View source for Gary Anderson (placekicker)

{{Short description|South African American football player (born 1959)}}
{{About|the American football placekicker|other people of the same name|Gary Anderson (disambiguation)}}
{{Use South African English|date=November 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name        = Gary Anderson
| image       =
| caption     = 
| position    = [[Placekicker]]
| number      = 1
| height_ft   = 5
| height_in   = 11
| weight_lbs  = 193
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1959|7|16}}
| birth_place = [[Parys]], [[Free State (province)|Orange Free State]], [[Union of South Africa]]
| death_date  = 
| draftyear   = 1982
| draftround  = 7
| draftpick   = 171
| high_school = [[Brettonwood High School|Brettonwood]] {{nowrap|([[Durban|Durban, South Africa]])}}
| college     = [[Syracuse Orange football|Syracuse]] (1978–1981)
| teams       =
* [[Buffalo Bills]] ({{NFL Year|1982}})*
* [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] ({{NFL Year|1982}}–{{NFL Year|1994}})
* [[Philadelphia Eagles]] ({{NFL Year|1995}}–{{NFL Year|1996}})
* [[San Francisco 49ers]] ({{NFL Year|1997}})
* [[Minnesota Vikings]] ({{NFL Year|1998}}–{{NFL Year|2002}})
* [[Tennessee Titans]] ({{NFL Year|2003}}–{{NFL Year|2004}})
| statlabel1  = Field goals
| statvalue1  = 538/672 (80.1%)
| statlabel2  = Extra points
| statvalue2  = 820/827 (99.2%)
| statlabel3  = [[NFL career scoring leaders|Points scored]]
| statvalue3  = 2,434
| pfr         = A/andergar02
| highlights  =
* 2× First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1985 All-Pro Team|1985]], [[1998 All-Pro Team|1998]])
* Second-team All-Pro ([[1983 All-Pro Team|1983]])
* 4× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1984 Pro Bowl|1983]], [[1986 Pro Bowl|1985]], [[1994 Pro Bowl|1993]], [[1999 Pro Bowl|1998]])
* [[NFL scoring leader]]  ({{nfly|1998}})
* [[NFL 1980s All-Decade Team]]
* [[NFL 1990s All-Decade Team]]
* [[Golden Toe Award]] (1998)
* [[PFWA All-Rookie Team]] ([[PFWA All-Rookie Team#1982|1982]])
* [[Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team]]
* First-team [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1981 College Football All-America Team|1981]])
* First-team All-[[Big East Conference|East]] ([[1981 All-East football team|1981]])
}}

'''Gary Allan Anderson''' (born 16 July 1959) is a South African former professional [[American football]] [[placekicker]] who played in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) for 23 seasons. The first South African to appear in an NFL regular season game, he spent the majority of his career with the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] and is also known for his [[Minnesota Vikings]] tenure. Anderson earned four [[Pro Bowl]] and two first-team [[All-Pro]] honors after joining the league in 1982 and was named to the NFL's second All-Decade teams of the [[National Football League 1980s All-Decade Team|1980s]] and [[National Football League 1990s All-Decade Team|1990s]], as well as the [[Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team|Steelers All-Time Team]].

With the Vikings in 1998, Anderson became the first NFL kicker to convert every field goal and extra point in the regular season. During the postseason, however, he missed a critical field goal in the [[1998 NFC Championship Game]], which is often attributed with the Vikings' defeat.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.twincities.com/2018/09/04/gary-anderson-at-peace-in-canadian-mountains-20-years-after-epic-vikings-miss/|title=Twenty years after miss, former Vikings kicker Gary Anderson at peace in Canadian Rockies|date=4 September 2018|website=Twin Cities|access-date=12 June 2019}}</ref> Anderson continued his NFL career for six more seasons until retiring in 2004. He ranks third in games played (353), points scored (2,434), and field goals made (538) and is also the Steelers' all-time leading scorer at 1,343 points.

