Shy Anderson stepped into the professional football world in 2000 and was charged with shaping the image of the Dallas Desperados. As the Desperados Chief Operating Officer, he used his managerial and marketing skills to help the team create its own identity in the Dallas-Ft. Worth sports landscape, a landscape that offers seven major professional sports teams and a handful of minor league teams. His efforts with the Desperados staff paid off, as the club led the league in attendance (13,603) during its inaugural season and was rewarded with the AFL's prestigious Commissioner's Award - which is presented to the organization(s) that displays excellence both on and off the field.

Despite starting the season two months earlier and changing home venues, the Desperados continued to build on that foundation by bringing an exciting brand of football to the indoor arena again in 2003 with a team that claimed their first division title and averaged 12,949 fans-per-home game.

After more than 14 years in the telecommunications business, Anderson joined the Dallas Cowboys in 2000 and immediately assumed the responsibilities of spearheading the Cowboys involvement in Arena Football. In getting the team off the ground in 2002, he played an active and visible role in the club's daily operations in corporate sales, arena relations, contract negotiations and management. His efforts allowed the team to play its inaugural season in one of the most technologically advanced arenas in the country in Dallas's new American Airlines Center, which enticed veteran AFL stars and former NFL players to bring their talents to Dallas's expansion team.

Prior to entering the sports world, Anderson earned valuable experience as a quality team builder with telecom giant ALLTEL. Through stints in sales as Regional Vice President, Corporate Vice President of Marketing and President of the Southwest Region for ALLTEL, he helped establish functional organizations that grew the company from a strong regional player into an international force.

While at ALLTEL, Anderson played a key role in the company's growth to over 8.5 million customers in 25 states. The company also provides information services to the telecommunications and financial services industries in 55 countries.

Anderson had a hand in creating the prototype for ALLTEL's converged retail stores, and he was also actively involved in several aspects of corporate advertising.

A 1985 graduate of the University of Arkansas, Anderson (4/3/63) and his wife Charlotte have a daughter, Haley, and two sons, Shy, Jr. and Paxton.