98 Fun Facts About New Orleans Saints

Who was the Saints' first head coach?

Tom Fears, a Hall of Fame receiver before he coached, led the Saints from their 1967 debut until he was fired midway through the 1970 season.

Which division did the Saints join in the NFL's 2002 realignment?

The Saints joined the new NFC South in 2002 after three decades in the NFC West, where the 1970 merger had placed them.

How did the Saints' first regular-season game begin in 1967?

A kickoff-return touchdown: rookie John Gilliam ran the opening kickoff back 94 yards in front of 80,000 fans, yet the Saints still lost their debut 27-13.

Which Saints kicker, born without toes on his kicking foot, hit a record 63-yard field goal in 1970?

Tom Dempsey, kicking in a flat-fronted custom shoe, beat Detroit 19-17 on the final play, and his record stood for 43 years.

Where did the Saints play home games before the Superdome opened?

Tulane Stadium was the Saints' home from 1967 through 1974; it even hosted Super Bowl IX in January 1975 because construction delays kept the Superdome from opening in time.

What did the Saints first achieve in 1987?

A winning record took 20 years: the Saints had never finished better than 8-8 before the 1987 team went 12-3 under Jim Mora.

What did sportscaster Buddy Diliberto suggest fans wear during the 0-14 start of 1980?

Paper bags over their heads became the 'Aints' uniform after Diliberto's on-air suggestion during the 1980 team's 0-14 start; that club finished 1-15.

Which quarterback did the Saints draft second overall in 1971?

Archie Manning, the No. 2 pick out of Ole Miss, was the Saints' starter through the 1970s and made the Pro Bowl in 1978 and 1979 without ever enjoying a winning season in New Orleans.

Which owner bought the Saints in 1985 and hired Jim Mora?

Tom Benson, a New Orleans car dealer, bought the Saints in 1985, and by the 1987 season the management team he hired had taken the club to its first playoff berth.

What was the nickname of the Saints' star linebacking corps of the Mora era?

The Dome Patrol, the Saints' linebacker quartet from 1986 to 1992, carried the team to four playoff trips in six seasons, and all four starters made the Pro Bowl after the 1992 season.

Which Heisman-winning running back did the Saints draft second overall in 2006?

Reggie Bush, the USC star taken right after Houston chose Mario Williams, gave up his Heisman in 2010 amid NCAA sanctions; the trophy was returned to him in 2024.

What did Mike Ditka give up to select Ricky Williams fifth overall in 1999?

His whole draft, plus two picks: Washington received every remaining 1999 selection and first- and third-rounders in 2000, and after a 3-13 season Ditka was fired.

In which season did the Saints finally win their first playoff game?

The 2000 Saints, in Jim Haslett's first season as coach, beat the defending Super Bowl champions 31-28 in the wild-card round for the franchise's first playoff win.

After Hurricane Katrina, to which Texas city did the Saints move their offices and practices for the 2005 season?

San Antonio housed the displaced Saints' offices and practice fields all season, while their 'home' games were scattered across three stadiums in three states.

Whom did the Saints beat 23-3 in the emotional 2006 return to the Superdome?

The Atlanta Falcons fell 23-3 on Monday Night Football, September 25, 2006, after U2 and Green Day played the pregame show in the reopened Superdome.

Whose blocked punt early in the Saints' 2006 return to the Superdome became the game's enduring image?

Steve Gleason blocked Michael Koenen's punt and Curtis Deloatch recovered it for a touchdown; the 2012 statue 'Rebirth' outside the Superdome depicts the block.

Which Saints quarterback was nicknamed the 'Cajun Cannon'?

Bobby Hebert, a south Louisiana native who won a USFL title before joining the Saints, sat out the entire 1990 season in a contract dispute and came back to start in 1991.

From which team did the Saints sign Drew Brees?

The San Diego Chargers let Drew Brees leave in free agency after his 2005 shoulder injury, having already traded for Philip Rivers on draft day in 2004.

Where did Drew Brees play college football?

At Purdue, Drew Brees set Big Ten career records for completions, attempts and passing yards, yet lasted until the second round (32nd overall) of the 2001 draft.

What was the Saints' record start in 2009, the best in franchise history?

The 2009 Saints opened 13-0, passing the 1985 Bears' 12-0 for the best start by an NFC team since the 1970 merger, before losing to Dallas in Week 15.

