Anderson, Jim

Jim Anderson was one of Essendon's finest defenders in the early years. He came to the Club after having played with Scotch College in 1892 and also with Fitzroy Juniors. He was the first Essendon player to be registered with the VFL, hence his debut number is 1.

His long and distinguished career spanned fifteen years and he captained Essendon in 1903 and 1904 before resigning late in that year. He had earlier been vice-captain in 1899.
Anderson played in the Essendon VFA premiership sides of 1892, 1893 and 1894 and was a member of Essendon's first League team in 1897.

His cool and reliable play made him a star in the 1897 premiership win and he was also full-back in the 1901 premiership victory. This made him a remarkable five-time premiership player.
In all, he played in 10 League finals games and played for Victoria in interstate games in 1903 and 1905.

In 1903, Anderson became only the second Essendon player and the eighth in the League to play 100 games.