History

Main article: History of the New Orleans Saints

Early history

The brainchild of local sports entrepreneur Dave Dixon, who also founded the Louisiana Superdome and the USFL, the Saints were actually secretly born in a backroom deal brought about by Congressman Hale Boggs, Senator Russell Long and NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle. The NFL needed congressional approval of the proposed AFL-NFL merger. Dixon and a local civic group had been seeking a NFL franchise for over 5 years, and had hosted record crowds to NFL exhibition games. To seal the merger, Rozelle arrived in New Orleans within a week, and announced on November 1, 1966 that the NFL officially had awarded the city of New Orleans an NFL franchise. Named for the great jazz song most identified with New Orleans “When the Saints Go Marching In,” the franchise was announced in a great coincidence on November 1st, which is the Catholic All Saints’ Day. Boggs’ Congressional committee in turn quickly approved the NFL merger. John W. Mecom, Jr., a young oilman from Houston, became the team’s first majority stockholder. The team’s colors, black and gold, symbolized both Mecom’s and New Orleans’ strong ties to the oil (“black gold”) industry.[citation needed] Trumpeter Al Hirt was part owner of the team, and his rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In” was made the official fight song.

That first season started with a 94 yard opening kickoff return for a touchdown by John Gilliam, but the Saints lost that game 2713 to the Los Angeles Rams at Tulane Stadium. Their first season record was 311, which set an NFL record for most wins by an expansion team. However, they could not manage to finish as high as second in their division until 1979. That 1979 team and the 1983 team were the only ones to even finish at .500 until 1987.

One of the franchise’s shining moments came on November 8, 1970, when Tom Dempsey kicked an NFL record-breaking 63-yard field goal to defeat the Detroit Lions by a score of 1917 in the final seconds of the game. This record, although equaled 29 years later by Jason Elam of the Denver Broncos, has yet to be broken.

In 1980, the Saints lost their first 14 games, prompting local sportscaster Bernard “Buddy D” Diliberto to advise Saints supporters to wear paper bags over their heads at the team’s home games; many bags rendered the club’s name as the “‘Aints” rather than the “Saints.” The practice of wearing a bag over one’s head then spread rapidly, first to fans of other poorly performing teams within the NFL, and ultimately to those of other American team sports, and has become a firmly established custom throughout the United States.

Mora era

Current Saints owner Tom Benson acquired the franchise in 1985, and hired Jim Finks as general manager and Jim Mora as head coach. That combination provided the Saints with their first-ever winning record and playoff appearance, going 123 in 1987, which had one fewer game than normal due to a players’ strike. Another playoff berth would follow in 1990, and the club’s first division title came in 1991. During Mora’s tenure the Saints made the playoffs four times, with teams marked by strong defenses led by the “Dome Patrol” linebacking corps, but they were never able to win a playoff game. Mora coached the Saints until the middle of the 1996 season, when he stepped down halfway through a 313 season.

Ditka era

After the end of the 1996 season, ironically as Diliberto had suggested before Mora’s resignation, former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka was hired to replace Mora. Although this initially generated a lot of excitement among Saints fans, Ditka’s tenure ended up being a failure. The Saints went 610 in their first two seasons under Ditka (1997 and 1998). During the 1999 NFL Draft, Ditka traded all of his picks for that season, as well as the first-round and third-round picks for the following season, to the Washington Redskins in order to draft University of Texas Heisman Trophy running back Ricky Williams in the first round. Ditka and Williams had a mock wedding picture taken to commemorate the occasion. However, Ditka, most of his coaching staff, and general manager Bill Kuharich were fired at the end of the 1999 season due to the club’s 313 record.

Haslett era

Jim Haslett held the post from 2000 to 2005. In his first year, he took the team to the playoffs but lost to the Minnesota Vikings a week after beating the St. Louis Rams for the team’s first ever playoff win. After winning the 2000 NFL Executive of the Year Award, General Manager Randy Mueller was fired between the 2001 and 2002 seasons without explanation by Benson. The Saints failed to make the playoffs in 2001 and 2002, although in the latter year they had the distinction of beating the eventual Super Bowl XXXVII champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in both of their regular season meetings, only the second team to do so in NFL history.

In 2003, the Saints again missed the playoffs after finishing 88. The 2004 season started poorly for the Saints, as they went 24 through their first six games and 48 through their first twelve games. At that point Haslett’s job appeared to be in jeopardy; however, he managed to win the three straight games leading up to the season finale, leaving the Saints in playoff contention in the final week of the season. In week 17, the Saints defeated division rivals Carolina; however, the Saints needed other results to break their way and when the St. Louis Rams beat the New York Jets the Saints were eliminated despite having beaten the Rams, who finished with the same record. The Rams, Saints, and Vikings all were 88, with the Rams having a 75 conference record, Saints 66, and the Vikings 57. The Rams received the #1 wild-card due to having the best conference record out of the 3, followed by the Vikings due to the 3316 loss handed to the Saints in Week 3. Haslett was fired after the 2005 season, in which the Saints finished 313 and did not play one regular season contest in New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina. On January 17, 2006, the Saints hired Sean Payton as their new head coach.

Effect of Hurricane Katrina

Main article: Effect of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans Saints

Due to the damage Hurricane Katrina caused to the Superdome and the New Orleans area, the Saints’ scheduled 2005 home opener against the New York Giants was moved to Giants Stadium. The remainder of their 2005 home games were split between the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, and LSU’s Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Payton era

2006: Homecoming and postseason

For detailed information on the team’s 2006 season, see 2006 New Orleans Saints season.

