New Orleans Saints Trivia
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This New Orleans Saints trivia quiz has 98 free questions with answers and covers the whole story of the black and gold: the All Saints' Day franchise announcement in 1966, the opening-kickoff touchdown in the first game, Tom Dempsey's record field goal, the paper-bag 'Aints, Archie Manning, Jim Mora and the Dome Patrol, Mike Ditka's Ricky Williams gamble, the first playoff win in 2000, the Katrina season and the emotional 2006 return, Sean Payton and Drew Brees, the 2009 championship run and the onside kick that turned Super Bowl XLIV, Bountygate, the Minneapolis Miracle and the Rams no-call, and the Benson, Allen and Kellen Moore years since. Early questions suit any Who Dat who has been to the Dome; later ones reward fans who know who kicked the onside kick, which coach was suspended for a full season, and how many Super Bowls the Superdome has hosted. Every answer was checked against encyclopaedia entries before publishing.
30 of 98 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Who was the Saints' first head coach?
Tom Fears
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.
Q 02Which division did the Saints join in the NFL's 2002 realignment?
NFC South
The Saints joined the new NFC South in 2002 after three decades in the NFC West, where the 1970 merger had placed them.
Q 03How did the Saints' first regular-season game begin in 1967?
A kickoff-return touchdown
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.
Q 04Which Saints kicker, born without toes on his kicking foot, hit a record 63-yard field goal in 1970?
Tom Dempsey
Tom Dempsey, kicking in a flat-fronted custom shoe, beat Detroit 19-17 on the final play, and his record stood for 43 years.
Q 05Where did the Saints play home games before the Superdome opened?
Tulane Stadium
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.
Q 06What did the Saints first achieve in 1987?
A winning record
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.
Q 07What did sportscaster Buddy Diliberto suggest fans wear during the 0-14 start of 1980?
Paper bags over their heads
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.
Q 08Which quarterback did the Saints draft second overall in 1971?
Archie Manning
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.
Q 09Which owner bought the Saints in 1985 and hired Jim Mora?
Tom Benson
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.
Q 10What was the nickname of the Saints' star linebacking corps of the Mora era?
The Dome Patrol
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.
Q 11Which Heisman-winning running back did the Saints draft second overall in 2006?
Reggie Bush
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.
Q 12What did Mike Ditka give up to select Ricky Williams fifth overall in 1999?
His whole draft, plus two picks
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.
Q 13In which season did the Saints finally win their first playoff game?
2000
Q 21Whom did the Saints beat in Super Bowl XLIV?
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts, the pregame favorites, lost 31-17 in Miami on February 7, 2010, giving the Saints their first championship.
Q 22What did Sean Payton call to open the second half of Super Bowl XLIV?
A surprise onside kick
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.
Q 23Which Saints cornerback sealed Super Bowl XLIV with a 74-yard interception return?
Tracy Porter
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.
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.
Q 14After Hurricane Katrina, to which Texas city did the Saints move their offices and practices for the 2005 season?
San Antonio
San Antonio housed the displaced Saints' offices and practice fields all season, while their 'home' games were scattered across three stadiums in three states.
Q 15Whom did the Saints beat 23-3 in the emotional 2006 return to the Superdome?
Atlanta Falcons
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.
Q 16Whose blocked punt early in the Saints' 2006 return to the Superdome became the game's enduring image?
Steve Gleason
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.
Q 17Which Saints quarterback was nicknamed the 'Cajun Cannon'?
Bobby Hebert
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.
Q 18From which team did the Saints sign Drew Brees?
San Diego Chargers
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.
Q 19Where did Drew Brees play college football?
Purdue
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.
Q 20What was the Saints' record start in 2009, the best in franchise history?
13-0
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.
Q 24Whose Super Bowl record of 32 completions did Drew Brees tie in Super Bowl XLIV?
Tom Brady
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.
Q 25Through the 2025 season, the Saints share which Super Bowl distinction with the New York Jets?
Winning their only appearance
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.
Q 26What suspension did the NFL give Sean Payton for the bounty scandal?
The entire 2012 season
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.
Q 27Which Saints defensive coordinator ran the bounty program?
Gregg Williams
Gregg Williams, Saints defensive coordinator from 2009 to 2011, was suspended indefinitely in March 2012 and reinstated by the league the following February.
Q 28Which Vikings quarterback did Minnesota's coaches say the Saints deliberately targeted in the 2009 NFC Championship Game?
Brett Favre
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.
Q 29Whose consecutive-games touchdown pass record did Drew Brees break in 2012?
Johnny Unitas
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.
Q 30Which Saints rookie led the NFL in rushing in 1981 with 1,674 yards?
George Rogers
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.