Jason Hanson

Jason Douglas Hanson (born June 17, 1970) is a professional football player, a placekicker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League, where he has spent his entire 21-year career. He was selected by the Lions in the second round (56th overall) of the 1992 NFL Draft, and has been a captain for the team every year since 2007. Hanson holds the NFL record for the most games played with one team, as well as multiple kicking and scoring records.

High school career
Born in Spokane, Washington, Hanson graduated from Mead High School in 1988, where he lettered in football, basketball, soccer. As a senior, Hanson won All-Greater Spokane League honors as both a kicker and punter and was named a first team All-State honoree by the Washington Sportswriters Association. In the classroom at Mead, he maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

College career
Hanson attended Washington State University in Pullman, where he walked-on as a freshman in 1988 and made an immediate impact; he was named to The Sporting News Freshman All-America team. Hanson set or tied many NCAA records, and his percentage of 57.1 for field goals from 50 yards or greater remains a Pacific-12 Conference record. He holds the record for most field goals from 50 yards or more (20), and 40 yards or more (39). Hanson's school records include most points scored (328), longest field goal (62 yards), most games with two or more field goals (20), field goals (63), and PATs (139). He was also the punter at WSU during his final two seasons, and was a teammate of quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who arrived in 1990. Hanson earned a bachelor of science degree from WSU in pre-med studies, with 3.8 grade point average.

Pro career
Hanson was selected in the second round of the 1992 NFL Draft by the Lions, the 56th overall pick. He still plays for the Lions and no NFL player has played as many games with the same team as Hanson, breaking the old record of 296 held by Bruce Matthews in Week 2 of the 2011 season vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. With the beginning of the 2012 season, he also set the record for most years with the same club, 21, a mark he had shared with Darrell Green of the Washington Redskins and Jackie Slater of the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams.

With the trade of Brett Favre and the retirement of Michael Strahan, Hanson is the last player to have played for the same team he played for prior to the advent of free agency and the salary cap in the NFL.

In addition to being the all-time longest-tenured Lion, Hanson is the only player who was with the team for the playoff runs in the 1990s and the infamous winless campaign in 2008.

On December 14, 2008, against the Indianapolis Colts, Hanson passed Morten Andersen for most 50+ yard field goals in NFL history. Hanson again had a good year, ending the 2008 NFL season 21-for-22 on field goal attempts (including 8 for 8 from 50+ yards) and 25-for-26 on extra point attempts. Statistically, this was the second best season of Hanson's career with respect to field goal attempts; he missed only one. After the late 2010 NFL season, Hanson has missed only eight extra points in his career, five of which were blocked.

On December 2, 2010, the Lions placed him on injured reserve due to an injured right knee.

Hanson was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September 2011 after kicking a perfect 8 of 8 field goals. It was his fifth-career Special Teams Player of the Month award and his first since November 2003.

Hanson is the team's all-time leader in scoring, with 2,100 points (as of November 18, 2012), and in field goals with 483 (as of the same date), and holds a variety of other team records for kicking and scoring. He represented the NFC in the Pro Bowl in 1998 and 1999, and was an alternate in 1997 and 2008. He has booted 17 game-winning field goals in his career; eight in regulation and nine in overtime.

All-Time NFL scoring list
As of November 18, 2012, Hanson ranks as the third leading scorer all-time, with 2,100 points. Hanson moved into third place (passing John Carney) on October 14, 2012 with 14 points against the Philadelphia Eagles.

NFL records

 * Most field goals of 50 or more yards (total) - 51.
 * Became the second player in league history (after Jason Elam) to score 200+ points against 3 different teams (division rivals Packers, Bears, and Vikings).
 * Most career games with one NFL team (325 as of December 16, 2012).
 * Most career seasons with one NFL team (21).
 * On December 18, 2011, became the first player in NFL history to score 2,000 points with one franchise.
 * Most career game winning field goals in overtime - 9 - tied with Jason Elam

Personal life
Hanson and his wife, Kathleen, were married in 1992 and have three children. His younger brother Travis was a kicker for the rival University of Washington Huskies, and was a member of the 1991 national championship team.