On March 23, the Saints announced that the team’s two 2006 preseason games were to be played at Shreveport, Louisiana and Jackson, Mississippi.

After a $185 million renovation of the historic stadium, on April 6 the Saints released their 2006 schedule, with all home games scheduled to be played at the Superdome. On September 19, Saints owner Tom Benson announced that the team had sold out the Louisiana Superdome for the entire season with season tickets alone (70,001 seats), a first in franchise history.[citation needed]

The September 25, 2006 home opener, the first home game in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, was won by the Saints 233 against the Atlanta Falcons, who were undefeated in the 2006 season at that time. The attendance for the game was a sellout crowd of 70,003. Meanwhile, the broadcast of the game was ESPN’s highest-ever rated program to date, with an 11.8 rating, and viewership by 10,850,000 homes. It was the most-watched program for the night, broadcast or cable, and was the second-highest rated cable program of all time at the time. Green Day and U2 performed “Wake Me Up When September Ends” and “The Saints Are Coming” , respectively, before the game. The game received a 2007 ESPY award for “Best Moment in Sports.”

On December 17, 2006, the Saints clinched their third division title and their first NFC South title in franchise history. For the first time in Saints’ history, they clinched their NFC South title on their home field. Sean Payton became the second consecutive Saints coach to win a division title in his first season. After a loss by the Dallas Cowboys to the Philadelphia Eagles on Christmas Day 2006, the Saints clinched a first-round playoff bye for the first time in franchise history.

After the first-round bye, the Saints beat the Philadelphia Eagles 2724 in the Superdome in the 2006 Divisional Playoffs. No team had ever had such a poor record in the prior year (313) and then gone on to a league or conference championship game since the 1999 St. Louis Rams who advanced to win their first Super Bowl after being 412 the season before. Since the Saints’ only previous playoff win was in the wild card round, this was the farthest the Saints had ever advanced at the time. The victory was only the second playoff win in team history.

The season ended on January 21, 2007 when the Saints lost 3914 to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship game.

2007

Main article: 2007 New Orleans Saints season

The Saints announced that for the second year in a row, the Louisiana Superdome had sold out every ticket for the season. Additionally, all luxury boxes had been sold out for the season.[citation needed] Both of these statistics are particularly surprising given that the city-proper has about 300,000 people or 150,000 fewer people than July 2005 population data (though the metro area still accounts for 1.2 million people).[citation needed].

The first game of the season was against the defending Super Bowl XLI champion Indianapolis Colts. The Saints lost this game, 4110, and lost their next three games. In one of these three games, against the Tennessee Titans, the Saints lost running back Deuce McAllister for the season with his second career (second time in three seasons) ACL tear. After winning their first game, against the Seattle Seahawks, two weeks later, the team went on a four-game winning streak to bring their record to an even 44. After reaching 77, the Saints lost their final two games to finish 79.

2009

Main article: 2009 New Orleans Saints season

The 2009 season was the team’s most successful season, which culminated in the franchise’s first league championship win against the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. After becoming 130 with their win over the Atlanta Falcons, it marked the Saints’ best start to a season in its franchise history. The result clinched an NFC playoff berth, a bye in the first round of the playoffs. By winning their first 13 games, the Saints also set the record for the longest undefeated season opening (130) by an NFC team since the AFLFL merger, eclipsing the previous record (120) held by the 1985 Chicago Bears. The team advanced to the 2009 NFC Championship game where they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 3128 in overtime to win their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. Television ratings for Super Bowl 44 were the highest for any TV program, sports or otherwise, in history. Since the win, two media writers have referred to the Saints as “America’s Team”, as their successful bid to win the Super Bowl was seen by many to represent the city’s resurgence after the devastating Hurricane Katrina.

Logos and uniforms

Logo (2000resent)

New Orleans Saints uniform combination

New Orleans Saints alternate uniform: 2002 season

Except for minor modifications, the Saints’ logo and uniforms have basically remained the same since the club debuted in 1967. The team’s logo is a fleur-de-lis (a symbol of the City of New Orleans and of France’s Bourbon monarchy), while its uniform design consists of gold helmets, gold pants, and either black or white jerseys. Minor changes to the uniform stripes and trim have been made throughout the years. The team wore black helmets during the 1969 preseason, but NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle barred the Saints from using the helmets during the regular season, since owner John Mecom, Jr. did not notify the league office of the change.

The Saints predominantly wore white at home when the club played at Tulane Stadium from 1967 through 1974 (except in 1969 and 1970), forcing opponents to wear dark colors in the subtropical climate of New Orleans. When the surface at Tulane Stadium switched from natural grass to AstroTurf in 1971, field temperatures became hotter still. In Archie Manning’s first game, in the 1971 season opener against the Los Angeles Rams, temperatures on the field reached as high as 130 F (54 C). The heavily favored Rams wilted in the stifling heat, and the Saints claimed their first-ever victory over their NFC West rivals, 2420, on Manning’s 1-yard quarterback sneak on the last play of the game.

