View source for Morten Andersen

{{Short description|Danish-American football player (born 1960)}}
{{About|the American football kicker|other people with the same name|Morten Andersen (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name        = Morten Andersen
| image       = Morten Andersen at NFL Fan Rally.jpg
| alt         =
| caption     = Andersen in 2010
| number      = 7, 5, 8
| position    = [[Placekicker|Kicker]]
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1960|8|19|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Copenhagen]], Denmark
| death_date  = 
| death_place = 
| height_ft   = 6
| height_in   = 2
| weight_lb   = 217
| high_school = [[Ben Davis High School|Ben Davis]] <br> ([[Indianapolis|Indianapolis, Indiana]], U.S.)
| college     = [[Michigan State Spartans football|Michigan State]] (1978–1981)
| draftyear   = 1982
| draftround  = 4
| draftpick   = 86
| pastteams   =
* [[New Orleans Saints]] ({{NFL Year|1982|1994}})
* [[Atlanta Falcons]] ({{NFL Year|1995|2000}})
* [[New York Giants]] ({{NFL Year|2001}})
* [[Kansas City Chiefs]] ({{NFL Year|2002|2003}})
* [[Minnesota Vikings]] ({{NFL Year|2004}})
* Atlanta Falcons ({{NFL Year|2006|2007}})
| highlights  =
* 4× First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1985 All-Pro Team|1985]]–[[1987 All-Pro Team|1987]], [[1995 All-Pro Team|1995]])
* 2× Second-team All-Pro ([[1988 All-Pro Team|1988]], [[1992 All-Pro Team|1992]])
* 7× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1986 Pro Bowl|1985]]–[[1989 Pro Bowl|1988]], [[1991 Pro Bowl|1990]], [[1993 Pro Bowl|1992]], [[1996 Pro Bowl|1995]])
* 2× [[Golden Toe Award]] (1986, 1995)
* [[National Football League 1980s All-Decade Team|NFL 1980s All-Decade Team]]
* [[National Football League 1990s All-Decade Team|NFL 1990s All-Decade Team]]
* [[Walter Camp Man of the Year]] (2008)
* First-team [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1981 College Football All-America Team|1981]])
* First-team [[List of All-Big Ten Conference football teams|All-Big Ten]] ([[1981 All-Big Ten Conference football team|1981]])
* 2× Second-team All-Big Ten ([[1979 All-Big Ten Conference football team|1979]], [[1980 All-Big Ten Conference football team|1980]])
* [[New Orleans Saints Ring of Honor]] (2015)
* [[New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame]] (2009)
* [[Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame]]
* [[Indiana Sports Hall of Fame]]
* Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame
* Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame
* Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame
; NFL records
* [[List of NFL players by games played|Most games played]]: 382
* Most consecutive games scoring: 360{{efn|From 1983 to 2004, and 2006 to 2007}}
| statlabel1  = [[Field goal]]s attempted
| statvalue1  = 709
| statlabel2  = Field goals made
| statvalue2  = 565
| statlabel3  = Field goal percentage
| statvalue3  = 79.7%
| statlabel4  = Longest field goal
| statvalue4  = 60
| statlabel5  = [[Conversion (gridiron football)|Extra points]] attempted
| statvalue5  = 859
| statlabel6  = Extra points made
| statvalue6  = 849
| statlabel7  = Extra point percentage
| statvalue7  = 98.8%
| statlabel8  = Points scored
| statvalue8  = 2,544
| pfr         = A/andermor01
| HOF         = morten-andersen 
}}

'''Morten Andersen''' (born 19 August 1960), nicknamed "'''the Great Dane'''",<ref>{{cite web|title=Morten Andersen talks about being a finalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame|url=http://www.neworleanssaints.com/news-and-events/article-1/Morten-Andersen-talks-about-being-a-finalist-for-Pro-Football-Hall-of-Fame/3c361e27-41f7-4bb9-ace9-08b7a2a6bb5a|website=NewOrleansSaints.com|access-date=July 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804053441/http://www.neworleanssaints.com/news-and-events/article-1/Morten-Andersen-talks-about-being-a-finalist-for-Pro-Football-Hall-of-Fame/3c361e27-41f7-4bb9-ace9-08b7a2a6bb5a|archive-date=August 4, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> is a Danish-American former professional [[American football|football]] [[Placekicker|kicker]] who played in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) for 25 seasons, most notably with the [[New Orleans Saints]] and [[Atlanta Falcons]]. Following a career from 1982 to 2007, Andersen holds the NFL record for regular season games played at 382. He also ranks second in field goals (565) and points scored (2,544). In addition to his league accomplishments, he is the Saints all-time leading scorer at 1,318 points. Andersen was inducted into the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in 2017. Along with [[Jan Stenerud]], he is one of only two exclusive kickers to receive the honor.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18621440/pro-football-hall-fame-ladainian-tomlinson-kurt-warner-jason-taylor-terrell-davis-morten-andersen-jerry-jones-kenny-easley|title=Canton calls LaDainian Tomlinson, Kurt Warner, Terrell Davis, Jerry Jones, 3 others|first=Jeff|last=Legwold|work=[[ESPN.com]]|date=February 4, 2017|access-date=February 4, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/players/jan-stenerud/|title=Jan Stenerud - Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site|website=www.profootballhof.com}}</ref>

