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Tobin Anderson had a very successful season in his first year as coach at Fairleigh Dickinson. He helped improve the team's record from 4-22 last year to 21-16 this season. FDU also made it to the NCAA Tournament, eliminating No. 1 seed Purdue 63-58 in the first round.
Anderson was hired by the Knights on May 3 to become their eighth men's basketball coach in school history. He didn't have any previous Division I coaching experience, starting his career as an assistant at Clarkson and Le Moyne, which are Division III schools.
The Wesleyan product's first head coaching gig was at Clarkson from 1999 to 2004. He then took over another Division III program at Hamilton before joining Division I's Siena as an assistant in 2011.
After two years with the Saints, Tobin Anderson became the head coach for Division II's St. Thomas Aquinas in Sparkill, New York. Anderson was there until he took the job at Fairleigh Dickinson last year.
In his first season at FDU, Anderson compiled an overall record of 21-16, including 10-6 in the Northeast Conference. The Knights were second to Merrimack in the regular season and also runner-up after losing to Merrimack in the NEC tournament final.
As Merrimack was ineligible to participate in the NCAA Tournament, FDU was given a First Four spot by the selection committee. They beat Texas Southern 84-61 in their First Four matchup to advance in the East Region.
The Knights became just the second 16-seed team in NCAA history to eliminate a top-seeded team in the first round of March Madness. They overcame All-American center Zach Edey's size to beat Purdue 63-58.
Tobin Anderson's personal life
Tobin Anderson was born and raised in Truro, Iowa. He earned his college degree in American studies at Wesleyan University in 1995. He also played college basketball at Wesleyan before getting his master's degree in sports management at Florida State.
Anderson resides in Rockland County, New York, with his wife, Jodi, and children Bryce and Alexa. He married Jodi on Aug. 2, 2002.
Jodi is from Lexington, Kentucky, and earned a degree in special dducation studies from the University of Tennessee in 1999. She works at Felix Festa Middle School in West Nyack, New York, as a special education teacher.
The couple's first child – son Bryce – was born around 2006 and was with his father when FDU beat Purdue. He's a huge basketball fan and supports the Brooklyn Nets. The couple's daughter, Alexa, was born in 2009 and was also present when the Knights made history last week.
