After earning a bachelor's degree from Indiana University Bloomington, Anspaugh moved to Aspen, Colorado, where he worked as a substitute teacher and ski instructor for several years.
[1] Anspaugh then enrolled in the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts.
Anspaugh's feature film directing debut was Hoosiers,[3] a nostalgic sports drama about a small-town team winning the Indiana state basketball title in 1952.
It was named best sports film of all time by USA Today in 2015[4] and by ESPN's expert panel and website users in 2005.
[6] Anspaugh's other feature-film directing credits include Fresh Horses, Rudy, Moonlight and Valentino, WiseGirls, The Game of Their Lives, and Little Red Wagon.
In spring 2015, Anspaugh taught a class at Indiana University in directing for film and TV.
[17] In 1996 he received Indiana University's Thomas Hart Benton Mural Medallion for Distinguished Achievement.