==Early life==
Andersen was born in [[Copenhagen]] and raised in the west [[Jutland]] town of [[Struer, Denmark|Struer]].<ref name="born">{{cite web|title=Morten Andersen #7|work=nflplayers.com|url=http://www.nflplayers.com/players/player.aspx?id=164|access-date=December 9, 2006|archive-date=December 22, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051222094626/http://www.nflplayers.com/players/player.aspx?id=164|url-status=dead}}</ref> As a student, he was a gymnast and a [[long jump]]er, and just missed becoming a member of the Danish junior national [[Association football|soccer]] team. He visited the United States in 1977 as a [[Youth For Understanding]] exchange student.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Duncan|first1=Jeff|title=From a fishing village to football heaven, Morten Andersen traveled improbable path to Hall of Fame|url=https://www.nola.com/sports/saints/article_40014480-5f37-58f1-bd95-9075ed8e41fb.html|website=nola.com|publisher=Advance Publications|access-date=May 1, 2020|language=en|date=August 3, 2018}}</ref> He first kicked an [[American football]] on a whim at [[Ben Davis High School]] in [[Indianapolis]]. He was so impressive in his one season of high school football that he was given a scholarship to [[Michigan State University]].

Andersen, with his left leg as his dominant kicking leg, starred at Michigan State, setting several records, including a [[Big Ten Conference]] record 63-yard field goal against [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State University]]. He was named an [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] in 1981. His success landed him the kicking job with the [[New Orleans Saints]]. On 24 September 2011, he was inducted into the Michigan State University Athletics Hall of Fame.

==Professional football career==

=== New Orleans Saints, 1982–1994 ===
Andersen's NFL career got off to a rocky start. On his first NFL kickoff to start the strike-shortened 1982 season, Andersen twisted his ankle and missed eight weeks of the season.<ref name="DrZ">{{cite magazine|last=Zimmerman|first=Paul|title=Just For Kicks|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=October 16, 2003|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/writers/dr_z/10/15/insider/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040226210752/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/writers/dr_z/10/15/insider/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 26, 2004|access-date=December 17, 2006}}</ref> Despite the early setback, he soon emerged as one of the strongest and most reliable placekickers in the NFL. In his years with the Saints, he was named to six [[Pro Bowl]]s, kicked 302 [[Field goal (football)|field goal]]s, and scored 1318 points. In 1991, against [[Chicago Bears|Chicago]], Andersen kicked a 60-yard field goal, tying him with [[Steve Cox (football)|Steve Cox]] for the second-longest field goal in league history at the time, behind 63-yard record-holder kicked by [[Tom Dempsey]]. Andersen's kick has since been matched by [[Rob Bironas]], [[Dan Carpenter]] and [[Greg Zuerlein (American football)|Greg Zuerlein]], and surpassed by [[Sebastian Janikowski]] (twice), [[Jason Elam]], [[Justin Tucker]], [[Jay Feely]], [[Matt Bryant]], [[David Akers]], [[Matt Prater]], [[Jake Elliott]], [[Graham Gano]], [[Brett Maher (American football)|Brett Maher]], [[Brandon Aubrey]] and [[Stephen Gostkowski]]. Andersen's proficiency with field goal kicking earned him the nickname "Mr. Automatic." Following the 1994 season, he was released by the Saints for salary cap purposes and because his accuracy had started to decline.

=== Atlanta Falcons, 1995–2000 ===
Following his release by the Saints, Andersen signed with the [[Atlanta Falcons]]. He silenced those who felt him to be washed up and was once again named a Pro Bowler during his time in Atlanta. In December 1995 against the Saints, he became the first player in NFL history to kick three field goals of over 50 yards in a single game.

