{"id":26659,"date":"2017-08-08T14:58:34","date_gmt":"2017-08-08T18:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=26659"},"modified":"2021-05-30T18:03:08","modified_gmt":"2021-05-30T22:03:08","slug":"morten-andersen-hall-of-fame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2017\/08\/08\/morten-andersen-hall-of-fame\/","title":{"rendered":"Morten Andersen a Deserving Hall of Fame Inductee"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many NFL fans, it\u2019s hard to justify putting a place kicker into the NFL Hall of Fame<\/a>. With so many deserving stars of the game still starving for enshrinement, surely a special teams player shouldn\u2019t top the list. After exploring his direct impact on wins and losses from week to week, as well as retiring as the all-time NFL scoring leader, Morten Andersen<\/a><\/strong> is now deservedly immortalized in Canton.<\/p>\n

Morten Andersen a Deserving Hall of Fame Inductee<\/strong><\/h1>\n

While fans of the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings could all tell you how valuable a player Andersen was, the real proof is in the numbers. Here is a look at some significant numbers in his illustrious career.<\/p>\n

2,544 \u2013 The number of points Andersen accumulated during his career (Most ever)<\/p>\n

849 \u2013 The number of extra points made (.988%)<\/p>\n

565 \u2013 The number of field goals made (.797%)<\/p>\n

382 \u2013 The number of games played by Andersen<\/p>\n

77 \u2013 The number of points Andersen scored in the playoffs throughout his career (11 games)<\/p>\n

5 \u2013 The number of NFL teams Andersen played for (Saints, Falcons, Chiefs, Vikings, Giants)<\/p>\n

2 \u2013 The number of full-time kickers that are now in the NFL Hall of Fame (Joins Jan Stenarud)<\/p>\n

1 \u2013 The number of players in the NFL Hall of Fame born in Denmark (thanks to Andersen)<\/p>\n

0 \u2013 The amount of players in NFL History that have scored more points than Andersen<\/p>\n

NFL Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony<\/h2>\n

In the ceremony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium that featured fellow inductees Kurt Warner<\/a><\/strong> (quarterback), LaDainian Tomlinson<\/strong> (running back), Jason Taylor<\/a><\/strong> (defensive end), Terrell Davis<\/a><\/strong> (running back), Kenny Easley<\/a><\/strong> (safety) and Jerry Jones<\/a><\/strong> (owner), Andersen shined as the most entertaining of all the inductee\u2019s speeches.<\/p>\n

Andersen began his speech by declaring love for his Danish heritage, his family and the family that took him in as a 17-year old foreign exchange student. It didn\u2019t take long, however, for the personality to start flying. He began telling his colorful tale of the first time kicking a football and the confusion of trying to understand what was going on in this foreign game of football. Needless to say, that first field goal attempt made its way through the uprights and in Andersen\u2019s words, \u201cchanged my life forever\u201d.<\/p>\n

Andersen continued on to give thanks to his former high school coach, his fellow Michigan State Spartans and New Orleans Saints head coach Bum Phillips<\/strong>. Mentions of Phillips started with a, \u201ctip of the 10-gallon hat\u201d and ended with a simple, \u201cI miss you, Bum,” with a few laughs in between.<\/p>\n

Gratitude continued as the speech went on to Tom Benson<\/strong>, owner of the New Orleans Saints, along with the city itself. \u201cI have a deep love for the city of New Orleans and its football team. Our connections together run deep. I believe the fans are the most loyal and passionate anywhere,” expressed Andersen. Andersen would explain the lessons he learned from the celebratory spirit of the people of New Orleans, who have persevered through so much. Morten Andersen stated, \u201cI will always be a part of New Orleans and always a Saint.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andersen would continue to thank the people who helped him along his Hall of Fame journey. Former head coaches, special teams coaches and teammates all made the list. Andersen ended his speech with home heart-felt sentiment by mentioning his parents, twin brother, wife and two sons and how much he cherishes each. Morten Andersen\u2019s Hall of Fame speech was as memorable as his remarkable career.<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>