Whom did the Saints beat in Super Bowl XLIV?

The Indianapolis Colts, the pregame favorites, lost 31-17 in Miami on February 7, 2010, giving the Saints their first championship.

What did Sean Payton call to open the second half of Super Bowl XLIV?

A surprise onside kick, code-named 'Ambush', opened the second half; the Saints came out of a long pile-up with Thomas Morstead's kick and drove for the go-ahead touchdown.

Which Saints cornerback sealed Super Bowl XLIV with a 74-yard interception return?

Tracy Porter jumped a Reggie Wayne route and returned the interception 74 yards for the clinching touchdown; he had also picked off the Vikings' quarterback late in the NFC Championship Game.

Whose Super Bowl record of 32 completions did Drew Brees tie in Super Bowl XLIV?

Tom Brady needed 48 attempts for his 32 completions in Super Bowl XXXVIII; Brees matched the total on just 39 throws and was named the game's MVP.

Through the 2025 season, the Saints share which Super Bowl distinction with the New York Jets?

Winning their only appearance fits both: the Jets backed up Joe Namath's guarantee in Super Bowl III, the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV, and neither club has been back.

What suspension did the NFL give Sean Payton for the bounty scandal?

The entire 2012 season was Sean Payton's penalty; general manager Mickey Loomis was banned for half the season and the club was fined $500,000 and docked two second-round picks.

Which Saints defensive coordinator ran the bounty program?

Gregg Williams, Saints defensive coordinator from 2009 to 2011, was suspended indefinitely in March 2012 and reinstated by the league the following February.

Which Vikings quarterback did Minnesota's coaches say the Saints deliberately targeted in the 2009 NFC Championship Game?

Brett Favre, then 40, was knocked down again and again in the January 2010 game; Vikings coach Brad Childress later counted at least 13 hits he believed were deliberate.

Whose consecutive-games touchdown pass record did Drew Brees break in 2012?

Johnny Unitas's streak of 47 straight games with a touchdown pass had stood since 1960; the NFL let Brees's suspended coaches attend the night he broke it in October 2012.

Which Saints rookie led the NFL in rushing in 1981 with 1,674 yards?

George Rogers, the 1980 Heisman winner, went first overall in 1981, one pick ahead of Lawrence Taylor, and led the league in rushing as a rookie.

Which play ended the Saints' 2017 season in the divisional round?

The Minneapolis Miracle: Case Keenum's 61-yard pass to Stefon Diggs as time expired, after Marcus Williams missed the tackle, gave the Vikings a 29-24 win on January 14, 2018.

Which team beat the Saints in overtime in the 2018 NFC Championship Game after a controversial no-call?

The Los Angeles Rams won 26-23 in overtime in January 2019; Nickell Robey-Coleman's uncalled hit on Tommylee Lewis led the NFL to make pass interference reviewable for the 2019 season.

Who became the Saints' owner after the longtime owner died in 2018?

His wife Gayle took over the Saints and the NBA's Pelicans in March 2018; three years earlier he had cut his daughter and grandchildren out of the succession, and they sued him over it.

Which Saint ran for six touchdowns on Christmas Day 2020?

Alvin Kamara ran for six touchdowns in a 52-33 win over Minnesota, matching a mark Ernie Nevers set in 1929, and the win clinched the Saints' fourth straight NFC South title.

Which coach did the Saints hire in 2025, two days after he won a Super Bowl as an offensive coordinator?

Kellen Moore won Super Bowl LIX as the Eagles' play-caller on February 9, 2025, in the Saints' own Superdome, and two days later New Orleans named him its 19th head coach.

What stopped Super Bowl XLVII for 34 minutes in the Superdome in 2013?

A power outage darkened part of the Superdome just after Baltimore went up 28-6; when play resumed, San Francisco scored 17 straight points before losing 34-31.

What is the Saints' logo?

A fleur-de-lis, the lily emblem of French royalty, has been on the Saints' helmets since 1967; in 2008 Louisiana made it an official symbol of the state.

Who was the first player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame primarily for his career as a Saint?

Rickey Jackson, a linebacker drafted in 1981, was elected in February 2010, the same weekend the Saints won their first Super Bowl, as the first Hall of Famer honoured mainly as a Saint.