==Early life==
Gary Anderson was born in [[Parys]], South Africa and grew up in [[Durban]]. His father, the Reverend Douglas Anderson, played professional soccer in England.<ref>{{cite web|last=Steyn|first=Pierre|title=SA boytjie in the US|url=http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/SA-boytjie-in-the-US-20001025|publisher=News24|access-date=26 December 2011|date=25 October 2000}}</ref> 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.<ref name="funny ball">{{cite web|last=Bonorchis|first=Renée|title=Happy to Kick a Funny-Shaped Ball for a Living|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200704180447.html|work=Business Day|location=South Africa|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509140119/http://allafrica.com/stories/200704180447.html|archive-date=9 May 2007|date=18 April 2007}}</ref>

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 United States, he 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. Anderson grew up playing rugby and was drop-kicking them from the 50-yard line. A high school football coach and friend of [[Dick Vermeil]] watched Anderson and arranged a tryout with the Philadelphia Eagles the next day.<ref name="Pioneer Press">{{cite news|last=Jensen|first=Sean|title=Two of a kind|url=http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/football/9991400.htm|newspaper=St. Paul Pioneer Press|date=24 October 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041129223135/http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/football/9991400.htm|archive-date=29 November 2004}}</ref> Anderson was aged only 18, having just graduated high school, so at the tryout there were university scouts present, all four of whom offered scholarships on the spot. Anderson 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.suathletics.com/sports/2004/8/19/msocletterwinners.aspx#A|title=Syracuse University Athletics – Syracuse Men's Soccer All-Time Letterwinners}}</ref>

==Professional career==

After graduating from [[Syracuse University]], he was [[NFL draft|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 13 seasons in Pittsburgh. For the 1995 and 1996 seasons, Anderson signed as a [[free agent]] with the [[Philadelphia Eagles]]. He then 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 to finish the regular season with a 100% success rate on both field goals and extra points.  His only miss of the season came in the 1998 NFC Championship Game against the [[Atlanta Falcons]]. The Falcons ended up winning the game in overtime sending them to [[Super Bowl XXXIII]]. Anderson continued to play for the Vikings until 2002. In 2000, while with the Vikings, Anderson 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 two seasons with the [[Tennessee Titans]] in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Anderson played 23 years in the NFL; only [[Adam Vinatieri]] (24 seasons), [[Morten Andersen]] (25 seasons) and [[George Blanda]] (26 seasons) have had longer playing tenures; Additionally, Vinatieri and Andersen are the only players to play in more career games than Anderson. Although not officially retired, Anderson's number 1 has also not been reissued by Steelers since his departure from the team.

There are a number of interesting coincidences between Anderson and [[Morten Andersen]], another retired star placekicker.  Anderson and Morten Andersen have nearly identical last names, were born within a year of one another outside the United States (Morten was born in Denmark), came to the United States as teenagers, were both drafted in [[1982 NFL draft|1982]], had long and successful NFL careers throughout the 1980s and 1990s (and both retiring in the 2000s decade), and hold first or second place in a number of NFL records for scoring, field goals, and longevity. Their overall accuracy is also nearly identical; their career percentage being within .5% of each other on both FGs and PATs. In the [[1998 NFC Championship Game]], Anderson missed a field goal for the [[Minnesota Vikings]] before Morten Andersen successfully converted his winning kick for the [[Atlanta Falcons]] (which sent them to [[Super Bowl XXXIII]], their first Super Bowl appearance), both from the same distance as well (38 yards). On 16 December 2006, Morten passed Anderson to become the all-time leading scorer in NFL history. The following weekend, 24 December 2006, Morten again passed Anderson to become the NFL's career leader in field goals made.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefalcoholic.com/2018/8/30/17782392/atlanta-falcons-morten-andersen-gary-anderson-minnesota-vikings-1998-throwback-thursday|title=Throwback Thursday Series: A tale of two Andersons and one NFC Championship Game|last=Ikic|first=Adnan|date=30 August 2018|website=The Falcoholic|access-date=12 June 2019}}</ref>

==NFL career statistics==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="2"| Legend
|-
| style="background:#e0cef2; width:3em;"|
| NFL record
|-
| style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"|
| Led the league
|-
| style="width:3em;"|'''Bold'''
| Career high
|-
| style="width:3em;"|<u>Underline</u>
| Incomplete data
|}