The Saints switched to white pants in 1975, coinciding with the team’s move from Tulane Stadium to the Superdome. One year later, they started to wear black pants with their white jerseys, a move influenced by coach Hank Stram, who introduced red pants to the Kansas City Chiefs’ uniforms in 1968. In an October 3, 1976 home game against the Houston Oilers, Hank Stram used the Saints’ road uniforms, the white jerseys and black pants. The Saints lost that game 3126. During the 198182 seasons (Bum Phillips’ first two seasons as coach), the team wore white jerseys with black pants at home, but reverted back to the black jerseys and white pants for 1983. They reverted back to wearing gold pants with both their black and white jerseys in 1986 under new coach Jim E. Mora. From 1986 through 1995, the sleeves of the jerseys and sides of the pants featured a logo with a fleur-de-lis inside an outline of the state of Louisiana. The logo replaced the striping pattern that had been on the uniforms since the team’s inception; save for color variations, the striping pattern was similar to that used by the Washington Redskins (until 1979), Green Bay Packers (until 1997), and Cleveland Browns (still in use as of 2007[update]), which is likely why the change was made. That logo was removed in 1996 and replaced with a fleur-de-lis on both the sleeves and sides of the pants.

From 1996 through 1998, the Saints returned to gold numbers on both the white and black jerseys, but complaints about the numbers on the white jerseys being too difficult to read forced the numbers on the white jerseys to be changed to black in 1999. The Saints wore black pants with a wide gold stripe with their white jerseys in 1999, but following a 313 season and the dismissal of coach Mike Ditka, the black pants were mothballed by new coach Jim Haslett.

2000s

In 2000, the Saints won their first playoff game as they hosted the St. Louis Rams and after having a better road record than home record, they wore their white jerseys, helping them get a 3128 win over the defending champion Rams. The defining play of the game came with the Saints clinging to a three-point lead with minutes to play. The Saints punted to the Rams’ Az-Zahir Hakim (who would play one season for the Saints in 2005), who fumbled the punt deep in Rams’ territory. Brian Milne recovered for the Saints, who then ran out the clock to preserve the victory.

In 2001, they wore their white jerseys in the first six home games. During that same year, they primarily wore black pants with both their white and black jerseys. They became the first NFL team to wear all-black uniforms in a week 5 road game against the Carolina Panthers, and again in weeks 16 and 17 in home games against the Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers.

In 2002, the Saints wore black pants with their white jerseys (except for the final road game, a 2013 loss in Cincinnati when they went back to the gold pants), and gold pants with their black jerseys, a gold alternate jersey, and a 1967-style throwback uniform. But one season later, they stopped using the alternates and again reverted back to wearing gold pants with both their black and white jerseys.

The team introduced a gold alternate jersey (worn with the black pants) during a December 15, 2002 game versus the Minnesota Vikings, a 3231 loss, but have never worn them since then. Because of the metallic gold’s bright color, the gold jerseys were considered the “light” jersey in the game, so the Vikings wore their purple home jerseys as the “dark” colored team. One team must wear “dark” and one team must wear “light”, the only exception being if both teams are wearing throwback uniforms, such as Thanksgiving Classic games. Today only the New England Patriots have a “light” jersey (their alternate, a bright metallic silver) that isn’t white in which the other team would wear their colored, or “dark” jerseys against them since the third jersey rule was implemented in the NFL in 2002.

The Saints also introduced a 1967-style throwback uniform in a 2320 win in week 13 (December 1) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This also was never worn again but re-introduction of the jerseys in stores suggests they may make a comeback as the Saints’ alternate uniform.

In 2006, to honor their return to Louisiana, the Saints wore a patch on their uniforms with an outline of the State of Louisiana with a fleur-de-lis superimposed, similar to the logo from the 1980s.

The Saints originally planned to wear white jerseys at home for the 2006 season, but during the season, the players voted to wear the black jerseys at home after the second home game. Since the team had informed the NFL office that they planned to wear white jerseys at home, each of the Saints’ remaining home opponents would have to agree to New Orleans’ request. The Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati Bengals did not agree to the switch, forcing the Saints to wear white jerseys for that game.

Starting in week 13 of the 2006 season, the Saints wore white jerseys with black pants and in a Week 16 game in The Meadowlands against the New York Giants (a 307 Saints win), the Saints wore the black pants with their road white jerseys. The Saints later stuck with that combo in the NFC Championship in Chicago.

The Saints wore white jerseys for their first four home games of 2008. Three of the four games the white jerseys with black pants combination were worn at home, while the white jerseys with gold pants combination were worn for the first of those four games. The Saints chose to wear the all-black combination for the October 26 game at Wembley Stadium in London vs. the San Diego Chargers, in which New Orleans was the designated home team. They also wore black jerseys with black pants for the rest of their home games at the Superdome following the game at London.

The Saints wore their white jerseys at home for the first three home games of 2009. All with the white jerseys and gold pants combination. They have worn the all-black combo the last two home games. For its run through the 2009 playoffs, the team wore the gold pants.

Statistics

Record vs. opponents

(As of the 2009 NFL season. Includes postseason records.)