In week 17 of the 1996 season, Andersen missed a 30-yard field goal that enabled the [[Jacksonville Jaguars]] to make the playoffs.<ref name="Sports">{{Cite web |date=December 23, 1996 |title=Andersen's Miss Puts Jaguars in Postseason |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4356188.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516211748/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4356188.html |archive-date=May 16, 2011 |access-date=November 5, 2007 |website=Chicago Sun Times|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> Two years later, he kicked a game-winning field goal in overtime in the [[1998 NFC Championship Game]] to beat the [[Minnesota Vikings]] and send the Falcons to their first-ever [[Super Bowl]] appearance, falling to the Denver Broncos in [[Super Bowl XXXIII]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Super Bowl XXXIII - Denver Broncos vs. Atlanta Falcons - January 31st, 1999 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199901310atl.htm |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

There are a number of interesting coincidences between Andersen and former NFL placekicker [[Gary Anderson (placekicker)|Gary Anderson]]. Anderson and Andersen have nearly identical last names, were born within a year of one another outside the United States (Anderson was born in South Africa), 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. Also, Anderson missed a field goal in the 1998 NFC Championship Game for the [[Minnesota Vikings]] before Andersen kicked his winning kick, both from the same distance as well (38 yards).

=== Intermittent years, 2001–2004 ===
Andersen went on to play with the [[New York Giants]] for the 2001 season, followed by the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] the following two seasons. In the 2004 offseason, Andersen was beaten out for the kicking job by rookie [[Lawrence Tynes]]. He was released by the Chiefs for the final roster cut, and was subsequently signed by the Vikings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pasquarelli |first=Len |date=2004-09-07 |title=Short hang time: Vikings sign kicker Andersen |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=1876567 |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> Although his leg strength had declined greatly with age, he continued to prove himself accurate for field goals. Having not been signed by a team following the 2004 season, he became a free agent and did not play in 2005. He announced [[NFL Europe]] games in the 2005 season.

=== Atlanta Falcons, 2006–2007 ===
In January 2006, Andersen was inducted as the first member of the [[Danish American Football Federation]] [[Hall of Fame]]. Later that year, Andersen returned to the NFL, re-signing with the [[Atlanta Falcons]]; Andersen was brought in to help [[Michael Koenen]], who was at the time performing double duty as punter and kicker (an extremely rare occurrence in the NFL) missing several field goals in that capacity, and Koenen reverted to strictly punting after Andersen's signing. His first game back was against his former team, the Saints, on [[Monday Night Football]]. The game was the first game in the [[Louisiana Superdome]] since [[Hurricane Katrina]] prevented its use for the entire 2005 regular season. Andersen scored the only Falcon points with a 26-yard field goal in the first quarter. In his second game back, Andersen made 5 of 5 field goals (matching his career-best for the ninth time), as well as both extra-point attempts.<ref name=coverwire>{{cite web|url=http://www.coverwire.com/football/score_recap.htm?logged=&gm=ATLANTAARIZONA10012006|title=Sportsticker NFL Recap (Arizona-Atlanta)|publisher=CoverWire.com|access-date=November 7, 2007}}</ref> He was named NFC special teams player of the week, becoming the oldest player to earn the honor since the award was first introduced in 1984.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20061014052042/http://www.nfl.com/news/story/9704917 Ageless K Andersen earns NFC honors], ''[[NFL]]'', 4 October 2006</ref> He is the team record holder in points for the New Orleans Saints.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New Orleans Saints Career Scoring Summary Leaders |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nor/career-scoring.htm |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

On 16 December 2006, Andersen passed [[Gary Anderson (placekicker)|Gary Anderson]] to become the all-time leading scorer in NFL history. The following weekend, 24 December 2006, Andersen again passed Anderson to become the NFL's career leader in field goals made. On 17 September 2007, he again signed with the Falcons in an attempt to secure their unreliable kicking game. By the end of the regular season, he had made 25 of 28 field goals (89.3%), the most accurate season of his career.

=== Retirement and legacy ===
In the 2008 season, Andersen did not receive a contract offer from any team, but waited until 8 December to officially retire.<ref name="retired">{{cite web|title=Andersen, 48, hangs up cleats as all-time top scorer|work=[[ESPN]]|date=December 8, 2008|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=3753844|access-date=December 8, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/news|title=News - Around the NFL|website=NFL.com}}</ref> Andersen had stated that his goal was to be the first NFL player to play until he turned 50 in 2010. However, he retired just two days after he would have become the oldest player ever to appear in an NFL game, had he played on or after 6 December he would have been the oldest NFL player to play.<ref>{{cite web|title=Thanks for the Memories, Mort!|url=http://life.atlantafalcons.com/index.php?autocom=blog&blogid=4&showentry=680|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217055711/http://life.atlantafalcons.com/index.php?autocom=blog|archive-date=December 17, 2008}}</ref><ref>[http://www.profootballhof.com/history/stats/40_and_over_club.aspx History. Players Who've Played in NFL at Age 40 or Older.]</ref> The record held by [[George Blanda]] still stands – Blanda played in his last NFL game on 4 January 1976 (the [[NFL playoffs, 1975-76#AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Oakland Raiders 10|1975 AFC Championship]]) at the age of {{age in years and days|1927|9|17|1976|1|4}}.<ref>Bob Harris, [https://web.archive.org/web/20030822174745/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/fantasy/football/news/2003/08/07/back_page/ 2003 Camp Battles: Kickers lace 'em up], ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'', August 7, 2003</ref>

