Jason Hanson Jason Hanson ( born June 17 , 1970 ) is a retired football placekicker who spent his entire 21 - year career playing for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Lions in the second round ( 56th overall ) of the 1992 NFL Draft out of Washington State University . 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 goal s 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 . 98 grade point average . Professional career . Hanson was selected in the second round of the 1992 NFL Draft by the Lions , the 56th overall pick . He retired from the Lions in 2013 ; no NFL player 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 . At the beginning of the 2012 season , he 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 . 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 had 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 . On April 4 , 2013 , Hanson announced his retirement . At the time of his retirement , he was the oldest active player in the NFL , 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 . Hanson was named the 2002 recipient of the Detroit Lions / Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association / Pro Football Writers Association ' s Media - Friendly " Good Guy " Award . The Good Guy Award is given yearly to the Detroit Lions player who shows consideration to , and cooperation with the media at all times during the course of the season . The Detroit Lions inducted him into the Ring of Honor in Fall 2013 at Ford Field for his success and dedication to Detroit Lions football . 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 .