George Anderson dies at 83; Raiders trainer created a knee brace

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The onetime headmistress of an elite girls’ school fatally shot Dr. Herman Tarnower, her lover and the creator of the famous “Scarsdale Diet.” The killing generated front-page headlines and national debates about whether she was a feminist martyr or vengeful murderer. She was 89. Full obituary
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Often called “Stormin’ Norman” for his legendary temper, the former four-star general is best known as the commander of 1991’s Operation Desert Storm, which quickly drove an invading Iraq out of Kuwait. He reminded America what it was like to win a war and defined the nation’s renewed sense of military pride. He was 78. Full obituary

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Niemeyer, who loved curves in design and disliked right angles, shared architecture’s Pritzker Prize in 1988. He designed the major buildings that form the heart of Brazil’s capital, Brasilia. He was 104. Full obituary | Photos

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Former boxing champion Hector “Macho” Camacho fought a who’s who of legendary opponents stretching from Ray Mancini to Oscar De La Hoya. Known for flamboyance in the ring, he showed he understood the importance of selling a fight and employing some mental warfare. He was 50. Full obituary
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A three-term U.S. senator from South Dakota, McGovern won the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972. Though he lost in a landslide against Richard M. Nixon, his campaign left a significant legacy, including his proposals, since fulfilled, that women be appointed to the Supreme Court and nominated for the vice presidency. He was 90. Full obituary
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A rare author and screenwriter whose works appealed to highbrow readers and mainstream movie-goers, Ephron wrote fiction that was distinguished by characters who seemed simultaneously normal and extraordinary. Her hit movies include “Sleepless in Seattle,” “When Harry Met Sally...” and “Julie & Julia.” She was 71. Full obituary

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Dubbed “one of the true powerhouses of the pop music business” by Fortune magazine in 1986, the year she became BMI’s president and chief executive, Frances Williams Preston was a key figure in Nashville’s growth as a major music center, and nurtured the careers of numerous songwriters. She was 83. Full obituary

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The in-your-face rapper and bass player Adam Yauch, center, found fame in the transgressive, boundary-breaking trio the Beastie Boys. In later years, Yauch became a leading advocate for Tibetan independence. He was 47. Full obituary

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The star linebacker at USC and for his hometown San Diego Chargers made the Pro Bowl 12 years in a row and was voted All-Pro 10 times. He apparently ended his life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 43. Full obituary

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Born Thomas Austin Preston Jr., the colorful and quotable Amarillo Slim won the World Series of Poker in 1972 and began promoting the game on TV and in books. He brought the game “out of the back alleys,” one expert said. He was 83. Full obituary

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By Claire Noland, Los Angeles Times

April 1, 2012 12:09 PM PT

George Anderson, the longtime athletic trainer for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders who devised an innovative knee brace that became standard for football players, died Thursday in Santa Fe, N.M., his daughter Kristi Anderson Ornstein said.

He was 82 and had Parkinson’s disease and diabetes.

FOR THE RECORD:
George Anderson: The obituary of former Raiders athletic trainer George Anderson in the April 1 California section gave his age as 82. Anderson was born Jan. 23, 1929, and was 83 when he died March 29. The obituary also omitted his wife, Gailey Vollmer, from the list of survivors. —

Anderson was the Raiders’ original athletic trainer, beginning in 1960, three years before future owner Al Davis came aboard as head coach and general manager.

“He was a great help to me as well as my teammates during my playing career with the Raiders,” Raiders General Manager Reggie McKenzie said in a statement. “With George, we all knew that we were in excellent hands when it came to athletic training and treatment.”

In 1977, after quarterback Ken Stabler suffered a knee injury, Anderson came up with a double-hinged brace designed to protect the joint from further damage by distributing the impact of hits to the leg above and below the knee itself. The Anderson Knee Stabilizer was widely used not just by quarterbacks but also by linemen seeking to protect the joint yet be free to move about the field.

In recognition of his pioneering work, he was inducted into the National Athletic Trainers’ Assn. Hall of Fame in 1986.

Anderson served as head athletic trainer of the Raiders for 35 years, moving with the team from Oakland to Los Angeles and back again.

In 1994, the team’s last season in Los Angeles, Dr. Robert Huizenga, a former team physician, wrote a behind-the-scenes book that detailed questionable practices by the front office and coaching staff, including pressuring team doctors to send players back into action before they were healed and asking them to ignore injuries that would have kept players on the sidelines longer.

Davis asked Anderson to participate in a TV interview and rebut the accusations in Huizenga’s “You’re Okay, It’s Just a Bruise,” but he declined and subsequently was forced to retire. Anderson was not comfortable speaking out against Huizenga, who had been treating Anderson’s wife, Marcy, for Hodgkin’s disease.

“Nobody gave themselves to the Raiders more than my dad,” his daughter said Friday. “He was so dedicated to Al and the Raiders, and it just devastated him.”

Said Anderson in a 1996 interview with Sports Illustrated: “The word ‘loyalty’ is bandied about much too casually in the Raiders’ organization. For Al Davis, loyalty means, ‘You be loyal to me. I’ll think about being loyal to you.’”

Davis died in October.

Anderson was born Jan. 23, 1929, in Vallejo, north of Oakland, and served in the Army from 1946 to ’48. While attending San Jose State, he decided to become an athletic trainer after he was injured playing basketball.

After graduation he worked as an athletic trainer in Texas and at USC and UC Berkeley before joining the Raiders.

In retirement, Anderson worked with the Green Bay Packers on an informal basis during training camp and playoffs.

He also showed another side of his personality by writing poetry and children’s books.

Anderson’s wife died in 1996. Besides his daughter Kristi, he is survived by another daughter, Leslie Gant; a son, Brad; and five grandchildren.

claire.noland@latimes.com

George Anderson dies at 83; Raiders trainer created a knee brace

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