The Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee announced Saturday, Feb. 4 that kicker Morten Andersen will be enshrined as part of the Hall of Fame's Class of 2017. Andersen and the rest of the class will be enshrined at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Field in Canton, Ohio on Saturday, August 5.

Andersen, 6 feet 2, 218 pounds, was originally selected by New Orleans as a fourth-round draft pick out of Michigan State in 1982. He played for the Saints from 1982-94 and for four other teams for the remainder of his 25-year career through the 2007 campaign. Anderson 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. Andersen's 40 field goals of 50-plus yards were the most in NFL history at the time of his retirement.

Andersen, a native of Denmark, was elected to seven Pro Bowls during his 25-year NFL career, six as a Saint. Only quarterback Drew Brees (nine) and tackle William Roaf (seven) have been selected to the Pro Bowl more often as Saints. He received *Associated Press *first-team All-Pro recognition five times, four as a Saint, including twice with New Orleans in 1986 and 1987 as a first-team selection. In recognition of him being one of the top kickers, he was a first-team member of both the 1980s and 1990s All-Decade Teams, as selected by members of the Hall of Fame selection committee.

"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."

As a Saint from 1982-94, Anderson is still the club's all-time record holder in scoring with 1,318 points and also holds franchise records with 302 field goals, 412 PATs and 196 games played. He made 77.6 percent of his field goal attempts (302-of-389) and scored at least 100 points nine times with New Orleans. He was inducted into the club's Ring of Honor in 2015.