Syracuse Football Top 25 Players of All-Time: No. 18 Gary Anderson

Syracuse Football has had a long history of success. We look back at some of the best players to play at Syracuse University. Up next, No. 18: Gary Anderson.

Syracuse Football‘s Gary Anderson may not have played a high-profile position while at Syracuse, serving as a kicker for them from 1978-1981, but he definitely left his mark. At Syracuse and later on in the NFL, Anderson made himself invaluable kicking game-winning field goals, hitting clutch PAT’s, and pinning teams deep in their own territory on kickoffs.

Most kickers are overlooked as just special teams players who are occasionally needed. Whether that be at the end of the game to kick a field goal/PAT (to put the team ahead or tie) or to kick in spot duty just to get points on the board so the offense does not have an empty possession. Every once in a while there are kickers that are just so good at what they do that they are relied upon consistently by their coaches to make sure their team gets points no matter how far away the goal is. Anderson was that kind of player, and one coaches in today’s age of football wished were more prevalent.

Anderson’s first stop after high school was to play for Syracuse Football. In his three years on the Hill, he made 42/56 field goals, good for 75%, and a perfect 72/72 PAT’s, according to Sports-Reference.com.

In his last collegiate season at Syracuse in 1981, he set a Syracuse single-season record for field goals (18) as well as field goals made percentage with 94.7%, according to Cuse.com. That’s consistency at it’s best! For his efforts, he was also named an All-American at the end of the year. He was also one of the first Syracuse kickers that continued an NCAA record streak for PAT’s made that would go on for 11 years (262 consecutive PAT’s made) from 1978-1989, according to the LATimes.com.

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After his time with Syracuse Football, Anderson would be drafted with the 171st overall pick in the 7th round of the 1982 NFL Draft. He would never play a regular season game with the Bills though as he was cut during the preseason and would end up signing days later with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Anderson would go on to play for multiple NFL teams in his 23 year career: the Pittsburgh Steelers (1982-1994), Philadelphia Eagles (1995-1996), San Francisco 49ers (1997), Minnesota Vikings (1998-2002), and Tennessee Titans (2003-2004), according to Pro-FootballReference.com. Anderson would retire from the NFL in 2004 at the age of 45, which is currently tied for third all-time among all former and active NFL players, according to ProFootballHallofFame.com.

One of the biggest moments of his career, and one that will forever stain his reputation among Vikings fans, was his kick in the 1998 NFC Championship game against the Atlanta Falcons. The Vikings were heavy Super Bowl favorites that year and Anderson had a huge role in that. Up to that game, Anderson had yet to miss a field goal or PAT all season.

With time winding down, and just 2:11 to go in the 4th quarter, Anderson was tasked with hitting a 38-yard field goal from the left hash to put the Vikings ahead by 10, which normally was a chip shot for Anderson. That kick would have pretty much sealed the Vikings Super Bowl berth. However, he would miss it just a hair to the left of the goal post, keeping the score at 27-20 in favor of the Vikings. The Falcons would then march all the way down the field and score with less than a minute remaining, sending the game to overtime. The Falcons would capitalize in the extra period kicking a field goal in overtime to win the game and go onto the Super Bowl. The good news is Anderson’s career did not end there and he would go on to accomplish much more.

Anderson also had multiple career achievements. Most notably, he was the first NFL kicker to have a perfect season- 35/35 on field goals and 59/59 on PAT’s (1998) which earned him the Gold Toe award given annually to the NFL’s top kicker, according to Cuse.com. Furthermore, he was selected to four Pro Bowls, was the NFL’s all-time leading scorer with 2,434 points (538 field goals, and 820 PAT’s) when he retired in 2004, but now sits third all-time. In addition, he also sits third all-time with 353 career NFL games. He was named to Syracuse’s All-Century team in 1999, and the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time team in 2007.

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Though Syracuse has had many excellent special team players in its history, Gary Anderson’s career speaks for itself. Not only did he stand the test of time by playing until age 45 and appearing in 353 career NFL games, but he was also consistently good his entire career as well. Though he is not yet a Pro Football Hall of Famer, he should be soon. His ability to kick the ball ranks among the best all-time, and for that he more than deserves his place among Syracuse University’s best football players of all-time.

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