Five months removed from kidney transplant surgery, Willie Anderson says the recovery has been a fight, but one that’s moving in the right direction.
The former Auburn standout and longtime NFL offensive tackle posted a health update Saturday, saying he’s dropped a significant amount of weight since receiving a new kidney on March 3 at Emory Transplant Center in Atlanta. Anderson, 51, said he is now down to 280 pounds, well below the roughly 340-pound range he played at for most of his pro career, and he wants to get to 270.
His donor was his girlfriend, and Anderson said she is doing well, too.
“I was worried about my donor, my love, of donating me kidney,” Anderson wrote. “What would happen to her.
Well I can report she just ran [the Peachtree Road Race] for the 12th year in a row on July 4th. I’m down to 280 pounds.
My goal is 270!”
Anderson said he has been hospitalized several times because of infections since the transplant, though he recently had a procedure he hopes will keep them from coming back. He said he has to be careful because the infections hit hard.
“I have to really be careful not catch infections,” Anderson wrote. “They’ll knock me down like I have the flu!
Thanks for the prayers, DMs, calls, everything. I needed them.
I’m working hard to get back! Lot of things I have in store that I couldn’t concentrate on the last 3 years [because] my kidneys were failing!
I remember the week of my Kidney Transplant I was trying my best to talk everyone around me out of ME doing it! 🤦🏾♂️I was terrified.
Really from the things my Transplant coordinator was telling me how my life will be altered. I was so worried about getting back to working out ,… pic.twitter.com/Q2pUxyJ8fX
- Willie Anderson (@BigWillie7179) August 2, 2026
Anderson, a Mobile-area native and former Vigor High School star, said he spent about a decade dealing with kidney disease before the transplant.
On the field, he was a two-time All-SEC selection and a 1995 All-American at Auburn before the Cincinnati Bengals made him a first-round pick in 1996. He spent 12 seasons with Cincinnati and one with the Baltimore Ravens, starting 185 of 208 career games and earning first-team All-Pro honors three times.
He also remains a notable figure in the game beyond his playing days. Anderson has worked as a volunteer assistant coach at Lithonia (Ga.)
High School and has trained offensive line prospects from several Atlanta-area schools. He is in the Bengals’ Ring of Honor, has been named to both the franchise’s 40th and 50th anniversary all-time teams, and has been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame five straight years without yet getting enough votes for election.
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