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties

Team

W

L

T

Percent

Last result

Last date

Last locale

Postseason

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

21

15

0

.583

L 20-17 OT

December 27, 2009

New Orleans, LA

Kansas City Chiefs

5

4

0

.556

W 3020

November 10, 2008

Kansas City, MO

Buffalo Bills

5

4

0

.556

W 277

September 27, 2009

Orchard Park, NY

Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts

6

5

0

.545

W 3117

February 7, 2010

Miami Gardens, FL*

10 postseason

New York Jets

6

5

0

.545

W 2410

October 4, 2009

New Orleans, LA

Detroit Lions

10

9

1

.526

W 4527

September 13, 2009

New Orleans, LA

St. Louis/Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals

13

13

0

.500

W 4514

January 16, 2010

New Orleans, LA

10 postseason

Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders

5

5

1

.500

W 343

October 12, 2008

New Orleans, LA

Seattle Seahawks

5

5

0

.500

W 2817

October 14, 2007

Seattle, WA

Jacksonville Jaguars

2

2

0

.500

W 4124

November 4, 2007

New Orleans, LA

Houston Texans

1

1

0

.500

L 23-10

November 18, 2007

Houston, TX

Pittsburgh Steelers

6

7

0

.462

L 38-31

November 12, 2006

Pittsburgh, PA

Cincinnati Bengals

5

6

0

.455

L 31-16

November 19, 2006

New Orleans, LA

Atlanta Falcons

37

45

0

.451

W 2623

December 13, 2009

Atlanta, GA

01 postseason

Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams

31

38

0

.449

W 2823

November 15, 2009

St. Louis, MO

10 postseason

New York Giants

11

14

0

.440

W 4827

October 18, 2009

New Orleans, LA

Carolina Panthers

13

17

0

.433

L 23-10

January 3, 2010

Charlotte, NC

Chicago Bears

11

15

0

.423

L 27-24 OT

December 11, 2008

Chicago, IL

02 postseason

Philadelphia Eagles

11

16

0

.407

W 4822

September 20, 2009

Philadelphia, PA

11 postseason

Miami Dolphins

4

6

0

.400

W 4634

October 25, 2009

Miami Gardens, FL

Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans

4

7

1

.375

L 31-14

September 24, 2007

New Orleans, LA

Dallas Cowboys

8

15

0

.348

L 24-17

December 19, 2009

New Orleans, LA

Washington Redskins

8

15

0

.348

W 3330 OT

December 6, 2009

Landover, MD

San Francisco 49ers

23

45

2

.343

W 3117

September 28, 2008

New Orleans, LA

Green Bay Packers

7

14

0

.333

W 5129

November 24, 2008

New Orleans, LA

New England Patriots

4

8

0

.333

W 3817

November 30, 2009

New Orleans, LA

San Diego Chargers

3

7

0

.300

W 3732

October 26, 2008

London, England**

Minnesota Vikings

8

20

0

.285

W 3128 OT

January 24, 2010

New Orleans, LA

12 postseason

Cleveland Browns

4

11

0

.267

W 1914

September 10, 2006

Cleveland, OH

Baltimore Ravens

1

3

0

.250

L 35-22

October 29, 2006

New Orleans, LA

Denver Broncos

2

7

0

.222

L 34-32

September 21, 2008

Denver, CO

Total

279

377

5

.425

56 .456

* Super Bowl XLIV. The Saints were designated the visiting team for this game.

** The Saints were designated the home team for this game.

Single-game records

Passing Yards: 510 Drew Brees (November 19, 2006 vs Cincinnati Bengals)

Passing Yards Per Attempt: 16.1 Drew Brees (November 30, 2009 vs New England Patriots)

Passing Touchdowns: 6 Drew Brees (September 13, 2009 vs Detroit Lions) & Billy Kilmer (November 2, 1969 at St. Louis Cardinals)

Passer Rating: 158.3 Drew Brees (November 30, 2009 vs New England Patriots)

Consecutive Pass Completions: 19 Drew Brees (December 27, 2009 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Rushing Yards: 206 George Rogers (September 4, 1983 vs St. Louis Cardinals)

Rushing Touchdowns: 3 Reggie Bush (December 3, 2006 vs San Francisco 49ers)

Receiving Catches: 14 Tony Galbreath (September 10, 1978 at Green Bay Packers)

Receiving Yards: 205 Wes Chandler (September 2, 1979 vs Atlanta Falcons)

Receiving Touchdowns: 4 Joe Horn (December 14, 2003 vs New York Giants)

Punt Return Yards: 176 Reggie Bush (October 6, 2008 vs Minnesota Vikings)

Pass Interceptions, Game: 3 Sammy Knight (September 9, 2001 at Buffalo Bills)

Longest Interception Return for Touchdown: 99 yards Darren Sharper (October 4, 2009 vs New York Jets)

Field Goals, Game: 6 Tom Dempsey (November 16, 1969 at New York Giants)

Total Touchdowns, Game: 4 Joe Horn (December 14, 2003 vs New York Giants) & Reggie Bush (December 3, 2006 vs San Francisco 49ers)

Points Scored: 51 vs Green Bay Packers (November 24, 2008), at Seattle Seahawks (November 21, 1976) & at St Louis Cardinals (November 2, 1969)

Margin Of Victory: 420, November 20, 1988 vs Denver Broncos

Single-season records

Passing Attempts: 652 Drew Brees (2007)

Passing Completions: 440 Drew Brees (2007) NFL Record

Passing Completion Percentage: 70.6 Drew Brees (2009) NFL Record

Passing Yards: 5,069 Drew Brees (2008) only the 2nd QB in NFL history to have 5000+ passing yards in a season

Passing Touchdowns: 34 Drew Brees (2008 & 2009)

Passing Interceptions: 22 Aaron Brooks (2001)

Passing Rating: 109.6 Drew Brees (2009)

Rushing Attempts: 378 George Rogers (1981)

Rushing Yards: 1,674 George Rogers (1981)

Rushing Touchdowns: 13 George Rogers (1981), Dalton Hilliard (1989), and Deuce McAllister (2002)

