Who Was The Oldest Player To Play In The Nfl?

Who was the oldest player to play in the NFL? This record is held by George Blanda, who played for the Oakland Raiders until he was 48 years old.

George Blanda

George Blanda was born on September 17, 1927, in Youngwood, Pennsylvania. He was the oldest of four children. His father, Paul, was a coal miner and his mother, Irene, was a homemaker. Growing up, Blanda played football and basketball in high school. He graduated from Youngwood High School in 1945.

Blanda then served in the U.S. Coast Guard for two years before enrolling at the University of Kentucky. He played quarterback for the Kentucky Wildcats from 1949 to 1950. Blanda was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 12th round of the 1949 NFL Draft. He played for the Bears from 1950 to 1958.

Blanda retired from playing football in 1975. He died on September 27, 2010, at the age of 83.

Vinny Testaverde

Vincent Frank Testaverde Sr. (born November 13, 1963), nicknamed “Vinny”, is a former American football quarterback who played for 21 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Miami, where he was an All-American before being selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers first overall in the 1987 NFL Draft. Testaverde was traded to the Cleveland Browns after one season with Tampa Bay, and later played for the New York Jets (1998–2003), Dallas Cowboys (2004), Carolina Panthers (2007), New England Patriots (2006), and Baltimore Ravens (2007–2008).

At age 44, he became the oldest quarterback to start an NFL game.

Morten Andersen

Morten Andersen (born August 19, 1960) is a former American football kicker who played 25 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), longer than any other player at his position. Selected out of Michigan State University in the fourth round of the 1982 NFL Draft, Andersen played professionally for the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs, and Minnesota Vikings. He is nicknamed “The Great Dane”.

Andersen ranks first in NFL history in both career field goals made and attempted, holds the league’s records for most seasons with 30 or more field goals made and most games with two or more successful field goal attempts, and is tied with Jason Elam for most 60-yard field goals made in a career. He is also tied with Steve Christie for the second most seasons appearing in 20 or more games. Andersen was selected to eight Pro Bowls during his career. He retired after the 2007 season having converted 565 of 709 field goal attempts (79.7%), along with 1,318 of 1,344 extra points for 2,544 total points scored – ranking him first all-time among NFL kicking leaders in both categories when he retired.

Gary Anderson

Gary Anderson (born February 19, 1941) is a former American football player. He played as a linebacker for the Washington Redskins from 1963 to 1965. In 1966, he was traded to the New York Giants, where he played for two seasons. He ended his career with the Los Angeles Rams in 1968.

Anderson was born in Chester, Pennsylvania and attended Chester High School. He then played college football at Iowa State University. He was drafted by the Redskins in the eighth round of the 1963 NFL Draft.

Anderson played three seasons for the Redskins, appearing in 27 games. He had his best season in 1964, when he started 11 games and had one interception. He was traded to the Giants before the 1966 season. In two seasons with the Giants, Anderson appeared in 26 games and had one interception. He finished his career with the Rams, appearing in 14 games in 1968.

Anderson died on December 28, 2018 at the age of 77.

Adam Vinatieri

Adam Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972) is an American football placekicker who is currently a free agent. He has played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons, beginning his career with the New England Patriots in 1996. With the Patriots, he won four Super Bowls over a span of six seasons: XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, and XLIX. After 10 seasons in New England, he became a member of the Indianapolis Colts in 2006. In his 14 seasons with the Colts, Vinatieri won two more Super Bowls: XLI and LII. He also holds NFL records for most playoff points scored (234), most field goals made in a career (57), most consecutive starts by a kicker (352), and most overtime field goals made (12). More important than any statistical record or accomplishment is that Adam Vinatieri is widely considered to be one of the best clutch performers in NFL history.

Vinatieri has earned many prestigious accolades throughout his career. He was named to three Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro selection four times. He was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Year three times and was selected as the Special Teams Player of the decade by Sports Illustrated in 2009. In 2006, he was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame and in 2019, he was inducted into both the Colts Ring of Honor and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.