Gary Anderson
Encyclopedia
Gary Allan Anderson is a former National Football League
placekicker
. He was the first NFL kicker to have a "perfect regular season," successfully making every field goal and every PAT during regular season play.
, South Africa and grew up in Durban
. His father was an Irish born Protestant pastor
and former professional soccer player. His mother was South African. Shortly after Gary graduated from high school at Brettonwood High, Reverend Anderson left South Africa and moved his family to the United States.
Anderson had hoped to follow in his father's footsteps and become a professional soccer player in Europe. On his third day after immigrating to the US, Anderson had been given a few American footballs to kick. He went to a local high school football field in Downingtown, Pennsylvania
to see what kicking this type of ball was like. Gary grew up playing Rugby and was drop kicking them from the 50 yard line. When the high school coach Charles Chiccino saw him that day, they talked and the coach was a personal friend of Dick Vermeil and arranged a tryout with the Philadelphia Eagles the next day. Gary was just 18 having just graduated high school, so after the tryout there were University scouts present, all four scouts offered scholarships to Gary on the spot. Gary chose Syracuse after they promised him that he would also be able to play on the school's soccer team. He played for the Syracuse soccer team in 1978 and 1979, scoring nineteen goals, before devoting himself to football his junior and senior seasons.
, he was drafted
as a placekicker
by the Buffalo Bills
in the 1982 NFL Draft
but was cut before the season began. He then, within a few days, signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers
and spent the following 12 seasons in Pittsburgh. For the 1995 season, Anderson signed as a free agent
with the Philadelphia Eagles
. He spent the 1997 season as a member of the San Francisco 49ers
.
He also had the distinction of wearing a one-bar facemask throughout his career, even though the NFL outlawed their use prior to his final season in 2004 - he, along with Arizona Cardinals
punter Scott Player
, were afforded a grandfather clause
.
In 1998, Anderson signed with the Minnesota Vikings
and converted all 35 of his attempted field goals and all 59 extra points in regular season play, becoming the first placekicker (one of only two) to finish the regular season with a 100% success rate on both field goals and extra points. Then, in 2000 while with the Minnesota Vikings, Gary surpassed the legendary George Blanda to become the NFL's All Time Leading Scorer and held the record upon his retirement from the NFL in 2004. Anderson played his final 2 seasons with the Tennessee Titans. Gary played 23 years in the NFL, only two other players played longer.
as a replacement for the injured Joe Nedney
. After that season, Anderson was making plans to retire and turned down offers from several teams to come kick for them. Also, in June 2004, Anderson and his wife, Kay, and sons Austin and Douglas moved to the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Canmore, Alberta
, Canada (just outside of Banff National Park). When Nedney went down with another season-ending injury after the start of the 2004 season, Anderson again agreed to kick for the Titans, commuting from Canada each week. At the time of his retirement, Anderson was the last active player in the NFL to have played under former Steelers head coach Chuck Noll
. Anderson's son Austin, began his University career the Fall of 2008 as a Freshman at the McGill University
in Montreal, Quebec and is the placekicker for the McGill Redmen Football Team. . Anderson gives back to his community by coaching the local high school soccer team and by hosting an annual golf tournament in Canmore, Alberta with the mission to: To make a positive difference in the lives of Bow Valley School Athletes, primarily through providing financial support, to assist them to become Leaders, Valuing Teamwork, and Achieving Athletic and Academic Excellence. Anderson is passionate about fly fishing and is a spokesman for the fly fishing industry.
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
. He was the first NFL kicker to have a "perfect regular season," successfully making every field goal and every PAT during regular season play.
Early life
Anderson was born in ParysParys
Parys is a town situated on the banks of the Vaal River in the Free State province of South Africa. Population 43,791.In the eariy 1870's, towns in the northern Free State were situated very far apart and members of different churches had to travel great distances to participate in religious...
, South Africa and grew up in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
. His father was an Irish born Protestant pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
and former professional soccer player. His mother was South African. Shortly after Gary graduated from high school at Brettonwood High, Reverend Anderson left South Africa and moved his family to the United States.
Anderson had hoped to follow in his father's footsteps and become a professional soccer player in Europe. On his third day after immigrating to the US, Anderson had been given a few American footballs to kick. He went to a local high school football field in Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Downingtown is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 7,891. Downingtown was settled by English and European colonists in the early 18th century and has a number of historic buildings and structures.-History:The town was...
to see what kicking this type of ball was like. Gary grew up playing Rugby and was drop kicking them from the 50 yard line. When the high school coach Charles Chiccino saw him that day, they talked and the coach was a personal friend of Dick Vermeil and arranged a tryout with the Philadelphia Eagles the next day. Gary was just 18 having just graduated high school, so after the tryout there were University scouts present, all four scouts offered scholarships to Gary on the spot. Gary chose Syracuse after they promised him that he would also be able to play on the school's soccer team. He played for the Syracuse soccer team in 1978 and 1979, scoring nineteen goals, before devoting himself to football his junior and senior seasons.
