The NFL is dominated by American footballers, but Denmark’s Andersen is one of the game’s greats.
The Great Dane, 55 today, is the NFL’s record points scorer with 2,544, the placekicker enjoying stellar stints with the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons.
He spent a year of high school in the US in 1977 and was so impressive he earned a scholarship to Michigan State University, earning a contract with the Saints in 1982.
He kicked the gamewinning field goal in overtime in 1998’s NFC Championship Game to beat the Minnesota Vikings and send the Falcons to their first-ever Super Bowl.
He passed Gary Anderson on December 16, 2006, to become the leading scorer in NFL history. He retired in December 2008, falling two days short of becoming the NFL’s oldest player having failed to secure a contract with Atlanta.
1958: Darryl Sutter, Canadian former ice hockey player and coach. Won two Stanley Cups with the LA Kings (57).
1960: Ronald Darling, American former baseball pitcher who won the World Series with the New York Mets in 1986 (55).
1973: Marco Materazzi, Italian former footballer. Won 2006 World Cup. Played for Internazionale and Everton (42).
1987: Nico Hulkenburg, German F1 driver, races for Sahara Force India. Won 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours with Porsche (28).
