The Outer Banks’ own Grave Digger is now officially a hall-of-famer.
Dennis Anderson was inducted into the Monster Jam Hall of Fame Saturday night during a ceremony at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
Anderson and longtime Monster Jam announcer Scott Douglass were elected to the inaugural hall of fame class in 2020. Their induction ceremony was delayed due to the COIVD-19 pandemic.
Starting in 1982 with just simple lettering on the body of a 1952 Ford pickup to run the mud bog where H2O Water Park in Harbinger stands today, the now-iconic lime green and purple paint scheme elevated Grave Digger as Anderson ran it on the monster truck racing circuits around the country.
Early in his career, Anderson developed a reputation for hard driving with the goal of winning. As Freestyle developed, he became a master performer, thrilling fans with feats no others were willing to try.
He even piloted a specially-modified Grave Digger across the Currituck Sound from Poplar Branch to the Whalehead Club in Corolla on July 4, 1994.
As Monster Jam moved into the 2000s, Anderson became the first World Freestyle champion.
Retiring from active competition in 2017, Anderson is still a frequent visitor to Monster Jam events, supporting his children, Adam, Ryan and Krysten, as they embark upon their own Monster Jam careers with the hopes of joining their father in the Monster Jam Hall of Fame someday.
And while millions have watched Dennis Anderson perform in stadiums around the world and on television, you’re just as likely to see Anderson at the Grave Digger shop, which includes Digger’s Diner and monster truck rides on U.S. 158 between Coinjock and Grandy.
Or for some of us, who just call him “neighbor”, at Food Lion in Grandy or grabbing dinner at Coinjock Marina.