Receiving Catches: 98 Marques Colston (2007)

Receiving Yards: 1,399 Joe Horn (2004)

Receiving Touchdowns: 11 Joe Horn (2004), Marques Colston (2007)

Quarterback Sacks: 17 Pat Swilling (1991) and La’Roi Glover (2000)

Pass Interceptions: 10 Dave Whitsell (1967)

Pass Interception Return Yards: 376 Darren Sharper (2009) NFL Record

Pass Interceptions Returned for Touchdowns: 3 Darren Sharper (2009)

Field Goals Made: 31 Morten Andersen (1985) and John Carney (2002)

Points: 130 John Carney (2002)

Total Touchdowns: 18 Dalton Hilliard (1989)

Punt Return Yards: 625 Michael Lewis (2002)

Kickoff Return Yards: 1,807 Michael Lewis (2002)

Longest Punt: 81 Tom McNeill (1969)

Points Scored, Season: 510 (2009)

Fewest Points Allowed: 202 (1992)

Offensive Yards Gained: 6,571 (2008)

Fewest Quarterback Sacks Allowed: 13 (2008)

Saints career records

Passing Attempts: 3,335 Archie Manning (197175, 7782), 2,771 Aaron Brooks (200005), 2,355 Drew Brees (200609)

Passing Completions: 1,849 Archie Manning (197175, 7782), 1,572 Drew Brees (200609), 1,565 Aaron Brooks (200005)

Passing Yards: 21,734 Archie Manning (197175, 7782), 19,156 Aaron Brooks (200005), 18,298 Drew Brees (200609)

Passing Touchdowns: 122 Drew Brees (200609), 120 Aaron Brooks (20002005), 115 Archie Manning (197175, 7782)

Passing Interceptions: 156 Archie Manning (19711982), 84 Aaron Brooks (200005)

Rushing Attempts: 1,298 Deuce McAllister (20012008)

Rushing Yards: 6,096 Deuce McAllister (20012008), 4,267 George Rogers (198184), 4,164 Dalton Hilliard (198693)

Rushing Touchdowns: 49 Deuce McAllister (20012008), 39 Dalton Hilliard (198693), 28 Chuck Muncie (197680)

Receiving Catches: 532 Eric Martin (19851993), 523 Joe Horn (200006), 309 Danny Abramowicz (196773)

Receiving Yards: 7,844 Eric Martin (19851993), 7,622 Joe Horn (200006), 4,875 Danny Abramowicz (196773)

Receiving Touchdowns: 50 Joe Horn (20002006), 49 Eric Martin (198593), 37 Danny Abramowicz (196773)

Quarterback Sacks: 123 Rickey Jackson (19811993), 82.5 Wayne Martin (198999), 76.5 Pat Swilling (198692)

Pass Interceptions: 37 Dave Waymer (19801989), 36 Tommy Myers (197281), 28 Sammy Knight (19972002)

Field Goals Made: 302 Morten Andersen (19821994), 140 John Carney (200106), 123 Doug Brien (19952000)

Extra Points Made: 412 Morten Andersen (19821994)

Points: 1,318 Morten Andersen (19821994), 631 John Carney (200106), 514 Doug Brien (19952000)

Total Touchdowns: 55 Deuce McAllister (20012008), 53 Dalton Hilliard (19861993), 50 Joe Horn (200006)

Punt Return Yards: 1,482 Michael Lewis (200106), 1,060 Tyrone Hughes (199396), 887 Jeff Groth (198185)

Kickoff Return Yards: 5,903 Michael Lewis (200106), 5,717 Tyrone Hughes (199396), 2,836 Rich Mauti (197780, 8283)

Games: 196 Morten Andersen (19821994)

Pro Bowl Players

The following Saints players have been named to the Pro bowl:

QB Drew Brees, Archie Manning

LT Jamal Brown, William Roaf

LG Jahri Evans, Brad Edelman, Jake Kupp

RG Jonathan Goodwin

LB Jonathan Vilma, Mark Fields, Keith Mitchell, Sam Mills, Vaughn Johnson, Pat Swilling, Rickey Jackson

SS Darren Sharper, Roman Harper, Tom Meyers

RT Jon Stinchcomb

DE Will Smith, Joe Johnson, Wayne Martin, Renaldo Turnbull, Bruce Clark

C LeCharles Bentley, Joel Hilgenberg

WR Joe Horn, Eric Martin, Wes Chandler

P Mitch Berger, Brain Hansen

RB Deuce McAllister, Brian Hansen, Dalton Hilliard, Rueben Mayes, George Rogers, Chuck Muncie, Andy Livingston

DT La’Roi Glover

CB Tyrone Hughes, Bennie Thompson, Dave Waymer, Dave Whitsell

K Morten Anderson, Tom Dempsey

TE Hoby Brenner, Henry Childs

FB Tony Baker

Super Bowl MVPs

The following Saints players have been named Super Bowl MVP:

Super Bowl XLIV – Drew Brees

Players of note

Main article: List of New Orleans Saints players

Current roster

New Orleans Saints roster

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Quarterbacks

 9 Drew Brees

10 Chase Daniel

Running Backs

25 Reggie Bush

44 Heath Evans FB

30 Lynell Hamilton

— Zak Keasey FB

46 Marcus Mailei FB

Wide Receivers

87 Adrian Arrington

12 Marques Colston

13 Rod Harper

19 Devery Henderson

17 Robert Meachem

81 Matt Simon

Tight Ends

84 Tory Humphrey

82 Tyler Lorenzen

88 Jeremy Shockey

Offensive Linemen

72 Tim Duckworth G

75 Na’Shan Goddard T

76 Jonathan Goodwin C

67 Jamar Nesbit G

77 Carl Nicks G

79 Jermey Parnell T

78 Jon Stinchcomb T

Defensive Linemen

98 Sedrick Ellis DT

94 Charles Grant DE

66 Earl Heyman DT

95 Rodney Leisle DT

93 Bobby McCray DE

90 DeMario Pressley DT

91 Will Smith DE

Linebackers

99 Stanley Arnoux ILB

52 Jonathan Casillas OLB

56 Jo-Lonn Dunbar OLB

54 Troy Evans OLB

58 Scott Shanle OLB

53 Mark Simoneau ILB

51 Jonathan Vilma ILB

59 Anthony Waters OLB

Defensive Backs

20 Randall Gay CB

32 Jabari Greer CB

38 Greg Fassitt CB

27 Malcolm Jenkins CB

35 Reggie Jones CB

22 Tracy Porter CB

29 Glenn Sharpe CB

37 Chip Vaughn FS

Special Teams

 5 Garrett Hartley K

 6 Thomas Morstead P

Reserve Lists

Vacant

Unrestricted FAs

11 Mark Brunell QB

— Dan Campbell TE

71 Kendrick Clancy DT

80 Darnell Dinkins TE

55 Scott Fujita OLB

57 Jason Kyle LS

60 Nick Leckey C

83 Billy Miller TE

31 Pierson Prioleau SS

42 Darren Sharper FS

96 Paul Spicer DE

Restricted FAs

92 Remi Ayodele DT

21 Mike Bell RB

70 Jammal Brown OT

74 Jermon Bushrod OT

97 Jeff Charleston DE

36 Kyle Eckel FB

73 Jahri Evans G

69 Anthony Hargrove DT

41 Roman Harper SS

50 Marvin Mitchell ILB

16 Lance Moore WR

39 Chris Reis SS

15 Courtney Roby WR

64 Zach Strief OT

85 David Thomas TE/FB

23 Pierre Thomas RB

24 Leigh Torrence CB

28 Usama Young FS

Rookies in italics

Roster updated February 23, 2010

Depth Chart Transactions

46 Active, 0 Inactive, 31 FAs

More rosters

Pro Football Hall of Famers

Doug Atkins DE 19671969

Earl Campbell RB 19841985

Jim Finks GM 19861993

Hank Stram Coach 19761977

Jim Taylor FB 1967

Mike Ditka Coach 19971999 (inducted for playing career with Chicago Bears and other teams, 196172)

Tom Fears Coach 19671970 (inducted for playing career, 19481956)

Rickey Jackson LB 19811993

Until the selection of Rickey Jackson in 2010, there had been no players in the Hall of Fame whose time with the Saints contributed to their selection; the others were chosen for their work with previous teams. However, Jim Finks’s tenure as Saints general manager was a significant factor in his selection.

Retired numbers

31 Jim Taylor (officially retired, but is assigned to active players)

81 Doug Atkins (officially retired, but is assigned to active players)

51 Sam Mills (officially retired, but is assigned to active players)

57 Rickey Jackson (officially retired, but is assigned to active players)

New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame

The Saints Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization created by and for fans of the team to protect, preserve, promote and present the history of the franchise. The Saints Hall of Fame is located at 415 Williams Boulevard in the Rivertown section of Kenner. Open from 9 am-5 pm Tuesday through Saturday, the Hall of Fame features exhibits and memorabilia covering the entire history of the Saints from their formation through the current season. Due to building damage received during Hurricane Katrina the Hall of Fame is temporarily located at Gate B in the New Orleans Superdome and can be visited for free at every Saints home game. Fans can view videotapes on Saints history and the Saints Hall of Famers as well participate in interactive exhibits throughout the Hall. The facility, which originally opened on July 16, 1988, was expanded to twice its’ original size in January 2004. Busts and paintings of each of the inductees along with their career highlights are one of the focal points of the museum, which is dedicated to preserving the history of the Saints franchise. New Orleans and Green Bay are the only two NFL franchises with a team Hall of Fame facility.

1988 QB Archie Manning, WR Danny Abramowicz

1989 S Tommy Myers, K Tom Dempsey

1990 QB Billy Kilmer

1991 NT Derland Moore, RB Tony Galbreath

1992 RB George Rogers, G Jake Kupp, C John Hill

1993 LB Joe Federspiel

1994 GM Jim Finks, TE Henry Childs

1995 DE Bob Pollard, DE Doug Atkins

1996 CB Dave Whitsell, DB Dave Waymer

1997 LB Rickey Jackson, T Stan Brock

1998 RB Dalton Hilliard, LB Sam Mills

1999 QB Bobby Hebert, WR Eric Martin

2000 LB Vaughan Johnson, LB Pat Swilling

2001 TE Hoby Brenner, DE Jim Wilks

2002 Coach Jim Mora, DE Frank Warren

2003 DE Wayne Martin, G/T Jim Dombrowski

2004 RB Rueben Mayes, Assistant Coach Steve Sidwell

20052006 C Joel Hilgenberg (2005 induction ceremonies postponed to October 27, 2006, due to Hurricane Katrina)

2007 DE Joe Johnson

2008 OT Willie Roaf

2009 K Morten Andersen

Joe Gemelli “Fleur-De-Lis” Award

Awarded yearly to a person who has contributed to the betterment of the New Orleans Saints organization.