On 6 November 2009, Andersen was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame.<ref name="TP20091106">Brian Allee-Walsh, [http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2009/11/ex-saints_coach_jim_mora_says.html "Ex-Saints coach Jim Mora says Morten Andersen a shoo-in for Canton, Ohio"], ''[[Times-Picayune]]'', November 6, 2009.</ref> On 25 June 2011, Andersen was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sportsnola.com/southeastern-graduates-larry-hymel-elmo-adolph-to-be-honored-at-louisiana-sports-hall-of-fame-on-june-25/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207112741/https://sportsnola.com/southeastern-graduates-larry-hymel-elmo-adolph-to-be-honored-at-louisiana-sports-hall-of-fame-on-june-25/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=February 7, 2017|title=Coming Soon Page|website=sportsnola.com}}</ref> On 10 August 2013, Andersen was inducted into the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.allstatesugarbowl.org/site.php?pageID=19&newsID=613#.WJiZbGeQxaQ |title=Brian Allee-Walsh |access-date=February 6, 2017 |archive-date=February 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207113309/https://www.allstatesugarbowl.org/site.php?pageID=19&newsID=613#.WJiZbGeQxaQ |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 21 December 2015, he was inducted as the fourth member of the team's Ring of Honor.<ref>Mike Triplett, [https://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/173234/saints-add-k-morten-andersen-to-exclusive-ring-of-honor "Saints add K Morten Andersen to exclusive Ring of Honor"], [[ESPN.com]], August 3, 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/sports/saints/article_f0c0db13-574b-5e33-b266-d8944a757f76.html|title=Saints welcome Morten Andersen to Ring of Honor|first=TED|last=Lewis|date=December 28, 2015 }}</ref> On 4 February 2017, it was announced that Andersen would be inducted into the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nfl.com/news/tomlinson-warner-terrell-davis-selected-for-hall-0ap3000000782874|title=Tomlinson, Warner, Terrell Davis selected for Hall|website=[[NFL.com]] }}</ref>

