Earl William Anderson (March 13, 1897 – July 21, 1965) was an American college basketball standout for Illinois in the 1910s.

A forward, Anderson lead the Fighting Illini in scoring, averaging over 13 points per game during the season.

Anderson initially took undergraduate coursework at Eastern Illinois State Teachers College, also in Charleston, attending through the '17 spring semester.

Anderson continued his education during this time-frame, completing his master's and doctoral degrees from Columbia University in 1926 and 1927 respectively.

During his time at Ohio State, Anderson would advance to become the chair of department of education in 1956, retiring from that post in 1962.