===Regular season===
{{NFL kicking stats start}}
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1982 NFL season|1982]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1982 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| 9 || 10 || 12 || 83.3% || 0 || 48 || 22 || 22 || '''100.0%''' || - || - || - || 52
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1983 NFL season|1983]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1983 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| '''16''' || 27 || 31 || 87.1 || 0 || 49 || 38 || 39 || 97.4% || - || - || - || 119
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1984 NFL season|1984]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1984 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| '''16''' || 24 || 32 || 75.0% || 0 || '''55''' || 45 || 45 || '''100.0%''' || - || - || - || 117
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1985 NFL season|1985]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1985 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| '''16''' || style="background:#cfecec; | 33 || style="background:#cfecec; |  '''42''' || 78.6% || 0 || 52 || 40 || 40 || '''100.0%''' || - || - || - || 139
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1986 NFL season|1986]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1986 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| '''16''' ||  21 || 32 || 65.6% || 0 || 45 || 32 || 32 || '''100.0%''' || - || - || - || 95
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1987 NFL season|1987]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1987 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| 12 || 22 || 27 || 81.5% || 0 || 42 || 21 || 21 || '''100.0%''' || - || - || - || 87
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1988 NFL season|1988]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1988 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| '''16''' || 28 || 36 || 77.8% || 0 || 42 || 34 || 35 || 97.1% || - || - || - || 118
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1989 NFL season|1989]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1989 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| '''16''' || 21 || 30 || 70.0% || 0 || 49 || 28 || 28 || '''100.0%''' || - || - || - || 91
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1990 NFL season|1990]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1990 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| '''16''' || 20 || 25 || 80.0% || 0 || 48 || 32 || 32 || '''100.0%''' || - || - || - || 92
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1991 NFL season|1991]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1991 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| '''16''' || 23 || 33 || 69.7% || 1 || 54 || 31 || 31 || '''100.0%''' || 69 || '''63.5''' || '''24''' || 100
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1992 NFL season|1992]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1992 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| '''16''' || 28 ||  36 || 78.8% || '''3''' || 49 || 29 || 31 || 93.5% || 72 || 61.3 || 15 || 113
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1993 NFL season|1993]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1993 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| '''16''' || 28 || 30 || 93.3% || 0 || 46 || 32 || 32 || '''100.0%''' || '''76''' || 61.9 || 19 || 116
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1994 NFL season|1994]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1994 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| '''16''' || 24 || 29 || 82.8% || 0 || 50 || 32 || 32 || '''100.0%''' || 71 || 59.3 || 1 || 104
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1995 NFL season|1995]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1995 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| '''16''' || 22 || 30 || 73.3% || 1 || 43 || 32 || 33 || 97.0% || 72 || 62.2 || 10 || 98
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1996 NFL season|1996]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1996 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| '''16''' || 25 || 29 || 86.2% || 1 || 46 || 40 || 40 || '''100.0%''' || 57 || 58.8 || 1 || 115
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1997 NFL season|1997]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1997 San Francisco 49ers season|SF]]
| '''16''' || 29 || 36 || 80.6% || 2 || 51 || 38 || 38 || '''100.0%''' || 8 || 60.1 || - || 125
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1998 NFL season|1998]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1998 Minnesota Vikings season|MIN]]
| '''16''' || '''35''' || 35 || style="background:#e0cef2; | '''100.0%''' || 0 || 53 || style="background:#cfecec; | '''59''' || style="background:#cfecec; | '''59''' || '''100.0%''' || 2 || 54.0 || - || style="background:#cfecec; | '''164'''
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1999 NFL season|1999]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1999 Minnesota Vikings season|MIN]]
| '''16''' || 19 || 30 || 63.3% || '''3''' || 44 || 46 || 46 || '''100.0%''' || 5 || 57.6 || - || 103
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[2000 NFL season|2000]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[2000 Minnesota Vikings season|MIN]]
| '''16''' || 22 || 23 || 95.7% || 1 || 49 || 45 || 45 || '''100.0%''' || 24 || 55.1 || 1 || 111
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[2001 NFL season|2001]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[2001 Minnesota Vikings season|MIN]]
| '''16''' || 15 || 18 || 83.3% || 0 || 44 || 29 || 30 || 96.7% || 10 || 55.5 || - || 74
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[2002 NFL season|2002]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[2002 Minnesota Vikings season|MIN]]
| 14 || 18 || 23 || 78.3% || '''3''' || 53 || 36 || 37 || 97.3% || 8 || 55.5 || - || 90
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[2003 NFL season|2003]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[2003 Tennessee Titans season|TEN]]
| 15 || 27 || 31 || 87.1% || 0 || 43 || 42 || 42 || '''100.0%''' || - || - || - || 123
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[2004 NFL season|2004]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[2004 Tennessee Titans season|TEN]]
| 15 || 32 || 37 || 86.5% || 1 || 50 || 37 || 37 || '''100.0%''' || - || - || - || 88
|- class="sortbottom"
! colspan="2"| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/andergar02.htm Career] || 353 || 538 || 672 || 80.1% || 18 || 55 || 820 || 827 || 99.2% || <u>474</u> || <u>60.6</u> || <u>71</u> || 2,434
|}

