Dennis Anderson facts for kids
Anderson in 2016
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Dennis Montague Anderson |
| Born | October 24, 1960 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Carisa Myers (m. 2005) |
| Sport | |
| Country | United States |
| Sport | Monster Jam |
| Team | Grave Digger |
| Retired | 2017 |
| Achievements and titles | |
| World finals |
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Dennis Montague Anderson (born October 24, 1960) is a famous American former monster truck driver. He is best known for creating and driving the legendary monster truck, "Grave Digger". Dennis was also the team owner for Grave Digger on the USHRA Monster Jam circuit.
Dennis Anderson is from Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, where he still lives. People often call him "The Icon" because many believe he is one of the greatest monster truck drivers ever. He won four Monster Jam World titles. This includes a freestyle championship in 2000 and three racing championships in 2004, 2006, and 2010.
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Dennis Anderson's Monster Truck Journey
Dennis Anderson started his career in 1982. Back then, he was involved in Mud bogging, which is a sport where vehicles drive through deep mud. His first truck was a 1952 Ford pickup. It was painted red.
How Grave Digger Began
The idea for "Grave Digger" came from a challenge. Dennis was working on a farm. The boss's son made fun of Dennis's old truck, saying it was "junk" and couldn't handle the mud. Dennis replied, "I'll take this junk and dig you a Grave!" Other workers heard this and wrote "Grave Digger" on his time card.
Dennis liked the name. He spray-painted "Grave Digger" on his truck door. That weekend, he raced the boss's son in the mud and won!
From Mud to Monster Trucks
Later, Dennis rebuilt his truck. He used a 1951 Ford panel truck and painted it silver and blue. He put huge tractor tires on it. At one local show, a monster truck didn't show up. Dennis offered to crush cars with his truck. It was a big hit! This success made Dennis want to become a full-time monster truck driver.
In 1986, Grave Digger got its famous look. It was painted black with a graveyard scene. In 1987 and 1988, Dennis drove Grave Digger in many races. A big moment was in 1988 when he beat Bigfoot in Minnesota. This race was even shown on ESPN!
Grave Digger's Evolution
In 1989, Dennis started driving a new truck, Grave Digger 2. It had a 1950 Chevrolet panel van body. His brother, Leslie, drove the original Grave Digger 1. The company TNT Motor Sports started promoting Grave Digger a lot. They featured it on TV shows like "Tuff Trax" and ESPN's "Powertrax."
In 1991, TNT joined the USHRA. Dennis then started racing on the USHRA tour. He introduced Grave Digger 3, which had a new type of suspension.
After an injury in 1992, Dennis built Grave Digger 7. This truck had a new frame and was driven from 1992 to 1996. He also built Grave Digger 12 in 1997.
Championships and Retirement
In late 1998, Dennis sold the Grave Digger team to SRO/Pace, who owned the USHRA. In 1999, he won his first championship in the USHRA series.
Dennis won the first-ever Monster Jam World Finals freestyle championship in 2000. He also won racing championships at the World Finals in 2004, 2006, and 2010. He even tried a difficult stunt called the LeDuc Leap at the 2014 World Finals.
Dennis Anderson also co-hosted a TV show called Around the World in 80 Ways on the History Channel.
His last event as a driver was on January 14, 2017, in Tampa, Florida. He got injured and couldn't finish the season. On September 18, 2017, Dennis announced he was retiring from driving. He said he would still be involved "behind the scenes" with his team.
Dennis Anderson's Injuries
Throughout his career, Dennis Anderson had several injuries. Monster truck driving is a tough sport!
- In late 1991, he broke his kneecap. This made him miss the 1992 winter season.
- In 1992, he broke several ribs. This caused problems for years.
- In 1999, an accident in New Orleans made his rib injury worse. He missed several shows.
- In 2003, he broke his hand in an accident not related to driving. He was out for half a year.
- In 2006, he injured his wrist and shoulder. His son, Adam Anderson, drove Grave Digger for a while.
In 2017, Dennis was in the hospital after an accident. He was trying a backflip. Because of this injury, he could not compete in World Finals 18. He retired later that year.
Dennis Anderson's Driving Style
Dennis Anderson was known for his exciting driving style. He often crashed or damaged his truck early in races. Because of this, some people called him "One Run Anderson."
King Sling
In his early mud bogging days, Dennis was famous for driving at full speed. He would throw mud everywhere! He either made it through the mud or broke his truck trying.
Recently, Dennis has gone back to his mud roots. He built a custom monster mud truck called King Sling. It's a 1941 Willys truck with special tires. King Sling has twice the power of Grave Digger but is half the weight! It's a favorite at mud bog events.
Famous Sayings
Dennis has many famous sayings. One of his first was, "I'll take this ol' junk and dig you a grave." His most iconic phrases are, "Yea we turned 'er over, and I got a tore up truck," and "I'd like to thank y'all for every nut and bolt on my truck and every shingle on my roof."
Awards and Achievements
Dennis Anderson has won many awards for his amazing career:
- Motor Madness World Finals Points Champion - 1999
- USHRA World Finals Freestyle Champion – 2000
- USHRA World Finals Racing Champion – 2004, 2006, 2010
- Inducted into the International Monster Truck Hall of Fame - 2012
- Inducted into the Monster Jam Hall Of Fame - 2020
