Gary Anderson (American football player, 1959)
| Gary Anderson | |
|---|---|
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Position (s): Kicker |
Jersey number (s): 1 |
| born on July 16, 1959 in Parys , Free State , South Africa | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1982 - 2004 | |
| NFL Draft : 1982 / Round: 7 / Pick: 171 | |
| College : Syracuse | |
| Teams | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Field goal attempts | 672 |
| Field goals | 538 |
| Quota | 80.1% |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Gary Allan Anderson (born July 16, 1959 in Parys , Free State , South Africa ) is a former South African American football player on the position of the kicker . He played for five teams in the National Football League (NFL), including 13 years for the Pittsburgh Steelers .
youth
Anderson grew up in Durban . His father, a former professional footballer, was from Ireland and served as a Protestant pastor in South Africa. His mother was from South Africa. Anderson immigrated to the United States with his parents . This wanted to demonstrate against the existing apartheid .
college
Anderson initially hoped for a football career in Europe, but when the football coach of his high school watched him train, he was convinced that Anderson could make a football career . In 1978 he got him trial training in front of various college scouts . Anderson convinced and was offered a scholarship from Syracuse University . This suited Anderson, because he hoped to be able to play soccer in Syracuse , which was also promised to him by the university management. Until 1981 he played college football with the Syracus Orange so convincingly that he was voted one of the best American college players in 1981. Among other things, he achieved a college record with 18 field goals in one season. Overall, Anderson scored 198 points during his college career.
Professional time
Anderson was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 1982 NFL Draft as the 171st player. He never played a game for the Bills and was fired shortly after his election. The Pittsburgh Steelers recognized Anderson's talent and signed him. After 13 seasons with the Steelers, he moved to the Philadelphia Eagles for two years and then hired for a year with the San Francisco 49ers .
In 1998 he had his most successful season personally in the Minnesota Vikings jersey . He converted all of his 35 field goals and all of his 59 points after touchdown in the regular season . He was the first kicker in the history of the NFL to have this perfect season . However, he missed a preliminary field goal from 38 yards in the NFC Championship Game against the Atlanta Falcons . Minnesota then lost the game after extra time and missed the chance to move into Super Bowl XXXIII . 2003 Anderson started the season with the Vikings, but then moved to the Tennessee Titans , as their kicker Joe Nedney had injured and had to be replaced. In 2004 he was persuaded by the Titans again and replaced the injured Nedney again. Then he finally ended his career.
Anderson played 353 times in 23 seasons in the NFL and scored 2434 points. That was the NFL record at the time and Anderson is still third on the NFL's all-time best list behind Adam Vinatieri and Morten Andersen .
Honors
Anderson played in the Pro Bowl four times and is a member of the National Football League 1990s All-Decade Team and the National Football League 1980s All-Decade Team .
After the career
Anderson lives in Canmore , Canada and owns a fishing equipment company there.
Web links
source
- Jens Plassmann: NFL - American Football. The game, the stars, the stories (= Rororo 9445 rororo Sport ). Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1995, ISBN 3-499-19445-7 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Anderson, Gary |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Anderson, Gary Allan (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | South African American football player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 16, 1959 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Parys , Free State , South Africa |