Who Made the Longest Field Goal in NFL History?
You may be surprised to learn that the longest field goal in NFL history was actually made by a woman! Read on to find out who made this impressive feat and how they did it.
Morten Andersen
Morten Andersen (born August 2, 1960) is a former American football kicker who played 25 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He is the league’s all-time leading scorer with 2,544 points. Andersen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and moved to the United States as a young child. He played college football at the University of Michigan and was drafted in the fourth round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints.
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark on August 19, 1960
Morten Andersen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark on August 19, 1960. He moved to the United States with his family at the age of 7 and began playing football in high school. After a successful college career, he was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 1982 and went on to play for them for 13 seasons. In 1995, he set the NFL record for most field goals made in a career. He also played for the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, and Kansas City Chiefs before retiring in 2008.
Played for the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs, and Minnesota Vikings
Morten Andersen (born August 19, 1960), nicknamed “The Great Dane,” is a former American football kicker who played 25 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He is the leading scorer in NFL history with 2,544 points scored. He holds the NFL record for field goals made in a career with 565. In 2017, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Andersen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and raised in the town of Benløse. He first played football with his neighborhood friends, and did not play organized football until he was 14 years old. Andersen’s family moved to the United States when he was 16 to allow him to attend high school there. Andersen played college football for Michigan State University from 1978 to 1981. He left MSU as its all-time leading scorer with 133 points.
Andersen was selected in the fourth round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. He played for the Saints from 1982 to 1994, during which time he set numerous franchise records including most points scored (1,318), most field goals made (302), and most games played (188). In 1986, he kicked a then-NFL record 63 yard field goal.
Andersen was traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 1995, where he spent six seasons before returning to the Saints in 2001. He spent two more seasons with the Saints before joining the New York Giants in 2003. After one season with the Giants, he was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he played for two seasons Before retiring following the 2008 season, Andersen briefly rejoined the Saints for his final game on December 28, 2008 against his former team,Atlanta Falcons.
In his 25 NFL seasons, Andersen missed only 25 of 709 attempted field goals (96.4%),and is currently ranked second behind only Gary Anderson (98%) in career field goal accuracy. In addition to setting numerous all-time scoring records during his career, Anderson holds several kicking-related NFL records including most games played by a kicker (382), most Super Bowl appearances by a player at any position (9), and oldest player to score 100 points or more in a season (42 years old in 2007).
Longest field goal: 63 yards
The longest field goal in NFL history is 63 yards, set by Morten Andersen in 1998. Andersen played for 25 seasons in the NFL, from 1982 to 2007, and is the league’s all-time leading scorer. He set the record for longest field goal while playing for the Atlanta Falcons, and also held the records for most field goals made (558) and most points scored (2,544) until they were both broken by Adam Vinatieri in 2018.
Jason Elam
Jason Elam (born March 8, 1970) is a former American football placekicker who played 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Hawaii and was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 1993.
Born in Fort Walton Beach, Florida on March 8, 1970
Jason Elam was born in Fort Walton Beach, Florida on March 8, 1970. He went to Brookwood High School in Snellville, Georgia, and then played college football for the University of Hawaii. In his NFL career, Elam played for the Denver Broncos (1993-2007) and the Atlanta Falcons (2008-2009). He holds the record for the longest field goal in NFL history, having made a 63-yarder against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1998.
Played for the Denver Broncos
Jason Elam (born March 8, 1970) is a former American football placekicker. He played college football at the University of Hawaii, and was signed by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 1993.
Longest field goal: 63 yards
In 1998, Jason Elam of the Denver Broncos kicked a 63-yard field goal against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which currently stands as the longest field goal in NFL history.
Elam’s field goal was made possible by the Broncos’ then-head coach Mike Shanahan, who had installed a new soil and drainage system at Mile High Stadium that allowed for a harder, faster playing surface. The Broncos’ training staff also worked diligently to keep the grass in top condition.
The record-setting kick came on the final play of the first half, with the Broncos leading 14-10. The 63-yarder is also the longest field goal in Broncos history.
Elam went on to play 17 seasons in the NFL, finishing his career with 1,786 points – good for 13th on the league’s all-time scoring list. He was inducted into the Bronco’s Ring of Fame in 2006 and his No. 1 jersey was retired by the team in 2008.
Sebastian Janikowski
In the National Football League, the record for the longest field goal is held by Sebastian Janikowski, who made a 63-yard field goal as a member of the Oakland Raiders in 2011. Janikowski’s field goal was one yard longer than the previous record, which had been set by Jason Elam in 1998.
Born in Poland on March 2, 1978
Sebastian Janikowski, nicknamed “Seabass”, is a Polish-American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire career with the Oakland Raiders, from 2000 to 2018.
Janikowski was born in Poland but moved with his family to the United States at age 7. He played college football for Florida State University, where he set several records and won the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s top collegiate placekicker. The Oakland Raiders selected Janikowski in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft, making him only the second kicker ever to be drafted in the first round of an NFL draft.
He made long field goals a regular occurrence during his time with Oakland and became known for having one of the strongest legs in NFL history. He set numerous longest field goal records throughout his career, including making a 63-yard field goal in 2011 that tied Jason Elam’s record for the longest field goal in NFL history. He also holds the distinction of being the only player in NFL history to have kicked two field goals of 63 or more yards.
Janikowski retired from professional football in 2019 after 19 seasons in the NFL.
Played for the Oakland Raiders
Sebastian Janikowski (born March 2, 1978), nicknamed “Seabass”, is a Polish-American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire career with the Oakland Raiders, after being drafted by them in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He also holds numerous kicking records, including: most seasons played for one team (18), most games played for one team (268), oldest player to score a touchdown in the NFL (41 years, 59 days), and oldest player to make an extra point in the NFL (41 years, 57 days).
Longest field goal: 63 yards
In 2011, Sebastian Janikowski set the record for longest field goal in NFL history when he kicked a 63-yarder for the Oakland Raiders. The previous record was 62 yards, set by Jason Elam in 1998 and matched by David Akers in 2012. Janikowski’s kick came in the fourth quarter of a game against the Denver Broncos and helped the Raiders win, 38-24.