1989: Al Hirt

1990: Joe Gemelli

1991: Dave Dixon

1992: Charlie Kertz

1993: Wayne Mack

1994: Erby Aucoin

1995: Aaron Broussard

1996: Marie Knutson

1997: Angela Hill

1998: Joe Impastato

1999: Frank Wilson

2000: Bob Remy

2001: Peter “Champ” Clark

2002: Dean Kleinschmidt

2003: Jim Fast

2004: Bob Roesler

200506: Bernard “Buddy” Diliberto (2005 induction ceremonies postponed to October 27, 2006 due to Hurricane Katrina)*

2007: New Orleans Saints fans

2008: Barra Birrcher

2009: Jerry Romig

New Orleans Saints head coaches

Main article: List of New Orleans Saints head coaches

Current staff

New Orleans Saints staff

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Front Office

Owner Tom Benson

Owner/Executive Vice President Rita Benson LeBlanc

Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis

Director of Football Administration Khai Harley

Director of Pro Scouting Ryan Pace

Director of College Scouting Rick Reiprish

Assistant Director of College Scouting Brian Adams

Head Coaches

Head Coach Sean Payton

Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers Joe Vitt

Offensive Coaches

Offensive Coordinator Pete Carmichael, Jr.

Quarterbacks Joe Lombardi

Running Backs Bret Ingalls

Wide Receivers Curtis Johnson

Tight Ends Terry Malone

Offensive Line/Running Game Aaron Kromer

Offensive Assistant/Assistant Player Programs Carter Sheridan

 

Defensive Coaches

Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams

Defensive Line Bill Johnson

Assistant Defensive Line Travis Jones

Secondary Dennis Allen

Assistant Secondary Tony Oden

Defensive Assistant/Linebackers Adam Zimmer

Special Teams Coaches

Special Teams Coordinator Greg McMahon

Assistant Special Teams Mike Mallory

Strength and Conditioning

Head Strength and Conditioning Dan Dalrymple

Assistant Strength and Conditioning Adam Bailey

Strength and Conditioning Assitant Charles Byrd

Coaching Assistants

Mike Cerullo, Blake Williams

Coaching Staff

Management

More NFL staffs

Radio and television

The Saints’ flagship station is WWL 870AM (FM Simulcast on WWL 105.3FM), one of the oldest radio stations in the city of New Orleans and one of the nation’s most powerful as a clear-channel station with 50,000 watts of power. Jim Henderson and Hokie Gajan form the broadcast team. Most preseason games are televised on Cox Sports Television and WVUE (Channel 8), a station which has been owned by a consortium led by Saints owner Tom Benson since mid-2008. Tim Brando and Solomon Wilcots call the preseason action.

References

^ “Louisiana Superdome history site”, Superdome.com, http://www.superdome.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=38, retrieved April 21, 2009 

^ Sandomir, Richard (2010-01-26). “Sandomir, Richard. “Congress’s Team: Deal for Merger Included Saints,” ”The New York Times”, Wednesday, January 27, 2010″. Nytimes.com. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/sports/football/27sandomir.html?ref=sports. Retrieved 2010-02-07. 

^ “saintsdoggle: UPDATE: Saints sell out suites for 2007 season; Season ticket wait list 25,000 deep; San Antonio finally giving up?”. Saintsdoggle.blogspot.com. 2007-03-15. http://saintsdoggle.blogspot.com/2007/03/t-p-saints-sell-out-suites-for-2007.html. Retrieved 2010-02-07. 

^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/nfl/super-bowl/02/08/ratings.ap/index.html?eref=sihp

^

^

^ “Pro Football Hall of Fame page for Mike Ditka”. Profootballhof.com. 1939-10-18. http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=57. Retrieved 2010-02-07. 

^ a b c d “Saints Hall of Fame Info”. New Orleans Saints. http://www.neworleanssaints.com/Team/Saints Hall Of Fame/Saints Hall of Fame Info.aspx. Retrieved 2010-02-07. 

^ a b Brian Allee-Walsh, “Ex-Saints coach Jim Mora says Morten Andersen a shoo-in for Canton, Ohio”, Times-Picayune, November 6, 2009.

^ “Saints Radio Network Stations”. New Orleans Saints. http://www.neworleanssaints.com/News/Saints Radio.aspx. Retrieved February 25, 2009. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints Official Website

Achievements

Preceded by

Pittsburgh Steelers

2008

Super Bowl Champions

New Orleans Saints

2009

Succeeded by

current

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New Orleans Saints

Founded in 1967 Based in New Orleans, Louisiana

The Franchise

Franchise Seasons History Players Coaches Expansion draft First-round draft picks Starting Quarterbacks

Stadiums

Tulane Stadium Alamodome Giants Stadium Tiger Stadium Louisiana Superdome

Culture

Gumbo Sir Saint Who Dat? Hurricane Katrina Buddy D “When the Saints Go Marching In”

Lore

Archie Manning 63-yard Field Goal Dome Patrol River City Relay

Owners

Tom Benson Rita Benson LeBlanc

Head Coaches

Fears Roberts North Hefferle Stram D. Nolan Stanfel B. Phillips W. Phillips J.E. Mora Venturi Ditka Haslett Payton

Division Championships (4)