On 10 September 2020, he launched a new weekly football podcast with the VegasInsider Podcast Network titled "Great Dane Nation" with co-host Tom "FreezePops" Carroll.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sports Betting News and Vegas Odds|url=https://www.vegasinsider.com/podcasts/gdn/|access-date=2020-09-30|website=VegasInsider.com|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=October 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</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===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Year
! rowspan="2"|Team
! rowspan="2"|{{abbr|GP|Games played}}
! colspan="4"|Field Goals
! colspan="3"|{{abbr|PATs|Points after touchdowns}}
! colspan="5"|Kickoffs
! rowspan="2"|{{abbr|Pts|Total points scored}}
|-
! {{abbr|FGM|Field goals made}} !! {{abbr|FGA|Field goals attempted}} !! {{abbr|Lng|Longest field goal made}} !! {{abbr|FG%|Field goal made percentage}} !! {{abbr|XPM|Extra point made}} !! {{abbr|XPA|Extra point attempted}} !! {{abbr|XP%|Extra point made percentage}} !! {{abbr|KO|Kickoffs}} !! {{abbr|Yds|Kickoff yards}} !! {{abbr|Y/K|Yards per kickoff}} !! {{abbr|TB|Kickoff touchbacks}} !! {{abbr|TB%|Kickoff touchback percentage}}
|-
! [[1982 NFL season|1982]] !! [[1982 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
|8||2||5||36||40.0%||6||6||'''100.0%'''||—||—||—||—||—||12
|-
! [[1983 NFL season|1983]] !! [[1983 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
|'''16'''||18||24||52||75.0%||37||38||97.4%||—||—||—||—||—||91
|-
! [[1984 NFL season|1984]] !! [[1984 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
|'''16'''||20||27||53||74.1%||34||34||'''100.0%'''||—||—||—||—||—||94
|-
! [[1985 NFL season|1985]] !! [[1985 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
|'''16'''||'''31'''||35||55||88.6%||27||29||93.1%||—||—||—||—||—||120
|-
! [[1986 NFL season|1986]] !! [[1986 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
|'''16'''||26||30||53||style="background:#cfecec;"|86.7%||30||30||'''100.0%'''||—||—||—||—||—||108
|-
! [[1987 NFL season|1987]] !! [[1987 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
|12||style="background:#cfecec;"|28||style="background:#cfecec;"|36||52||77.8%||37||37||'''100.0%'''||—||—||—||—||—||121
|-
! [[1988 NFL season|1988]] !! [[1988 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
|'''16'''||26||36||51||72.2%||32||33||97.0%||—||—||—||—||—||110
|-
! [[1989 NFL season|1989]] !! [[1989 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
|'''16'''||20||29||49||69.0%||44||45||97.8%||—||—||—||—||—||104
|-
! [[1990 NFL season|1990]] !! [[1990 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
|'''16'''||21||27||52||77.8%||29||29||'''100.0%'''||—||—||—||—||—||92
|-
! [[1991 NFL season|1991]] !! [[1991 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
|'''16'''||25||32||style="background:#cfecec;"|'''60'''||78.1%||38||38||'''100.0%'''||79||5,157||65.3||'''43'''||'''54.4%'''||113
|-
! [[1992 NFL season|1992]] !! [[1992 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
|'''16'''||29||34||52||85.3%||33||34||97.1%||81||5,178||63.9||38||46.9%||120
|-
! [[1993 NFL season|1993]] !! [[1993 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
|'''16'''||28||35||56||80.0%||33||33||'''100.0%'''||76||4,825||63.5||35||46.1%||117
|-
! [[1994 NFL season|1994]] !! [[1994 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
|'''16'''||28||'''39'''||48||71.8%||32||32||'''100.0%'''||82||5,087||62.0||14||17.1%||116
|-
! [[1995 NFL season|1995]] !! [[1995 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
|'''16'''||'''31'''||37||style="background:#cfecec;"|59||83.8%||29||30||96.7%||82||5,646||'''68.9'''||27||32.9%||'''122'''
|-
! [[1996 NFL season|1996]] !! [[1996 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
|'''16'''||22||29||54||75.9%||31||31||'''100.0%'''||71||4,717||66.4||16||22.5%||97
|-
! [[1997 NFL season|1997]] !! [[1997 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
|'''16'''||23||27||style="background:#cfecec;"|55||85.2%||35||35||'''100.0%'''||63||4,125||65.5||17||27.0%||104
|-
! [[1998 NFL season|1998]] !! [[1998 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
|'''16'''||23||28||53||82.1%||51||52||98.1%||'''90'''||'''6,153'''||68.4||20||22.2%||120
|-
! [[1999 NFL season|1999]] !! [[1999 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
|'''16'''||15||21||49||71.4%||34||34||'''100.0%'''||63||4,048||64.3||7||11.1%||79
|-
! [[2000 NFL season|2000]] !! [[2000 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
|'''16'''||25||31||51||80.6%||23||23||'''100.0%'''||64||4,168||65.1||12||18.8%||98
|-
! [[2001 NFL season|2001]] !! [[2001 New York Giants season|NYG]]
|'''16'''||23||28||51||82.1%||29||30||96.7%||27||1,585||58.7||—||—||98
|-
! [[2002 NFL season|2002]] !! [[2002 Kansas City Chiefs season|KC]]
|14||22||26||50||84.6%||style="background:#cfecec;"|51||style="background:#cfecec;"|51||'''100.0%'''||64||3,788||59.2||6||9.4%||117
|-
! [[2003 NFL season|2003]] !! [[2003 Kansas City Chiefs season|KC]]
|'''16'''||16||20||49||80.0%||style="background:#cfecec;"|'''58'''||style="background:#cfecec;"|'''59'''||98.3%||—||—||—||—||—||106
|-
! [[2004 NFL season|2004]] !! [[2004 Minnesota Vikings season|MIN]]
|'''16'''||18||22||48||81.8%||45||45||'''100.0%'''||8||433||54.1||—||—||99
|-
! [[2006 NFL season|2006]] !! [[2006 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
|14||20||23||45||87.0%||27||27||'''100.0%'''||—||—||—||—||—||87
|-
! [[2007 NFL season|2007]] !! [[2007 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
|14||25||28||47||'''89.3%'''||24||24||'''100.0%'''||—||—||—||—||—||99
|-
! colspan="2"|[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/andermor01.htm Career] !! style="background:#e0cef2;"|382 !! 565 !! 709 !! 60 !! 79.7% !! 849 !! 859 !! 98.8% !! <u>850</u> !! <u>54,910</u> !! <u>64.6</u> !! <u>235</u> !! <u>27.6%</u> !! 2,544
|}

