CINCINNATI — Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Willie Anderson, a 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist, announced on social media Friday night he is scheduled to have a kidney transplant March 3 in Atlanta.
“I never wanted everyone calling me feeling sorry for me,” Anderson wrote in a social media caption on a video announcing the news. “I want to give happy news. Please listen! And I hope this helps the next athlete.”
Anderson, 50, said he was diagnosed with kidney disease about 10 years ago. He said he was diagnosed with high blood pressure at 38 or 39 years old. He was 40 years old when he found about his kidney.
“I thought I had it kind of under control for a while,” Anderson said. “Once my numbers reached down to a certain point. But, over the last two years my numbers got significantly worse.”
Last summer, Anderson went to Duke University and went on the transplant list there and at Emory University. Family and friends attempted to become a donor match.
“My girl wanted to check and see for herself,” Anderson said. “She was a perfect match. Crazy. Never in a million years did I think that one I would be in this position of needing a kidney and going through a transplant. Two, I never thought someone this close to me in this aspect would be the one that I would get a kidney from.”
Anderson, a Bengals Ring of Honor member, said he is grateful for the support and prayers along with God’s guidance in his life. Anderson is looking forward to coaching again and training high school football players at the Willie Anderson Lineman Academy.
Anderson was a four-time Pro Bowl player and three-time All-Pro selection from 1996 to 2008. He has been a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist for five consecutive years in the Modern-Era Players category.
Anderson was selected No. 10 overall in the 1996 NFL Draft by the Bengals. He played in 195 games, starting 184 of those contests. He surrendered just 16 sacks.
An All-American from Auburn University, Anderson said he would be grateful to wear a gold jacket on the steps of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton one day. Anderson was a modern-era player finalist for a fifth consecutive year this month.
“I’ll be so happy more for the fans of the Bengals,” Anderson told WCPO 9 Sports in February 2025. “Because the Bengals fans – we all know we’re long-suffering in everything. I don’t believe I get pushed forward as much as a finalist if our fans weren’t out there fighting for me. And finding stats and finding awards and doing things for me.”