Which Saints kicker holds the franchise scoring record with 1,318 points?

Morten Andersen scored 1,318 points as a Saint from 1982 to 1994, then joined rival Atlanta in 1995 and topped the Falcons' career scoring list too, until Matt Bryant passed him in 2016.

Whose 67-yard 'Beast Quake' touchdown run knocked the defending-champion Saints out of the 2010 playoffs?

Marshawn Lynch broke nine tackles on the run, sealing a 41-36 upset by a 7-9 Seattle team; the crowd's celebration registered on a nearby seismometer.

Who beat Drew Brees's 2011 record of 5,476 passing yards by a single yard two seasons later?

Peyton Manning threw for 5,477 yards in 2013; Brees's 5,476 had itself erased a Dan Marino record that had stood since 1984.

Which famous trumpeter was a part-owner of the original Saints franchise?

Al Hirt, the New Orleans trumpet star, was a part-owner who doubled as chief cheerleader, playing for the crowd at home games in the team's early years.

Which House whip from Louisiana, father of journalist Cokie Roberts, got the NFL merger's antitrust exemption through Congress in 1966?

Hale Boggs and Senator Russell Long steered the exemption through Congress in October 1966, and on November 1 the NFL awarded New Orleans its franchise.

After Katrina, which venue hosted four of the displaced Saints' 2005 'home' games?

Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, LSU's home field about 80 miles from New Orleans, hosted four of the displaced 2005 'home' games, and the Saints lost every one of them.

Through the 2025 season, which Saint holds the franchise records for receiving yards and touchdown catches?

Marques Colston piled up 9,759 receiving yards and 72 touchdown catches from 2006 to 2015 after arriving as a seventh-round pick from little-known Hofstra.

Which tackle became the second Hall of Famer to earn his credentials mostly as a Saint?

Willie Roaf made seven Pro Bowls in nine Saints seasons; traded to Kansas City after a knee injury cut short his 2001 season, he made four more there before his 2012 enshrinement.

Which 50,000-watt clear-channel station is the Saints' flagship radio home?

WWL, at 870 AM, signed on in 1922 at Loyola University, and its nighttime clear-channel signal carries Saints broadcasts across much of the country.

In what year did the Saints create a Ring of Honor displayed on the Superdome's Terrace Level?

The Saints unveiled the Ring of Honor in 2013, inducting an inaugural class of three franchise greats that November at the Superdome.

Which Louisiana dish lends a name to the New Orleans Saints' Saint Bernard dog mascot?

Gumbo was for years a real Saint Bernard that roamed the sideline in team gear before a costumed performer took over the role.

What did Saints receiver Joe Horn pull from the goalpost padding to celebrate a 2003 touchdown?

A cell phone was hidden there before the game, and Horn pretended to make a call after his second score. The stunt cost him a $30,000 fine from the NFL.

Which British rock band played the halftime show when the New Orleans Saints won Super Bowl XLIV?

The Who took the stage with New Orleans trailing 10–6, and after the break the team outscored its opponent 25–7.

Which team's doctors advised against signing Drew Brees in 2006, clearing his path to New Orleans?

Miami Dolphins doctors doubted that his surgically repaired throwing shoulder had healed, so the team traded for Daunte Culpepper instead.

Which American punk band joined U2 for a pregame set when the Saints reopened the Superdome in 2006?

Green Day and U2 played 'The Saints Are Coming', a charity cover of a 1978 song by the punk band Skids, live on Monday Night Football.

Which NBA team did the Saints' owner buy from the league a year before renaming it the Pelicans?

Hornets was a name the franchise had carried over from Charlotte, so the new owner swapped it for a nod to Louisiana's state bird, the brown pelican.

Which AFC team's fans chant 'Who Dey', a close cousin of the 'Who Dat' cry of Saints fans?

Cincinnati Bengals fans took up 'Who Dey' around 1981. The Saints had officially adopted 'Who Dat' by 1983, when players sang the chant on a local single.

Which 7–9 division winner beat the reigning-champion Saints in the 'Beast Quake' playoff game?

Seattle Seahawks back Marshawn Lynch broke nine tackles on a 67-yard touchdown run, and the crowd's celebration registered on a nearby seismometer.

