Donnie Anderson
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| Donnie Anderson | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | May 16, 1943 |
| Place of birth | Borger, TX |
| Position(s) | Running Back |
| College | Texas Tech |
| Pro Bowls | 1 |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1966-1971 1972-1974 |
Green Bay Packers St. Louis Cardinals |
Donnie Anderson was a running back in the NFL. In most of his career, he played for the Green Bay Packers.
Anderson originated the concept of hang time in punting. Until Anderson, punters typically strived for maximum distance, with the NFL's leaders usually averaging 45 or more yards a punt. Punt returns varied, with an average of perhaps 5 yards per return. In 1967, Anderson worked instead at punting the ball higher, shortening the distance traveled but increasing the ball's time in the air, allowing better coverage by his team on the punt return. Green Bay punted 66 times that year, 63 of them by Anderson; opponents were able to return only 13 of them, for a total of 22 yards or about 1/3 yard per punt. It was Anderson's coach, Vince Lombardi, who explained the concept to sportswriters who questioned why Lombardi didn't try to find a better punter than Anderson, who averaged only 36.6 yards per punt that year. Lombardi pointed out the lack of return yardage. Other punters soon followed Anderson, working for greater hang time. Eventually the NFL changed its rules governing punt coverage, to restore the ability to return punts.
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