Ladell Andersen

Ladell “Dell” or “Andy” Andersen was a basketball coach having the distinction of coaching for the three largest universities in Utah at the time. In 1956 he became an assistant coach for the University of Utah for five seasons and in 1961 became head coach for Utah State University. He held this position for ten years until being named head coach in 1971 for the Utah Stars, a professional team in the American Basketball Association. After two seasons Andersen chose to return to USU for another ten years as athletic director. In 1983 he accepted the offer to become head coach at Brigham Young University and served there for six years, until retiring from coaching in 1989. Andersen’s coaching record at USU from 1962 to 1971 was 173-96 and he was 114-71 at BYU from 1983-1989. He had an overall college coaching record of 287-167.

He was born on October 25, 1929, in Malad, Idaho. He graduated from Utah State University in 1951, where he had played basketball on a scholarship. He was stationed at Sandia Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the Korean War from 1951 to 1953. From 1953 to 1956, he worked for Central Bank in Denver, Colorado, and played basketball with a team in the Old Industrial Basketball League. He and his wife, Donna, were the parents of five sons.

He passed away on December 29, 2019. He was a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.