Foster Andersen, 64; Coached at UCLA, USC

Foster Andersen, the only man to have served on the football coaching staffs of USC, UCLA and the Los Angeles Rams, died Monday in Mission Hills of complications of a long illness. He was 64.

Andersen coached for eight Southland teams during a career that began in the early 1960s.

John Robinson, a former USC assistant and Trojan head coach who also coached the Rams, said Tuesday that Andersen loved his profession.

“Foster was a guy, in Southern California coaching circles, who knew just about everybody who loved football,” said Robinson, now coaching at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

“He had a great mind. He loved the game and the whole process.”

Andersen was a standout lineman at Mark Keppel High in Alhambra and started for three seasons (1959-61) at UCLA.

He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at UCLA in 1962, then joined the staff at Pasadena City College the next season before serving four years in the Army.

Andersen spent a year in Vietnam, was awarded a Purple Heart and rose to the rank of captain.

He returned to coaching at PCC in 1967, then was defensive coordinator at East Los Angeles College for two seasons.

He joined the staff of Cal State L.A. in 1970 and served as head coach at the school from 1971-73, compiling a record of 9-21-1.

Andersen began the first of two coaching stints at USC in 1974, a year in which the Trojans won a share of the national championship. He coached the offensive line for two seasons and outside linebackers for another.

“We used to call him ‘The Professor,’ ” said Craig Fertig, who coached with Andersen at USC. “He was a military history buff, a young Woody Hayes.

“He was one of the best coaches and teachers I’ve been around.”

In 1977, Andersen left USC to coach the secondary at UCLA, then joined Coach Ray Malavasi’s Ram staff in 1978 as offensive line coach.

Andersen returned to USC as a scout in 1980. He rejoined the Trojan coaching staff in 1981 and spent the next six seasons there.

Andersen, who also started a high school scouting service, was an assistant at Los Angeles Valley College from 1989-91. He coached at Cal State Northridge from 1995-97 and 1999-2000.

He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; two sons, Christian and Sean; and a daughter, Kari. Andersen is also survived by his mother, Eleanor, four siblings and numerous nieces and nephews.

Visitation is scheduled Thursday, 5-9 p.m., at Mission Hills Catholic Mortuary in Mission Hills. A funeral Mass will be said Friday at 10:30 a.m. at St. John Baptist de la Salle Catholic Church in Granada Hills.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Purple Heart Assn. at www.purpleheart.org, or (888) 414-4483.