What did Mike Ditka's prized 1999 Saints draft choice wear beside him on an ESPN The Magazine cover?

A wedding dress on the Heisman winner, in a mock wedding photo with his coach, became the image critics used to mock the trade that brought him to New Orleans.

Which penalty did the NFL make reviewable for 2019 after a missed call cost the Saints an NFC title?

Pass interference became open to coaches' challenges as a one-season trial, and the league dropped it before 2020.

Which Saints receiver set an NFL single-season record with 149 catches in 2019?

Michael Thomas took the record from Marvin Harrison and was also named the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year.

Which kicker's overtime field goal against Minnesota sent the Saints to their first Super Bowl?

Garrett Hartley hit from 40 yards out, then two weeks later became the first kicker to make three field goals of 40 yards or more in a Super Bowl.

Which team passed on Reggie Bush with the first pick of the 2006 draft, leaving him to the Saints?

Houston Texans officials signed a defensive end on the night before the draft, a late twist that let New Orleans take the USC running back second overall.

Which team employed Sean Payton as Bill Parcells's assistant head coach before the Saints hired him?

Dallas Cowboys staff work lasted three seasons, and in his first year in New Orleans he was named the NFL's Coach of the Year.

Which coach led the Saints to the franchise's first playoff victory in his debut season in charge?

Jim Haslett inherited a 3–13 team, won the division with it and was named the NFL's Coach of the Year.

Which Stetson-wearing former Oilers coach led the Saints from 1981 until late in the 1985 season?

Bum Phillips took the famous hat off for every game inside the Superdome, because his mother had taught him never to wear one indoors.

Which Super Bowl IV-winning Chiefs coach spent two losing seasons leading the Saints in the 1970s?

Hank Stram went 4–10 and 3–11 in New Orleans, then spent years as a colour commentator on CBS's NFL broadcasts.

Which defensive coordinator did the Saints promote to head coach after Sean Payton left in 2022?

Dennis Allen had been the Oakland Raiders' head coach a decade earlier and had run the New Orleans defence since 2015.

Which company held the naming rights to the Saints' Superdome from 2011 until 2021?

Mercedes-Benz was the first buyer of the building's naming rights. For its first 36 years it had simply been the Louisiana Superdome.

Which college football classic, first played in 1935, has shared the Saints' Superdome since 1975?

Sugar Bowl organisers have staged the game outside New Orleans just once since then, in 2006, while the building was being repaired.

Which team beat the Saints in the January 2021 playoff game that proved to be Drew Brees's last?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers players had lost to New Orleans twice in the regular season, then won 30–20 on the way to the championship.

Which team survived the Saints' 2003 'River City Relay' touchdown when the tying extra point missed?

Jacksonville Jaguars defenders let three laterals turn the final play into a touchdown as time expired, then won 20–19 when the conversion sailed wide.

What did Saints tackle Kyle Turley rip off a New York Jets player and fling downfield in 2001?

His helmet went flying after Turley waded in to defend his quarterback. He was ejected, but the outburst made him a hero to many New Orleans fans.

Which team lost to the Saints in 1970 when Tom Dempsey kicked his record field goal as time expired?

Detroit Lions players lost 19–17 to a kicker born without toes on his kicking foot, who wore a custom flat-fronted shoe with no toe box.

Which 5-foot-9 Saints linebacker, the 'Field Mouse', entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022?

Sam Mills got the nickname from an executive who likened him to a mouse running around a field of elephants that wanted nothing to do with him.

Which Saints edge rusher was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year for 1991?

Pat Swilling led the league in sacks that year, and at Georgia Tech he had set an NCAA record for sacks in one game.

Which defensive end, son of a Minnesota Vikings tight end, became the Saints' career sack leader?

Cameron Jordan took the record with a three-sack game against Philadelphia, and was also named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 2010s.

Which Alabama Heisman Trophy winner did the Saints take in the first round of the 2011 draft?

Mark Ingram was Alabama's first Heisman winner, and he went 28th overall, the same slot used on his father 24 years earlier.

Which Saints tight end played four years of college basketball and just one of college football?

Jimmy Graham had gone to university on a basketball scholarship, and New Orleans gambled a third-round draft choice on him in 2010.

Which former BYU quarterback became the Saints' utility man, playing tight end and returning kicks?

