Derek Anderson is replacing his former teammate as Airport coach
CARLETON – Derek Anderson helped build Airport’s football program into a winner.
Now he is taking the reins.
Anderson, the Monroe County Region Offensive Player of the Year in 1999 when the Jets launched a string of 14 consecutive years in the state playoffs, was approved Thursday by the school’s board of education to take over as football coach.
“It’s good to be home around a lot of people who coached me and I grew up with,” Anderson. “This school had a big impact on my life.”
He replaces his former high school teammate Jim Duffy, who resigned recently after seven seasons as head coach.
Anderson served as Duffy’s defensive coordinator the last two seasons when the Jets went 17-5.
“He was a very important part of what we were able to do the last couple of years,” Duffy said. “He came in as defensive coordinator and did a lot for us. He had a great relationship with the kids and a lot of energy.”
Anderson, a 2001 Airport graduate, played college football at Northwood and Adrian before starting his coaching career as an assistant at Grosse Ile.
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He spent five years there before moving on to Melvindale, where he served one season as defensive coordinator before becoming the head coach for five years.
He still lived in the Carleton area during that time.
When Anderson’s son Liam was old enough to start playing football, the coach was reminded that Airport didn’t have its own feeder program.
So, he and Justin Nye launched the Junior Jets.
“We wanted kids to have a chance to grow up and become Jets, to have pride in that,” he said.
Anderson enjoyed his time at Melvindale, but felt the urge to come back home.
“When I stepped down (at Melvindale), I talked with Jim,” Anderson said.
Duffy relished the idea of adding his former teammate to his coaching staff.
“When I approached him about coming back and coaching, I can’t tell you how many memories and stories we let go in the coach’s office,” Duffy said.
Duffy knew better than anyone the passion that Anderson would bring to Airport.
“I don’t know two more competitive people than Derek and I,” Duffy said. “As players, I think I made him better and I know he made me better. Neither one of us wanted to lose to each other.”
Anderson soon will be leaning on talent that was developed in the Junior Jets program.
Airport had 19 seniors on its roster this fall, including most of the starters.
Anderson faces a rebuilding job in his first year.
“That’s a hard class to lose,” Anderson said of this year’s seniors. “I am not going to say that we’ve got a Cooper Nye, Jack Mills, Colin Nowak or Nolan Zajac waiting, but we’ve got a lot of guys who played a lot of football for us.
“We have to focus on fine tuning those guys and retracing the steps that got us where we are. Guys who got second and third-team reps have to step up and propel us forward.”
Anderson expects a lot from the returners.
“I would be crazy to tell you that we are going to pick up where we left off and average 40 points a game, but I’ll promise you that we will show up and fight and not back down,” he said. “The goals haven’t changed. We’ll bring the juice.”
Duffy and his brother Tim, who served as offensive coordinator, are leaving the coaching staff, but most of the other coaches are returning.
And Anderson is a step or two ahead of many other new head coaches.
He already has both of his coordinators in place.
Former Airport quarterback Clif Whitehouse will run the offense and former Monroe assistant Josh Webb steps in as defensive coordinator.
Anderson said the program in good shape.
“We had 155 kids playing football in the middle school this year,” he said. “I am really happy with the numbers.”
Anderson was hired by Airport as a special education teacher this school year. He and his wife, Leslie, have two children – sixth grader Liam and fifth grader Mila.
Anderson is looking forward to coaching his son in a few years.
“One day he’ll be standing next to me for the national anthem and I’ll be all teared up,” he said.
The whole idea of returning to his alma mater as head coach is emotional for Anderson.
“I’ve come full circle,” he said.
Duffy knows that feeling better than anyone and he is delighted in the school’s choice for his replacement.
“He will have no bigger supporter than me,” Duffy said.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Derek Anderson has been hired as Airport's football coach
