Grave Digger rolls into Monster Jam finals in Las Vegas

Fans at the Make-A-Wish event kept coming up to Dennis Anderson on Thursday morning, and he chatted with all of them, signing autographs and posing for pictures, not wanting to turn any away.

Standing near Sam Boyd Stadium, wearing a shirt that was lime green at the top and purple at the bottom and with a logo in the middle celebrating the 30th anniversary of his great creation, Anderson hasn't lost the common touch.

Maybe it's because he still can't believe a few choice words and the willingness to follow up led to all this -- the iconic Grave Digger monster truck and the creation of a sport that is reaching worldwide popularity.

Sam Boyd is sold out for the Monster Jam World Finals at 6 p.m. today and 7 p.m. Saturday.

"I used to think, 'How far am I really going to go; when is my flame going to die a little bit?' " Anderson said. "I'm on a roll right now. I'm going to tell you right now, Monster Jam is here to stay, monster trucks are here to stay."

Anderson, 51, created Grave Digger in 1982 in North Carolina near the Virginia state line. He had the body of a 1951 Ford pickup he had been working on, and a rich farmer's kid -- an old pal from school -- kept giving him grief about the truck's condition, and the two would go back and forth.

One barb finally struck a nerve, though, and Anderson told his old friend, "I'm going to take that junk and dig you a grave." He backed that up later by showing up with combine tires under the red body with the name "Grave Digger" painted on the side.

"There were about 10 guys, and these were rich farm boys with their trucks," Anderson said. "I come rolling down there, and they went, 'Holy crap.' I went and rooted the holes out, and I dug them a grave. Nobody could get through the holes but me."

That day eventually led to an even larger rivalry with another oversized truck known as Bigfoot. Together, they helped create monster trucks as a sport.

"He was a guy that I was chasing, but those people had money," Anderson said. "I came from purely a nickel-and-dime operation."

The crowds liked what they saw -- what began as gatherings of 500 people for shows grew to 1,500 and continued to multiply.

Anderson walked into the massive Houston Astrodome and felt like passing out. The big time had arrived.

"I felt like every person was there for me," he said, "and I better not fail."

For someone who didn't have a vision of such a sport when he began, Anderson started to think of ways to make it grow.

He wanted to institute a freestyle round in the late 1980s in which trucks would fly in the air, perform tricks and smash up sedans.

Promoters were reluctant to sign on initially, so Anderson took it upon himself in a show in Bowling Green, Ohio. Grave Digger soared through the air, causing the fans to go wild.

A month later, he got a call from promoters asking about using freestyle in three upcoming shows.

He still comes up with ideas, such as creating an independent suspension that would make what monster trucks do now look like a prop plane compared to a jet.

Two of Anderson's sons are following in the family business, and a third appears to be headed that way.

"There will always be an Anderson in a Grave Digger truck when I'm dead and gone," he said.

Monster trucks have made their way into Europe, and Anderson wants to forge into China and its billion potential customers.

It's a long way from a few choice words. Words he continues to follow up.

The original Grave Digger -- the one first laughed at -- is on display in the Party in the Pits area near the stadium.

"It wasn't even a goal in life," Anderson said. "It was just a fluke."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.