Taysom Hill went undrafted and was claimed off waivers in 2017, and local reporters came to call him the Human Swiss Army Knife.

In which Jefferson Parish suburb is the New Orleans Saints' training facility located?

Metairie is also the training base of the NBA's Pelicans, who share an owner with the football team.

For which team did Sean Payton play quarterback as a replacement during the 1987 NFL strike?

Chicago Bears replacements were known as the 'Spare Bears', and Payton spent the following year playing in Britain for the Leicester Panthers.

Which team traded a first-round pick to the Saints in 2023 for the right to hire Sean Payton?

Denver Broncos bosses added a second-round pick too, the price of prising Payton out of a contract New Orleans held a year after he stepped down.

Which network hired Drew Brees as a football analyst after he retired from the Saints in 2021?

NBC used him in the studio on Football Night in America and in the booth for Notre Dame games, but he stayed for just one season.

Which backup quarterback won all five Saints starts in 2019 while Drew Brees nursed a thumb injury?

Teddy Bridgewater had arrived a year earlier in a trade with the New York Jets, and his unbeaten run kept New Orleans on course for the division title.

Which former Raiders quarterback joined the Saints in 2023 and retired after just two seasons?

Derek Carr announced his retirement in 2025 because of a severe rotator cuff injury, halfway through a four-year, $150 million contract.

Which Hall of Fame quarterback nicknamed 'Snake' finished his career with the Saints in the 1980s?

Ken Stabler got the nickname from a high school coach after a long, winding touchdown run. He was 37 and past his prime when he reached New Orleans.

Which Hall of Fame Oilers running back rejoined his old coach when the Saints traded for him?

Earl Campbell arrived six games into the season and played a season and a half in New Orleans before retiring.

Which Saints back set the NFL single-season record for all-purpose yards with 2,696 in 2011?

Darren Sproles is also the one NFL player to top 2,200 all-purpose yards in four different seasons, and he did it four years running.

Which Saints cornerback was named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year for 2017?

Marshon Lattimore, the 11th pick out of Ohio State, shared the stage with running back Alvin Kamara, who won the offensive rookie award the same year.

Which Hall of Fame Packers fullback came home to Louisiana to play for the 1967 expansion Saints?

Jim Taylor, a former LSU star, played just one season in New Orleans, yet the club retired his number 31.

Which Saints quarterback of the late 1960s went on to start for Washington in Super Bowl VII?

Billy Kilmer was one of two quarterbacks New Orleans chose in the 1967 expansion draft, and he lost that Super Bowl 14–7 to a team completing a perfect season.

Which rap duo's song 'Halftime' became the Superdome's celebration track after Saints touchdowns?

Ying Yang Twins saw the track become the unofficial anthem of the team's championship season, and it has become a standard in many other NFL stadiums.

In which division did the New Orleans Saints play from the 1970 merger until the 2002 realignment?

NFC West membership lasted 32 seasons, and in 1995 the league even placed the expansion Carolina Panthers in the same far-flung division.

Which Heisman-winning Florida quarterback did the Saints draft in the fourth round in 1997?

Danny Wuerffel returned to New Orleans after football to work with Desire Street Ministries, a nonprofit he had first joined while playing there.

From which short-lived spring league, where he won two titles, did the Saints hire Jim Mora in 1986?

USFL championships in 1984 and 1985 came with the Philadelphia and Baltimore Stars, and in his second season in New Orleans he was the NFL's Coach of the Year.

Which New Orleans-born safety nicknamed 'the Honey Badger' signed with his hometown Saints in 2022?

Tyrann Mathieu earned the nickname in college for taking on much larger opponents, and for a dyed blond patch of hair like the animal's.

Which former No. 1 draft pick opened 2021 as the Saints' quarterback after Drew Brees retired?

Jameis Winston had won the Heisman Trophy as a freshman at Florida State, but a torn knee ligament ended his first season as the New Orleans starter.

By which nickname is Dulymus McAllister, a Saints running back drafted in 2001, better known?

Deuce McAllister, a first-round draft choice from Ole Miss, spent his whole NFL career in New Orleans.

Which quarterback, acquired in a trade with the Packers, started the Saints' first playoff victory?

Aaron Brooks had begun the year as a backup and took over in the 11th game, when the starter broke his foot.