[6] The senior-laden 1972 team led by Mike Ratliff and Frank Schade[7] advanced to the championship game, but were done in by a 39-point performance by Travis Grant as Kentucky State claimed a third consecutive title, 71–62.
But with Badger athletic director Elroy Hirsch infamously on a Caribbean cruise, Anderson was repeatedly referred to by the wrong name at his introductory press conference, and he resigned four days later to return to Eau Claire.
[11] Following the turbulent offseason, the 1982–83 Blugolds posted the worst record of Anderson's career (15–12), but they soon returned to form, going 25–5 in 1983–84 and beginning a run of seven straight trips to Kansas City in 1985–86.
[12][13] The Blugolds returned to the quarterfinals in 1991[14] and made one final trip to Kansas City in 1992, but in 1994 Eau Claire became the last of the WSUC universities to switch affiliation from the NAIA to NCAA Division III.
[16] Anderson's record in NAIA national tournament games was 28–16, despite the fact that Eau Claire – like all WSUC universities, but unlike much of their competition – did not offer athletic scholarships.