===Postseason===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Year
! rowspan="2"|Team
! rowspan="2"|{{abbr|GP|Games played}}
! colspan="3"|Field Goals
! colspan="3"|{{abbr|PATs|Points after touchdowns}}
! colspan="5"|Kickoffs
! rowspan="2"|{{abbr|Pts|Total points scored}}
|-
! {{abbr|FGM|Field goals made}} !! {{abbr|FGA|Field goals attempted}} !! {{abbr|FG%|Field goal made percentage}} !! {{abbr|XPM|Extra point made}} !! {{abbr|XPA|Extra point attempted}} !! {{abbr|XP%|Extra point made percentage}} !! {{abbr|KO|Kickoffs}} !! {{abbr|Yds|Kickoff yards}} !! {{abbr|Y/K|Yards per kickoff}} !! {{abbr|TB|Kickoff touchbacks}} !! {{abbr|TB%|Kickoff touchback percentage}}
|-
! [[1987–88 NFL playoffs|1987]] !! [[1987 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
|1||1||1||'''100.0%'''||1||1||'''100.0%'''||—||—||—||—||—||4
|-
! [[1990–91 NFL playoffs|1990]] !! [[1990 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
|1||2||4||50.0%||0||0||—||—||—||—||—||—||6
|-
! [[1991–92 NFL playoffs|1991]] !! [[1991 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
|1||2||2||'''100.0%'''||2||2||'''100.0%'''||5||298||59.6||2||40.0%||8
|-
! [[1992–93 NFL playoffs|1992]] !! [[1992 New Orleans Saints season|NO]]
|1||2||2||'''100.0%'''||2||2||'''100.0%'''||5||345||'''69.0'''||3||'''60.0%'''||8
|-
! [[1995–96 NFL playoffs|1995]] !! [[1995 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
|1||2||2||'''100.0%'''||2||2||'''100.0%'''||5||226||45.2||—||—||8
|-
! [[1998–99 NFL playoffs|1998]] !! [[1998 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
|'''3'''||'''7'''||'''8'''||87.5%||'''6'''||'''6'''||'''100.0%'''||'''17'''||'''1,092'''||64.2||'''7'''||41.2%||'''27'''
|-
! [[2003–04 NFL playoffs|2003]] !! [[2003 Kansas City Chiefs season|KC]]
|1||1||2||50.0%||4||4||'''100.0%'''||—||—||—||—||—||7
|-
! [[2004–05 NFL playoffs|2004]] !! [[2004 Minnesota Vikings season|MIN]]
|2||1||2||50.0%||'''6'''||'''6'''||'''100.0%'''||1||10||10.0||—||—||9
|-
! colspan="2"|[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/andermor01/gamelog/post/ Career] !! 11 !! 18 !! 23 !! 78.3% !! 23 !! 23 !! 100.0% !! <u>33</u> !! <u>1,971</u> !! <u>59.7</u> !! <u>12</u> !! <u>36.4%</u> !! 77
|}

