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| [[Dallas Cowboys]] || 8 || 14 || 0 || .364 || W 42-17 || [[December 10|Dec 10]], [[2006]] || [[Irving, Texas|Irving, TX]] ||
| [[Dallas Cowboys]] || 8 || 14 || 0 || .364 || W 42-17 || [[December 10|Dec 10]], [[2006]] || [[Irving, Texas|Irving, TX]] ||
|-
|-
| [[Tennessee Titans|Hou. Oilers/Tennessee Titans]] || 4 || 6 || 1 || .364 || L 27-12 || [[September 21|Sept 21]], [[2003]] || [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] ||
| [[Tennessee Titans|Hou. Oilers/Tennessee Titans]] || 4 || 7 || 1 || .333 || L 31-14 || [[September 24|Sept 24]], [[2007]] || New Orleans ||
|-
|-
| [[Washington Redskins]] || 7 || 14 || 0 || .333 || L 16-10 || [[December 17|Dec 17]], [[2006]] || New Orleans ||
| [[Washington Redskins]] || 7 || 14 || 0 || .333 || L 16-10 || [[December 17|Dec 17]], [[2006]] || New Orleans ||
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| [[Sean Payton]]
| [[Sean Payton]]
| 2006-Present
| 2006-Present
| 10-8-0
| 10-9-0
| 1-1
| 1-1
| 1st NFC Championship appearance.
| 1st NFC Championship appearance.

Revision as of 03:50, 25 September 2007

New Orleans Saints
Established 1967
Play in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans Saints logo
New Orleans Saints logo
Logo
League/conference affiliations

National Football League (1967–present)

Current uniform
Team colorsOld Gold, Black, and White
MascotGumbo the dog
Personnel
Owner(s)Tom Benson and Rita Benson LeBlanc
General managerMickey Loomis
Head coachSean Payton
Team history
  • New Orleans Saints (1967–present)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (3)
  • NFC West: 1991, 2000
  • NFC South: 2006
Home fields

The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints are currently champions of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL).

The Saints were founded in 1967, as a expansion team. They went more than a decade before they managed to finish a season with a .500 record and two decades before having a winning season. The teams first successful years were from 1987-1992, when the team made the playoffs four times and had winning records in the non-playoff seasons. In the 2000 season, the Saints defeated the then defending Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams for the team's first playoff win.

The Saints' home stadium is the Louisiana Superdome. The team has played its home games in the "dome" since 1975. However, due to damage caused by Hurricane Katrina to the New Orleans area, the Saints' 2005 home opener was played at Giants Stadium, the home stadium of their opponent, the New York Giants. 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. After a $185 million renovation of the historic stadium, the team returned to the Superdome for the 2006 season. The team played its 2006 home opener in front of a sold-out crowd and national television audience on September 25, 2006, defeating its NFC South rival, the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 23-3. The victory received a 2007 ESPY award for "Best Moment in Sports."

The Saints are one of six teams never to have played in a Super Bowl. The Saints did qualify for the NFC Championship Game on January 13, 2007, after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 27-24 in the divisional round of the playoffs. They are the first team in NFL history to reach a conference championship after losing 13 or more games the previous season. They suffered a 39-14 loss the following week to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship.

The Saints conduct summer training camp at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi.

Franchise history

Early history

For more information, see History of the New Orleans Saints

The brainchild of local sports visionary, David Dixon, (who also founded the Louisiana Superdome and USFL), the Saints were actually secretly born in a backroom deal brought about by Congressman Hale Boggs and NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, when the NFL needed congressional approval of the proposed AFL-NFL merger. To seal the deal, Rozelle arrived in New Orleans within a week, and announced on, coincidentally, All Saints' Day -- November 1, 1966 -- that the NFL officially had awarded the city of New Orleans an NFL franchise; Boggs' Congressional committee in turn quickly approved the NFL merger. The team was named for the world-famous jazz anthem, "When the Saints Go Marching In," and in recognition of the city's traditionally Catholic population. 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.