Professional career
After graduating from Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, he was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
as a placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
by the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the 1982 NFL Draft
1982 NFL Draft
The 1982 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 27–28, 1982...
but was cut before the season began. He then, within a few days, signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
and spent the following 12 seasons in Pittsburgh. For the 1995 season, Anderson signed as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
with the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He spent the 1997 season as a member of the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
.
He also had the distinction of wearing a one-bar facemask throughout his career, even though the NFL outlawed their use prior to his final season in 2004 - he, along with Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
punter Scott Player
Scott Player
Scott Darwin Player is an American football punter who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Birmingham Barracudas as a street free agent in 1995...
, were afforded a grandfather clause
Grandfather clause
Grandfather clause is a legal term used to describe a situation in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations, while a new rule will apply to all future situations. It is often used as a verb: to grandfather means to grant such an exemption...
.
In 1998, Anderson signed with the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
and converted all 35 of his attempted field goals and all 59 extra points in regular season play, becoming the first placekicker (one of only two) to finish the regular season with a 100% success rate on both field goals and extra points. Then, in 2000 while with the Minnesota Vikings, Gary surpassed the legendary George Blanda to become the NFL's All Time Leading Scorer and held the record upon his retirement from the NFL in 2004. Anderson played his final 2 seasons with the Tennessee Titans. Gary played 23 years in the NFL, only two other players played longer.
Single Season
- Points in a single season with no touchdowns scored: 1998 (164 points, 59 PATs, 35 FGs)
- Field Goal Percentage: 1998 (100%, 35/35)
Career
- PATs made/attempted in postseason: 57/57
- Points: 2nd place, 2,434 Held record from 2000 (passing George BlandaGeorge BlandaGeorge Frederick Blanda was a collegiate and professional football quarterback and placekicker...
) until 2006 (passed by Morten Andersen). - FG made: 2nd place, 538.
- Extra points made: 3rd place, 820.
- Games: 2nd place, 353.
- Points as a Pittsburgh Steeler: 1,343
Monday Night
- Points scored on Monday Night: 241
- PATS made/attempted on Monday Night: 88/88
- Field goals made on Monday Night: 51
- Field goals attempted on Monday Night: 66-tied with Jason Elam
- Field goals made in career: 978
Streaks and miscellaneous
- Games with at least 3 field goals: 76
- Games with at least 3 PATs: 127
- Games with at least 2 PATs: 216
- Games with at least 10 points: 85
- Games with at least 6 or more Points in a Season: 16 (1998)
- Consecutive seasons with at least 50 points: 23, (1982–2004)
- Oldest player to kick 6 field goals in a game: 39 years, 150 days
- Oldest player to score 20 points in a game: 39 years, 150 days
- Held a record for 16 straight postseason field goals (broken by David AkersDavid AkersDavid Roy Akers is a left footed American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Falcons in 1997. He played college football at Louisville....
on January 11, 2009).
Retirement
Anderson stayed with the Vikings until the 2003 season, then he joined the Tennessee TitansTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
as a replacement for the injured Joe Nedney
Joe Nedney
Joseph Thomas Nedney is an American football placekicker who is currently a free agent. Born and raised in San Jose, California, Nedney played college football at San Jose State and signed as an undrafted player with the Miami Dolphins in 1996...
. After that season, Anderson was making plans to retire and turned down offers from several teams to come kick for them. Also, in June 2004, Anderson and his wife, Kay, and sons Austin and Douglas moved to the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Canmore, Alberta
Canmore, Alberta
Canmore is a town in Alberta, Canada, located approximately west of the City of Calgary near the southeast boundary of Banff National Park. It is located in the Bow Valley within Alberta's Rockies. The town shares a border with Kananaskis Country to the west and south and the Municipal District of...
, Canada (just outside of Banff National Park). When Nedney went down with another season-ending injury after the start of the 2004 season, Anderson again agreed to kick for the Titans, commuting from Canada each week. At the time of his retirement, Anderson was the last active player in the NFL to have played under former Steelers head coach Chuck Noll
Chuck Noll
Charles Henry "Chuck" Noll is a former professional American football player and coach, and a member of the Sid Gillman coaching tree. He served most notably as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League from 1969 to 1991...
. Anderson's son Austin, began his University career the Fall of 2008 as a Freshman at the McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal, Quebec and is the placekicker for the McGill Redmen Football Team. . Anderson gives back to his community by coaching the local high school soccer team and by hosting an annual golf tournament in Canmore, Alberta with the mission to: To make a positive difference in the lives of Bow Valley School Athletes, primarily through providing financial support, to assist them to become Leaders, Valuing Teamwork, and Achieving Athletic and Academic Excellence. Anderson is passionate about fly fishing and is a spokesman for the fly fishing industry.
See also
- Most consecutive games played (NFL)