==NFL records==
At the end of his career Andersen held the following NFL records ({{as of|2009|lc=yes}}):
* Most games played (career) – 382<ref>{{cite web|title=NFL Career Games Leaders|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/g_career.htm|work=pro-football-reference.com|access-date=September 26, 2010}}</ref>
* [[Most consecutive starts (NFL)#Special teams|Most consecutive games played by a placekicker]] – 248
* Most seasons, 75 or more points (career) – 24<ref>{{cite web|title=For single seasons, from 1920 to 2010, requiring Points Scored >= 75, sorted by most seasons matching criteria.|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=total&year_min=1920&year_max=2010&season_start=1&season_end=-1&age_min=0&age_max=99&draft_round_min=0&draft_round_max=99&league_id=&team_id=&is_active=&is_hof=&pos_is_qb=Y&pos_is_rb=Y&pos_is_wr=Y&pos_is_te=Y&pos_is_rec=Y&pos_is_t=Y&pos_is_g=Y&pos_is_c=Y&pos_is_ol=Y&pos_is_dt=Y&pos_is_de=Y&pos_is_dl=Y&pos_is_ilb=Y&pos_is_olb=Y&pos_is_lb=Y&pos_is_cb=Y&pos_is_s=Y&pos_is_db=Y&pos_is_k=Y&pos_is_p=Y&c1stat=scoring&c1comp=gt&c1val=75&c2stat=&c2comp=gt&c2val=&c3stat=&c3comp=gt&c3val=&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&order_by=pass_td|work=pro-football-reference.com|access-date=September 26, 2010}}</ref>
* Most consecutive seasons, 75 or more points (career) – 23
* Most seasons, 90 or more points (career) – 22<ref>{{cite web|title=For single seasons, from 1920 to 2010, requiring Points Scored >= 90, sorted by most seasons matching criteria.|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=total&year_min=1920&year_max=2010&season_start=1&season_end=-1&age_min=0&age_max=99&draft_round_min=0&draft_round_max=99&league_id=&team_id=&is_active=&is_hof=&pos_is_qb=Y&pos_is_rb=Y&pos_is_wr=Y&pos_is_te=Y&pos_is_rec=Y&pos_is_t=Y&pos_is_g=Y&pos_is_c=Y&pos_is_ol=Y&pos_is_dt=Y&pos_is_de=Y&pos_is_dl=Y&pos_is_ilb=Y&pos_is_olb=Y&pos_is_lb=Y&pos_is_cb=Y&pos_is_s=Y&pos_is_db=Y&pos_is_k=Y&pos_is_p=Y&c1stat=scoring&c1comp=gt&c1val=90&c2stat=&c2comp=gt&c2val=&c3stat=&c3comp=gt&c3val=&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&order_by=pass_td|work=pro-football-reference.com|access-date=September 26, 2010}}</ref>
* Most game-winning field goals (career) – 103
* Games with 1+ field goals (career) – 299<ref>{{cite web|title=In multiple seasons, from 1960 to 2010, in the regular season, requiring Total Field Goals Made >= 1, sorted by most games matching criteria.|website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]]|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/pgl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=career&year_min=1960&year_max=2010&season_start=1&season_end=-1&age_min=0&age_max=99&league_id=&team_id=&opp_id=&game_type=R&game_num_min=0&game_num_max=99&week_num_min=0&week_num_max=99&game_day_of_week=&game_location=&game_result=&is_active=&is_hof=&c1stat=fgm&c1comp=gt&c1val=1&c2stat=&c2comp=gt&c2val=&c3stat=&c3comp=gt&c3val=&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&order_by=pass_td|access-date=September 26, 2010}}</ref>
* Games with 2+ field goals (career) – 178<ref>{{cite web|title=In multiple seasons, from 1960 to 2010, in the regular season, requiring Total Field Goals Made >= 2, sorted by most games matching criteria.|website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]]|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/pgl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=career&year_min=1960&year_max=2010&season_start=1&season_end=-1&age_min=0&age_max=99&league_id=&team_id=&opp_id=&game_type=R&game_num_min=0&game_num_max=99&week_num_min=0&week_num_max=99&game_day_of_week=&game_location=&game_result=&is_active=&is_hof=&c1stat=fgm&c1comp=gt&c1val=2&c2stat=&c2comp=gt&c2val=&c3stat=&c3comp=gt&c3val=&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&order_by=pass_td|access-date=September 26, 2010}}</ref>
* Oldest player to score 14 points in a game – 47 years, 133 days (for Atlanta Falcons vs. Seattle Seahawks, 30 December 2007)<ref>{{cite web|title=In a single game, from 1960 to 2010, in the regular season, requiring Points Scored >= 14, sorted by descending Age.|website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]]|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/pgl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=game&year_min=1960&year_max=2010&season_start=1&season_end=-1&age_min=0&age_max=99&league_id=&team_id=&opp_id=&game_type=R&game_num_min=0&game_num_max=99&week_num_min=0&week_num_max=99&game_day_of_week=&game_location=&game_result=&is_active=&is_hof=&c1stat=scoring&c1comp=gt&c1val=14&c2stat=&c2comp=gt&c2val=&c3stat=&c3comp=gt&c3val=&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&order_by=age|access-date=September 26, 2010}}</ref>
* Oldest player to kick 4 field goals in a game – 47 years, 42 days (for Atlanta Falcons vs. Houston Texans, 30 September 2007)<ref>{{cite web|title=In a single game, from 1960 to 2010, in the regular season, requiring Total Field Goals Made >= 4, sorted by descending Age.|website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]]|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/pgl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=game&year_min=1960&year_max=2010&season_start=1&season_end=-1&age_min=0&age_max=99&league_id=&team_id=&opp_id=&game_type=R&game_num_min=0&game_num_max=99&week_num_min=0&week_num_max=99&game_day_of_week=&game_location=&game_result=&is_active=&is_hof=&c1stat=fgm&c1comp=gt&c1val=4&c2stat=&c2comp=gt&c2val=&c3stat=&c3comp=gt&c3val=&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&order_by=age|access-date=September 26, 2010}}</ref>
* Oldest player to kick 5 field goals in a game – 46 years, 43 days<ref>{{cite web|title=In a single game, from 1960 to 2010, in the regular season, requiring Total Field Goals Made >= 5, sorted by descending Age.|website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]]|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/pgl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=game&year_min=1960&year_max=2010&season_start=1&season_end=-1&age_min=0&age_max=99&league_id=&team_id=&opp_id=&game_type=R&game_num_min=0&game_num_max=99&week_num_min=0&week_num_max=99&game_day_of_week=&game_location=&game_result=&is_active=&is_hof=&c1stat=fgm&c1comp=gt&c1val=5&c2stat=&c2comp=gt&c2val=&c3stat=&c3comp=gt&c3val=&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&order_by=age|access-date=September 26, 2010}}</ref>
* Most field goals (50 or more yards) in a game – 3 (vs. New Orleans, 10 December 1995) (tied with several players)
* Most consecutive games scoring (career) – 360
* Most games scoring (career) – 379
* Most consecutive seasons scoring (career) – 23 – tied with [[Gary Anderson (placekicker)|Gary Anderson]]
* Most consecutive calendar years scoring (career) – 26