1991 2000 2006 2009

Super Bowl Appearances (1)

XLIV

League Championships (1)

2009

Seasons

1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Current League Affiliations

League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: South Division

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New Orleans Saints Super Bowl XLIV Champions

5 Garrett Hartley | 6 Thomas Morstead | 9 Drew Brees (MVP) | 10 Chase Daniel | 11 Mark Brunell | 12 Marques Colston | 13 Rod Harper | 15 Courtney Roby | 16 Lance Moore | 17 Robert Meachem | 19 Devery Henderson | 20 Randall Gay | 21 Mike Bell | 22 Tracy Porter | 23 Pierre Thomas | 24 Leigh Torrence | 25 Reggie Bush | 27 Malcolm Jenkins | 28 Usama Young | 29 Glenn Sharpe | 30 Lynell Hamilton | 31 Pierson Prioleau | 32 Jabari Greer | 35 Reggie Jones | 36 Kyle Eckel | 37 Chip Vaughn | 38 Greg Fassitt | 39 Chris Reis | 41 Roman Harper | 42 Darren Sharper | 44 Heath Evans | 46 Marcus Mailei | 50 Marvin Mitchell | 51 Jonathan Vilma | 52 Jonathan Casillas | 53 Mark Simoneau | 54 Troy Evans | 55 Scott Fujita | 56 Jo-Lonn Dunbar | 57 Jason Kyle | 58 Scott Shanle | 59 Anthony Waters | 60 Nick Leckey | 63 Marlon Favorite | 64 Zach Strief | 66 Earl Heyman | 67 Jamar Nesbit | 69 Anthony Hargrove | 70 Jammal Brown | 71 Kendrick Clancy | 72 Tim Duckworth | 73 Jahri Evans | 74 Jermon Bushrod | 75 Na’Shan Goddard | 76 Jonathan Goodwin | 77 Carl Nicks | 78 Jon Stinchcomb | 79 Jermey Parnell | 80 Darnell Dinkins | 82 Tyler Lorenzen | 83 Billy Miller | 84 Tory Humphrey | 85 David Thomas | 87 Adrian Arrington | 88 Jeremy Shockey | 89 Dan Campbell | 90 DeMario Pressley | 91 Will Smith | 92 Remi Ayodele | 93 Bobby McCray | 94 Charles Grant | 95 Rodney Leisle | 96 Paul Spicer | 97 Jeff Charleston | 98 Sedrick Ellis | 99 Stanley Arnoux |

Head Coach: Sean Payton

Coaches: Dennis Allen | Adam Bailey | Charles Byrd | Pete Carmichael, Jr. | John Carney | Mike Cerrullo | Dan Dalrymple | Bret Ingalls | Bill Johnson | Curtis Johnson | Travis Jones | Aaron Kromer | Joe Lombardi | Terry Malone | Mike Mallory | Terry McMahon | Tony Oden | Carter Sheridan | Joe Vitt | Blake Williams | Gregg Williams | Adam Zimmer

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National Football League (2010)

AFC

West

North

South

East

Denver Broncos

Baltimore Ravens

Houston Texans

Buffalo Bills

Kansas City Chiefs

Cincinnati Bengals

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

Oakland Raiders

Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

San Diego Chargers

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

New York Jets

NFC

West

North

South

East

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Atlanta Falcons

Dallas Cowboys

St. Louis Rams

Detroit Lions

Carolina Panthers

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Green Bay Packers

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Minnesota Vikings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Redskins

Seasons (by team)  Playoffs  AFC Championship  NFC Championship  Super Bowl (Champions)  All-Pro  Pro Bowl

League Championship History: AFL Championship (19601969)  NFL Championship (19201969)  One-game playoff  Playoff Bowl

Defunct franchises  Owners  Officials  Stadiums (chronology)  Records (individual, team, Super Bowl)  Hall of Fame  Lore  Nicknames  AFL  Merger  History in Los Angeles, Toronto (Bills Series)  International Series  Europa (World Bowl)  TV  Radio  Management Council  NFLPA  Player conduct  Draft  Training camp  Preseason (Hall of Fame Game, American Bowl)  Kickoff  Monday Night Football  Thanksgiving Classic  Christmas games  Playoff droughts

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Sports teams based in Louisiana

Baseball

PCL: New Orleans Zephyrs AA: Shreveport-Bossier Captains

Basketball

NBA: New Orleans Hornets

Football

NFL: New Orleans Saints AFL: Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings SIFL: Lafayette Wildcatters   Louisiana Swashbucklers IWFL: Louisiana Fuel   Shreveport Aftershock – WFA: Acadiana Zydeco   New Orleans Blaze

Hockey

CHL: Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs – SPHL: Louisiana IceGators

Soccer

PDL: Baton Rouge Capitals   New Orleans Jesters

Roller Derby

WFTDA: Big Easy Rollergirls

College athletics

(NCAA Division I)

Centenary   Grambling   Louisiana-Lafayette   Louisiana-Monroe   Louisiana Tech   LSU   McNeese State   New Orleans   Nicholls State   Northwestern State   Southeastern Louisiana   Southern   Tulane

Categories: New Orleans Saints | National Football League teams | Sports clubs established in 1967 | Sports in New Orleans, LouisianaHidden categories: Wikipedia semi-protected pages | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from January 2010 | Articles with unsourced statements from April 2008 | Articles with unsourced statements from August 2007 | Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2007 | All articles containing potentially dated statements