That first season started with a 94 yard opening kickoff return for a touchdown by John Gilliam, but the Saints lost that game 27-13 to the Los Angeles Rams at Tulane Stadium. Their first season record was 3-11, 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 19-17 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 media personality 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.

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 disappointment. The Saints went 6-10 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 draft star University of Texas 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 3-13 record.

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 (the 1995 Washington Redskins did so against the to be World Champion Dallas Cowboys). In 2003 the Saints again missed the playoffs after finishing 8-8. The 2004 season started poorly for the Saints, as they went 2-4 through their first six games and 4-8 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. Haslett left after the 2005 season, in which the Saints finished 3-13 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. In the 2006 NFL draft Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush was drafted #2 overall by the Saints.

On December 17, 2006, the Saints clinched their third division title in franchise history. It was the first time the Saints played at home on the day they clinched a division, and it was their first NFC South title. 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.

Effect of Hurricane Katrina

After Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans on August 29, 2005 and caused extensive damage to the Superdome, the Saints were not able to play any home games there for the entire 2005 NFL season. After practicing for approximately a week in San Jose, California, where they had evacuated in conjunction with a pre-season game against the Oakland Raiders, the team set up temporary headquarters and arranged for practice facilities in San Antonio, Texas, where owner Tom Benson started his car dealership empire. The league then announced that although the Saints' first home game on September 18 against the New York Giants would be played at Giants Stadium at 7:30 p.m. EDT on September 19, other home games would be split between Tiger Stadium at LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (80 miles/130 km from New Orleans), and the Alamodome in San Antonio (540 miles/869 km from New Orleans); offices and practice would remain in San Antonio throughout the season. Various media reports in the San Antonio Express-News indicated the owner and government officials in San Antonio were working behind the scenes concerning a possible permanent relocation to San Antonio. San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger has pushed a strong verbal campaign to pursue the Saints. Other officials, including Texas Governor Rick Perry, had indicated they would also support a relocation to San Antonio, including using funding to upgrade the Alamodome, or possibly build a new stadium. However, the NFL and commissioner Paul Tagliabue are in favor of keeping the franchise in New Orleans, or at least delaying a decision on a potential relocation. Other rumors say that the NFL prefers to move the team to Los Angeles, California, but only if a permanent relocation is absolutely necessary.

Many fans in Louisiana were angered and felt that Hardberger and Perry were taking advantage of New Orleans' misfortunes to try to steal the Saints. Benson's actions also drew the anger of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, who called Benson's actions shameful and disrespectful to New Orleans fans who have supported the team for nearly four decades of mostly losing seasons. San Antonio officials, on the other hand, countered that Benson may have no choice—New Orleans may never fully recover as a viable location for an NFL franchise, and they are simply giving the franchise an option to relocate and remain economically viable, in this case to a city in which Benson already lives and has business interests. Benson indicated in his open letter to the Gulf Coast that San Antonio officials are only doing what any city seeking a franchise would do—recruit the franchise—as Mayor Nagin did for the former Charlotte Hornets.

On October 21, 2005, Benson issued a statement saying that he has not made any decision about the future of the Saints[1]. However, the San Antonio Express-News reported that sources close to the Saints' organization said that Benson planned to void his lease agreement with New Orleans by declaring the Louisiana Superdome unusable[2].

