Bio

As a two-sport athlete, Nick Andersen ’99 showcased his versatile athletic ability in the fall and spring as a four-time letterwinner with both the Simpson football and track and field programs. He made an immediate impact to cement himself as one of the top throwers in Simpson men’s track and field history and competed on one of the best football teams the campus has had the privilege to watch.

Andersen qualified for the 1997 NCAA Division III Track and Field National Championships in the shot put and came out of the event in La Crosse, Wis. with a fourth-place finish after tossing the shot 16.61 meters. His performance made him as an All-American and is the program’s second-best finish at the Championships since 1991. Anderson’s heave was a program record in 1997 and is now second in the history books. On the gridiron, Anderson played for teams that won two IIAC Championships from 1996-97 and made it to the NCAA Semifinals in 1997 after wins over Wisconsin-Whitewater and Augsburg in the postseason.

Andersen graduated from Simpson in 1999 with degrees in sports administration and business management. Since leaving Simpson, Andersen has put his effort back into the Des Moines community to make it a better place. Since 2012, he has served on the American Red Cross Board of Directors, has been a volunteer leader with Boy Scouts of America Troop 178 since 2017 and is also on the Des Moines Community Playhouse Board of Directors since September of this year.