In some sad and surprising news, Kenny Anderson died on Sunday at the age of 29 in New Orleans.
Anderson is a member of the State Wrestling Hall of Fame in Massachusetts, where he was inducted in 2011.
Kenny Anderson competed at Billerica High School where he was a three-time state champion and a New England finalist. He competed at the 119-pound weight class and was undefeated in high school, finishing with a 46-0 record.
“I feel very badly for Kenny, he’s a great kid who was moving in the right direction in life,” said his high school coach Bob Belanger. “He was very passionate about the sport, he had a great work ethic.”
Anderson served as the captain of the Wartburg wrestling team in 2013-14 when they won their fourth straight NCAA title.
Wahlberg College released a statement on Twitter.
“The entire Wartburg Wrestling family is shocked and heartbroken over the news of Kenny Anderson’s passing. Kenny was one of our greats (3x NCAA Champion) and one of the fiercest competitors to put on our singlet.
We send our deepest prayers and sincerest thoughts to his family, his friends, and the entire wrestling community. He will be greatly missed and his time with our program treasured and never forgotten.”
2/2 We send our deepest prayers and sincerest thoughts to his family, his friends, and the entire wrestling community. He will be greatly missed and his time with our program treasured and never forgotten.” pic.twitter.com/2Exnamz8SG
— Wartburg Wrestling (@wartburgwrestle) October 21, 2019
According to reports, he was about to start a new job as the head coach at Holy Cross School in New Orleans this year. He previously served as an assistant at Wartburg and then later at Cornell.
Sad to hear about this guys passing. RIP Kenny Anderson. Cool guy and wrestling coach. pic.twitter.com/qj4jEEMotE
— Mr. EDR (@gaellax27) October 21, 2019
At the moment, there is no word on Kenny Anderson’s cause of death. He was 29 years old at the time of his passing. He died early on Sunday morning, October 20, in New Orleans.