===Postseason===
{{NFL kicking stats start}}
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1982 NFL season|1982]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1982 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| 1 || 0 || 0 || 0.0% || 0 || - || 4 || 4 || 100.0% || - || - || - || 4
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1983 NFL season|1983]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1983 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| 1 || 1 || 1 || 100.0% || 0 || - || 1 || 1 || 100.0% || - || - || - || 4
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1984 NFL season|1984]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1984 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| '''2''' || 1 || 5 || 20.0% || 0 || - || 7 || 7 || 100.0% || - || - || - || 10
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1989 NFL season|1989]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1989 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| '''2''' || '''7''' || '''7''' || 100.0% || 0 || - || 4 || 4 || 100.0% || - || - || - || '''25'''
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1992 NFL season|1992]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1992 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| 1 || 1 || 1 || 100.0% || 0 || - || - || - || - || 2 || '''63.0''' || - || 3
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1993 NFL season|1993]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1993 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| 1 || 1 || 1 || 100.0% || 0 || - || 3 || 3 || 100.0% || 6 || 62.2 || - || 6
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1994 NFL season|1994]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1994 Pittsburgh Steelers season|PIT]]
| '''2''' || 4 || 4 || 100.0% || 0 || - || 4 || 4 || 100.0% || 10 || 56.0 || - || 16
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1995 NFL season|1995]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1995 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| '''2''' || 4 || 5 || 80.0% || 0 || - || 7 || 7 || 100.0% || '''13''' || 57.0 || - || 19
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1996 NFL season|1996]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1996 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 1 || - || 1 || - || - || - || - || - || - || 1 || 53.0 || - || -
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1997 NFL season|1997]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1997 San Francisco 49ers season|SFO]]
| '''2''' || 2 || 2 || 100.0% || 0 || - || 6 || 6 || 100.0% || - || - || - || 12
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1998 NFL season|1998]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1998 Minnesota Vikings season|MIN]]
| '''2''' || 4 || 5 || 80.0% || 0 || - || '''8''' || '''8''' || 100.0% || - || - || - || 16
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1999 NFL season|1999]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[1999 Minnesota Vikings season|MIN]]
| '''2''' || 3 || 3 || 100.0% || 0 || - || 5 || 5 || 100.0% || 4 || 18.3 || - || 14
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[2000 NFL season|2000]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[2000 Minnesota Vikings season|MIN]]
| 1 || 2 || 2 || 100.0% || 0 || - || 4 || 4 || 100.0% || - || - || - || 10
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| [[2003 NFL season|2003]]
! style="text-align:center;"| [[2003 Tennessee Titans season|TEN]]
| '''2''' || 2 || 3 || 66.7% || 0 || - || 4 || 4 || 100.0% || - || - || - || 10
|- class="sortbottom"
! colspan="2"| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/andergar02.htm Career] || 22 || <u>32</u> || 40 || <u>80.0%</u> || <u>0</u> || - || <u>57</u> || <u>57</u> || <u>100.0%</u> || <u>36</u> || <u>53.5</u> || - || <u>149</u>
|}

