Morten Andersen
A Danish-born kicker whose powerful left leg and astonishing longevity made him the NFL's all-time leading scorer for over a decade.
Born 1960 (age 66)·Danish-American football player·Birthday: August 19·Baby Boomers
Biography
Morten Andersen arrived in the United States as a teenage exchange student, a soccer player who had never seen an American football. That changed at Ben Davis High School in Indiana, where a coach saw the potential in his powerful leg. Drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 1982, Andersen quickly became a weapon, his booming kickoffs and clutch field goals earning him the nickname 'The Great Dane.' His career spanned a quarter-century, a testament to his rigorous training and mental fortitude. He became the emotional cornerstone for the Saints and later the Atlanta Falcons, delivering in pressure moments like his 1998 NFC Championship game-winning kick. When he finally retired in 2007, he left as the league's scoring king, a record he held until 2020, and his 382 games played stood as a testament to a unique and enduring career. His 2017 Hall of Fame induction cemented his status as perhaps the most complete kicker the game has seen.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Morten was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Morten Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Morten's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Held the NFL record for career points scored (2,544) from 2006 until 2020.
- Played in a record 382 regular season games over his 25-season career.
- Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
- Is the all-time leading scorer for both the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons.
- Made the game-winning overtime field goal to send the Atlanta Falcons to their first Super Bowl in 1999.
Did You Know?
He was discovered as a kicker while an exchange student from Denmark at an Indiana high school.
Andersen and Jan Stenerud are the only two placekickers born outside North America in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He missed only one extra point attempt in his entire 13-year tenure with the New Orleans Saints.
His jersey number (7) was retired by the Atlanta Falcons in 2017.
“I was a weapon. I wasn't just a kicker. I was a guy who could change field position and put points on the board.”
