Morten Andersen Elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame

It finally happened. Longtime New Orleans Saints kicker Morten Andersen has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He will be enshrined along with the rest of the class at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Field in Canton, Ohio on Saturday, August 5.

Andersen was originally selected by New Orleans in the fourth round out of Michigan State in 1982. He played for the Saints from 1982-1994 and four other teams for the remainder of his 25-year career.

Andersen appeared in 382 career games and is the NFL record holder for games played, points (2,544) and field goals (565). Overall, he converted 565-of-709 field goal attempts (79.7%) and 849-of-859 extra point attempts. At the time of his retirement, his 40 field goals of 50-plus yards were the most in NFL history.

A native of Denmark, Andersen was elected to seven Pro Bowls during his career, six as a Saint. Only Drew Brees (nine) and Willie Roaf (seven) have more selections.

"Morten is one of the greatest players in our team's history and arguably the best kicker in NFL history, said Saints Owner Tom Benson. "The reliability and excellence that he provided for us at the kicker position during his tenure with the Saints has been unmatched. Morten is a big part of the tradition and success of this organization and we would like to congratulate him."

Morten Andersen was inducted into the Saints Ring of Honor in 2015. And now he joins Rickey Jackson and Willie Roaf as players who played most of their careers for the New Orleans Saints that are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Below is the complete list of players who are in the Hall of Fame that spent at least one season with the Saints:

Morten Andersen (1982-1994)
Doug Atkins (1967-1969)
Earl Campbell (1984-85)
Jim Finks (1986-1992)
Rickey Jackson (1981-1993)
Willie Roaf (1993-2001)
Ken Stabler (1982-84)
Hank Stram (1976-1977)
Jim Taylor (1967)