===NFL records===

====Single season====

*Held record for Points in a single season with no touchdowns scored: 1998 (164 points, 59 PATs, 35 FGs)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/scoring_single_season.htm|title=NFL Single-Season Points Scored Leaders - Pro-Football-Reference.com|website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]] }}</ref>(broken by [[David Akers]] in 2011)
* Field goal percentage: 1998 (100%, 35/35)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/fg_perc_single_season.htm|title=NFL Single-Season Field Goal % Leaders - Pro-Football-Reference.com|website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]] }}</ref>

====Career====

* Points: 3rd place, 2,434<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/scoring_career.htm|title=NFL Career Points Scored Leaders - Pro-Football-Reference.com|website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]] }}</ref> Held record from 2000 (passing [[George Blanda]]) until 2006 (passed by Morten Andersen).
* FG made: 3rd place, 538.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/fgm_career.htm|title=NFL Career Total Field Goals Made Leaders - Pro-Football-Reference.com|website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]] }}</ref>
* Extra points made: 4th place, 820.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/xpm_career.htm|title=NFL Career Extra Points Made Leaders - Pro-Football-Reference.com|website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]] }}</ref>
* Games: 3rd place, 353.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/g_career.htm|title=NFL Career Games Leaders - Pro-Football-Reference.com|website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]] }}</ref>

==== Pittsburgh Steelers franchise records ====
* Points scored (career): 1,343<ref>{{cite news |first= Ed|last= Bouchette|title= Steelers Notebook: Pass-happy Hines Ward makes his 800th catch|url= http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08364/938287-66.stm|series= Quick hits|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date= 29 December 2008|access-date=29 December 2008}}</ref>

==Retirement==

{{BLP unreferenced section|date=April 2017}}
Anderson stayed with the Vikings until the 2002 season, then he joined the [[2003 Tennessee Titans season|Tennessee Titans]] as a replacement for the injured [[Joe Nedney]].  Anderson connected on 27 of 31 field goal attempts in the regular season despite rotating periodically with punter [[Craig Hentrich]], who booted four of five FGAs.  In Tennessee's playoff win over [[2003 Baltimore Ravens season|Baltimore]], Anderson connected on the winning 46-yard field goal in the final seconds, while in Tennessee's playoff loss to [[2003 New England Patriots season|New England]] he missed on his one attempt.

After that season, Anderson was making plans to retire and turned down offers from several teams to come kick for them.  In June 2004, Anderson, his wife, Kay, and sons Austin and Douglas moved to the Canadian Rocky Mountain town of [[Canmore, Alberta]], Canada, just outside [[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]] and the last remaining NFL player born in the 1950s.

Gary, and his wife, Kay, give back to their community and hosted an annual charity fundraiser called, "Dreams for Teams" in Canmore, Alberta with the mission of making a positive difference in the lives of Bow Valley school athletes, primarily through providing financial support, to assist them in becoming leaders, valuing teamwork, and achieving athletic and academic excellence. Each year the Andersons continue to give academic scholarships to local Canmore Athletes. Anderson coached the local boys high school soccer team in Canmore for over a decade. Anderson is passionate about fly fishing, and is a spokesman for the fly fishing industry.

==See also==

* [[List of most consecutive starts and games played by National Football League players#Consecutive games played|List of most consecutive starts and games played by National Football League players]]
* [[1998 NFC Championship Game]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050913104022/http://www.titansonline.com/team/players/bio.php?PRKey=154 |date=13 September 2005 |title=Gary Anderson biography by Tennessee Titans (covers 1982–2003 seasons) }}
*[https://archive.today/20130127034617/http://www.inhistoric.com/2008/07/1171999-almost-perfect-season.html Anderson misses, Andersen makes it]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150908100954/http://www.profootballarchives.com/ande06800.html Gary Anderson – The Pro Football Archives]

{{Bills1982DraftPicks}}
{{NFL1980s}}
{{NFL1990s}}
{{Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team}}
{{NFL scoring leaders}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Gary}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Parys]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from the Free State (province)]]
[[Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:American football placekickers]]
[[Category:Minnesota Vikings players]]
[[Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Eagles players]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Steelers players]]
[[Category:San Francisco 49ers players]]
[[Category:South African players of American football]]
[[Category:South African emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:South African emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:South African people of English descent]]
[[Category:Syracuse Orange football players]]
[[Category:Syracuse Orange men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Tennessee Titans players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]