. “He turned water into wine. At our club (Coventry Godiva) we’d never had anyone break four minutes for the mile, but not only did I do it but Tim Redman, Colin Ridding and Steve James all broke four minutes. I don’t think any of them would describe themselves as world beaters, but John just got the best out of people.”

Anderson’s impact extended beyond Moorcroft, encompassing a diverse range of athletes. He coached Olympic heptathlete Judy Simpson, Olympic middle-distance finalist Sheila Carey, and guided Liz McColgan to Olympic 10,000m silver in 1988. Scottish endurance runners John Graham and Lynne MacDougall also benefitted from his guidance, and he even coached the legendary distance runner Dave Bedford for a period.

Anderson had a knack for spotting talent. He discovered sprint hurdler Will Sharman while living in Corby, and his next-door neighbour’s daughter, Karen Pugh, became a Commonwealth bronze medallist in discus after Anderson introduced her to athletics.

“I’m certain that I would never have been a decent athlete if it wasn’t for John,” says Moorcroft. “Not just because of the training he gave me, but he took a shy kid who didn’t believe in himself and just had that amazing ability to believe in me and others.”

Anderson’s personality was as captivating as his coaching style. Moorcroft describes him as a fighter who would go to any lengths for his athletes. "I also got his humour. I loved all that bravado and brashness and his loud voice and everything because I knew it was all done tongue and cheek. He would die for his athletes and he never took a step backwards."

Despite his dedication, Anderson never charged his athletes a penny. "He coached me from the age of 16 and never took a penny. It cost him a fortune for the privilege of working for nothing,” Moorcroft says.

Anderson implemented unconventional training techniques in the 1970s, challenging the prevailing wisdom that athletes should focus on slow mileage during winter. Instead, he advocated for high-intensity training. "John used to say that if you want to play the violin, you don’t play the cello during the winter,” explains Moorcroft. “He built his training philosophy around principles that in many respects he established. And also he kind of took you on a risky journey, but you knew exactly where you stood. So you trained hard and you did some stuff that maybe was, in hindsight, a bit over the top, and there was always a danger that you could break down, but there was also a danger that you’d end up breaking a world record or something.”

Anderson’s coaching career was deeply entwined with his teaching background. He became one of the early National Coaches for the AAA of England and was especially close to fellow National Coaches Wilf Paish and Tom McNab.

“There was a great line of Michelangelo,” says Moorcroft. “We’re getting a bit heavy here, but he said ‘I saw the angel in the stone and carved until I set him free’. And I think that’s what John did. He could spot talent and spot resilience and he could spot mental toughness. And then he just went for it.”