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Garry Don "Donny" Anderson (born May 16, 1943, in Borger, Hutchinson County, Texas Panhandle) is a former professional football player who played nine years in the NFL. A halfback and punter from Texas Tech, Anderson was the first round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers in the 1965 NFL Draft, the seventh overall selection in the draft that included future hall-of-famers Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers.
Anderson began his career a year later in 1966, playing six seasons as #44 for the Packers.
In 1972 he moved to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he played his final three seasons.
While with the 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.
Anderson graduated in 1961 from Stinnett High School, located in Stinnett, the seat of Hutchinson County.
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