"I've been inspired for 50 years." 
 
When it came to searching for inspiration to establish a positional endowment, former Cal football player and rugby captain-turned-head coach Ned Anderson did not have to look far. Anderson, the fifth head coach in Cal rugby's 140-year history, recently donated $250,000 to endow The Ned Anderson Family Rugby Lock Endowment.
 
Now a member of the Cal Rugby Advisory Board, Anderson first began playing rugby in the springtime following the football seasons, but couldn't help falling in love with the sport.
 
"In those days, a lot of the football players played rugby in the offseason, but I really fell in love with the game," Anderson said.
 
Anderson was the rugby Bears' captain for three years in a row and also captained the team that took a historic tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1971. The Bears won five of nine matches, including victories over Queensland University at Ballymore (11-9) and Australia Capital Territory (ACT) at Canberra (20-17).
 
Anderson, who played for legendary head coach Miles "Doc" Hudson, took over for Hudson at the age of 29 in 1975 and maintained the program's reputation for success, accumulating an overall coaching record of 105-52-2 (.664). The national collegiate championship was first introduced to the sport of rugby in 1980 and Anderson led the Golden Bears to the first four titles from 1980-83.
 
"We set a very high standard early on and we've built on that since," Anderson said. "Cal has pulled the game of rugby up. It really carried rugby to a higher level and we brought a lot of other collegiate teams with us."
 
Anderson continued the tradition of passing the reins to those who played for him, giving way to current Cal head coach Jack Clark who played for Anderson at Cal before taking the helm in 1984.
 
"The term that best describes Ned Anderson is servant leadership," Clark said. "He has had Cal rugby's best interests in the forefront of his actions for half of a century."
 
Anderson remained close to the program after Clark took over, remaining on staff as an assistant coach for several years. His two sons, Scott and David, both played rugby for the Bears and graduated in 2003 and 2005, respectively. Anderson returned as an assistant coach once more from 2003-2008 and in 2011, he was inducted into the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame.
 
However, the generosity never ceased for Anderson as he has donated to the rugby program nearly every year since the late 1980s. His endowment continues a long history of former players, family and friends of Cal rugby generously giving back to the University and the program.
 
The Ned Anderson Family Rugby Lock Endowment is especially meaningful for Anderson as he is funding the program's second lock position. The other lock endowment is in the name of Robert Paylor, created by Cal rugby alumnus and Advisory Board member Byron Deeter in 2018. Paylor was paralyzed from the neck down during 2017's national championship game, but has inspired many on the road to recovery. He has become a motivational speaker, the Executive Director of the Big C Society and walked across the stage at commencement to receive his diploma after graduating from the Haas School of Business.
 
"I was part of Robert's recruitment to Cal and he is someone I built a close connection with," Anderson said. "He was unable to finish his time on the field, but he has made some incredible impressions since. I am very proud to be the lock in the scrum next to Robert Paylor. That's something that is very special to me."