Texas Southern: RB Coach Kimble Anders Inducted into University of Houston Athletics Hall of Honor

The legendary NFL running back and current Texas Southern University's running backs coach was inducted into the University of Houston Athletics Hall of Honor.

Kimble Anders inducted as a member of the University of Houston Hall of Honor's Class of 2026. | Kimble Anders

HOUSTON -- Before the Texas Southern Tigers met with Florida Atlantic Owls this weekend, running backs coach Kimble Anders was inducted into the University of Houston Athletics Hall of Honor on Friday, Oct. 2, as part of a nine-member Class of 2026.

The university’s 24th class of honorees includes Houston men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and fellow football inductee Audray McMillian.

HBCU Legends spoke with Anders the day before the gala. He attended the ceremony Friday night and flew out Saturday morning to join the Tigers football team who was preparing to meet Florida Atlantic.

“It’s an honor and a pleasure, man, to be able to have the opportunity to go in, especially with some legends like that,” Anders said. “After years of playing and committing to University of Houston back in the ’80s, it’s an honor to be able to get up there and be part of a great class and part of something, U of H tradition, that continues to build and grow.”

Kimble Anders now holds a place in three halls: the Galveston Public Schools Hall of Honor, the University of Houston Athletics Hall of Honor, and the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame.

2026 Hall of Honor Class - University of Houston | University of Houston Athletics

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Kimble Anders at the University of Houston | Kimble Anders

A Cougars career that led to Kansas City

Anders starred at Galveston Ball High School before playing at Houston. With the Cougars, he ran 261 times for 1,359 yards and 16 touchdowns and caught 115 passes for 1,718 yards and 11 more scores. He earned second-team All-Southwest Conference honors in 1987 and was part of the 1989 Houston team that produced Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware.

He signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 1990, then spent his entire 10-year NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1991 to 2000. Anders played in 125 games with 94 starts and made three straight Pro Bowls in 1995, 1996, and 1997. His 2,829 receiving yards remain the most by a running back or fullback in Chiefs history. Kansas City inducted him into its Hall of Honor in 2022.

Anders said his players found out about the Houston honor months ago and wanted to be part of it.

“A lot of kids early on when they heard it a few months ago, they said, ‘OK, Coach, I’ll be there with you supporting you,’” Anders said. “It was great to see the kids that had that much excitement for something that happened way before their time.”

Dec 14, 1997; San Diego, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Kansas City Chiefs full back Kimble Anders (38) on the sidelines against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Brouillet-USA TODAY NETWORK | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A different style than the one he grew up with

Anders, 60, played in an era of three-a-day practices and coaches who rarely lowered their voices. He does not coach that way.

“I’m not a big curser, a big yeller. I don’t yell,” Anders said. “I got some worse treatment than that, but at the same time, my coaching style is totally different. I’m just trying to teach the fundamentals, basic stuff that you could do to make yourself better. And that’s what I do with my running backs.”

He said he has no nostalgia for the old practice schedules. He does see a gap in discipline and work ethic.

“I think that’s one of the biggest things I’ve seen in football for the last few years,” Anders said. “I appreciate the game the way it is today. But I still try to reiterate to my young men that you got to pay attention, you got to work hard, you got to want that grind. It’s not just a one-time deal. You got to prove yourself every day.”

He also tells his players that coaches are not always right. “You got to be yourself, but you got to be disciplined enough to do the right thing,” he said. “When you’re wrong, you’re wrong. Live up to it and just take the coaching and move on and try to get better.”

Texas Southern’s Athean Renfro Jr. runs the ball during a football game against UTEP on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Renfro and Washington growing in the Tigers backfield

Texas Southern’s running game has been one of the steadier parts of a 1-4 start. Athean Renfro Jr. entered the Florida Atlantic game with 348 rushing yards on 63 carries. Jacob Washington, a redshirt junior from Pearland Shadow Creek, was averaging 6.4 yards per carry.

Anders said Renfro’s growth has been mental as much as physical.

“He’s gotten a little smarter. He understands the defense,” Anders said. “When he talks to me about what’s going on, he could talk to me almost like a coach right now.”

Washington, he said, is improving as a listener. “You see the results of it now that he’s out there making plays a lot more and being a little more consistent,” Anders said. “Everything counts. You just can’t go out there and half do it.”

Anders borrowed a standard from Marcus Allen, his teammate in Kansas City from 1993 to 1997.

“When Marcus Allen respected you, he called you pro. He don’t call you by your name,” Anders said. “I pretty much try to take some of the stuff I’ve learned from playing in the NFL. Not everybody’s going to get that opportunity, but I want to make sure that I’m spreading that knowledge back to these younger kids. That’s 99% of the time the only reason I’m coaching. Because it’s just not about football.”

TSU running backs coach, Kimble Anders. | Texas Southern Athletics

A coaching career he did not plan

Anders was candid about life after the NFL.

“I’m totally honest, I was lost. I didn’t know what I was gonna do,” he said.

About two years after leaving the league, a high school coach approached him at the gym and asked him to speak to his players. The coach offered him a job the next day. Anders went on to coach at the high school and small-college levels in the Kansas City area, served as athletic director for Kansas City Public Schools, and returned home in 2013 as athletic director and head coach at Ball High. He also completed NFL coaching internships with the Chiefs in 2007 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019.

“I was not looking for this,” Anders said. “But I’m right here 27 years later. It’s intentional, though. That’s God’s word, man.”

Kimble Anders - U of H Athletics Hall of Honor | U of H Athletics

Flowers while he can still enjoy them

Anders said the Houston honor carried added weight because his parents did not live to see it. He has children and two granddaughters.

“My mom’s not living, my dad’s not living,” Anders said. “For them not to be here, I honor that with my kids. I have kids I’m leaving a legacy for, grandkids.”

He said the idea of legacy came to him later in life, again through Allen. He now passes it to his running backs.

“When you leave this game, whether you leave from high school, college, NFL, what people gonna say about you?” Anders said. “Being able to get my flowers while I’m still here, I’m still living at 60. I’m in all three Hall of Fames now: high school, college and NFL. Sometimes some of your greatest players probably die before they get their flowers. To be here now and be able to enjoy it with your family, your kids, your grandkids, your old school friends, it’s just a blessing.”

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Kimble Anders - Texas Southern University, Running Backs Coach | Aug. 2024 | Kyle T. Mosley, HBCU Legends

What comes next for Texas Southern

Before the trip to Boca Raton, Anders pointed to penalties as the Tigers’ biggest offensive problem. “We’ve been killing ourselves,” he said. “Mistakes are part of the game, but we don’t want to make that many mistakes during the course of a game. Discipline every play.”

He also said the Tigers’ rally at Alcorn State gave the group belief. Texas Southern erased a 22-point second-half deficit before losing 43-40 in overtime on Sept. 26.

“We fought and we did come up short, but that’s the type of game we want to win,” Anders said. “I believe that the kids start to believe that they can win.”

Florida Atlantic beat Texas Southern 66-10 on Saturday. The Tigers return to SWAC play Oct. 10 against Mississippi Valley State at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, the first of six conference games left on the schedule.

Congratulations, Coach Anders, on having a stellar career and receiving the tremendous honor from the University of Houston Athletics.

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