Team Scoring Records:
* New Orleans Saints- 1,318 points
* New Orleans Saints – FGs made/attempted: 302/389
* New Orleans Saints – PATs made/attempted: 412/418

Pro Bowl records:
* Most points in [[Pro Bowl]] (total) – 45 (15 points after touchdown, 10 field goals)
* Most points after touchdown in [[Pro Bowl]] (total) – 15
* Most field goal attempts in [[Pro Bowl]] (total) – 18
* Most field goals in [[Pro Bowl]] (total) – 10

Andersen holds 2nd place in the following NFL records:
* Most PATs attempted (career) – 859 (1st place: [[George Blanda]], 959)
* Most PATs made (career) – 849 (1st place: George Blanda, 943)
* Most seasons – 25 (1st place: George Blanda, 26)
* Most seasons, 100 or more points – 14 (1st place: [[Jason Elam]], 16)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=total&year_min=1920&year_max=2010&season_start=1&season_end=-1&age_min=0&age_max=99&draft_round_min=0&draft_round_max=99&league_id=&team_id=&is_active=&is_hof=&pos_is_qb=Y&pos_is_rb=Y&pos_is_wr=Y&pos_is_te=Y&pos_is_rec=Y&pos_is_t=Y&pos_is_g=Y&pos_is_c=Y&pos_is_ol=Y&pos_is_dt=Y&pos_is_de=Y&pos_is_dl=Y&pos_is_ilb=Y&pos_is_olb=Y&pos_is_lb=Y&pos_is_cb=Y&pos_is_s=Y&pos_is_db=Y&pos_is_k=Y&pos_is_p=Y&c1stat=scoring&c1comp=gt&c1val=100&c2stat=&c2comp=gt&c2val=&c3stat=&c3comp=gt&c3val=&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&order_by=pass_td|title=For single seasons, from 1920 to 2010, requiring Points Scored >= 100, sorted by most seasons matching criteria|work=pro-football-reference.com|access-date=September 26, 2010}}</ref>
* Most games with 5 or more field goals (career) – 9 (John Carney, 11)

==Personal life==
Andersen became a naturalized American citizen in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sigler |first=John |date=July 27, 2019 |title=Morten Andersen becomes naturalized American citizen |url=https://saintswire.usatoday.com/2019/07/27/saints-hall-of-fame-morten-andersen-american-citizen/ |access-date=6 September 2024 |website=Saints Wire|publisher=USA Today}}</ref>

==Notes and references==
{{Notelist}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.MortenAndersen.com}}

{{Walter Camp Man of the Year}}
{{NFL1980s}}
{{NFL1990s}}
{{Saints1982DraftPicks}}
{{New Orleans Saints}}
{{New Orleans Saints Ring of Honor}}
{{New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame}}
{{2017 Football HOF}}
{{Pro Football Hall of Fame members}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andersen, Morten}}
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American football placekickers]]
[[Category:Atlanta Falcons players]]
[[Category:Danish emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Danish expatriate sportspeople in the United States]]
[[Category:Danish players of American football]]
[[Category:Footballers who switched code]]
[[Category:Kansas City Chiefs players]]
[[Category:Michigan State Spartans football players]]
[[Category:Minnesota Vikings players]]
[[Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:New Orleans Saints players]]
[[Category:New York Giants players]]
[[Category:NFL Europe broadcasters]]
[[Category:People from Struer Municipality]]
[[Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Copenhagen]]