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue met with Benson and Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco at the Saints' first home game in Baton Rouge on October 30 against the Miami Dolphins. After the meeting, he stopped just short of making a formal commitment to keep the Saints in New Orleans. Said Tagliabue: "The Saints are Louisiana's team and have been since the late '60s when my predecessor Pete Rozelle welcomed them to the league as New Orleans' team and Louisiana's team. Our focus continues to be on having the Saints in Louisiana." He dispelled rumors that have the Saints relocating to Los Angeles. Tagliabue will form an eight-owner advisory committee to help decide the team's future[3]. Benson left the game with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. While leaving the stadium, a WWL-TV camera crew recorded him leaving the stadium. Benson angrily pushed the camera away and then got into an argument with a fan. Video of the altercation was obtained by WWL-TV[4]. Three days later, Benson issued a statement that he would no longer go to Baton Rouge for Saints home games because he felt he and his family were in danger from abuse at the game[5],

2006: Homecoming and postseason

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

The following day, Benson had also agreed with Louisiana state officials to extend his opt out clause with the Superdome and Louisiana because of the disaster until January 2007. Reports speculate this buys Benson time to see how the situation unfolds without having to make a decision now.

In the midst of the Katrina relocation controversy, several groups of investors have approached Benson with offers to buy the team and keep them in Louisiana, the most notable group being one led by FOX Sports analyst and former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, who is a Louisiana native[6]. However, Benson has expressed that he has no intentions of selling the team and plans to eventually hand down ownership to his granddaughter, Saints owner/executive Rita Benson LeBlanc. Benson spoke to press following an NFL owners' meeting on November 15, at which he reiterated that the team is not for sale, but also stated that other NFL owners, along with Tagliabue, were working with him to keep the team in New Orleans[7].

On December 5, Tagliabue met with Benson and New Orleans officials to tour the city and assess the viability of playing in New Orleans in 2006. On January 11, 2006, at a press conference in New Orleans, Tagliabue announced that the Saints will likely play all eight home games at the Superdome[8]. Superdome officials said January 12 that the Dome will be ready by September 1, 2006[9]. The NFL announced on February 5, 2006, that the Superdome would reopen on September 24 when the Saints host the Atlanta Falcons[10].

However, Tagliabue said the team's preseason games would likely be played elsewhere in the region. He also said that the Saints and the NFL were committed to New Orleans for the long haul.

On March 23, the Saints announced that the team's two 2006 preseason games were to be played at Shreveport, Louisiana and Jackson, Mississippi[11].

On April 6 the Saints released their 2006 schedule, with all home games scheduled to be played at the Superdome. The home opener against the Atlanta Falcons was moved to September 25 and was shown on ESPN's Monday Night Football[12].

On September 19, Saints owner Tom Benson announced that the team had sold out the Superdome for the entire season with season tickets alone (70,001 seats), a first in franchise histor[13].

The September 25, 2006 home opener, the first home game in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, was won by the Saints 23-3 against the Atlanta Falcons, who were undefeated in the 2006-2007 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. U2, Green Day, and the Goo Goo Dolls performed before the game[14].

After the first-round bye, the Saints beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-24 in the Superdome in the 2006-07 Divisional Playoffs. No team had ever had such a poor record in the prior year and then went on to a league or conference championship game. Since the Saints' only other playoff win was in the wild card round, this is the farthest the Saints have ever advanced. The victory was only the second playoff win in team history.

The season ended on January 21, 2007 when the Saints lost 39-14 to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship Game.

2007

Main article: 2007 New Orleans Saints season

The Saints have announced that for the second year in a row, the Louisiana Superdome has sold out every ticket for the season.[citation needed] Additionally, all luxury boxes have 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]

Logo and uniforms

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, 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 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 degrees. The heavily favored Rams wilted in the stifling heat, and the Saints claimed their first-ever victory over their NFC West rivals, 24-20, 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. Also, in an Oct. 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 31-26. During the 1981-82 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 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. 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 3-13 season and the dismissal of coach Mike Ditka, the black pants were mothballed by new coach Jim Haslett.

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 31-28 win over the defending champion Rams.

In the 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. (It is notable that the all-black outfit made a comeback on December 3, 2006 in a 34-10 victory over the 49ers. The team used it the week after against the Dallas Cowboys on December 10, 2006 in a 42-17 victory.)

In 2002, the Saints wore black pants with their white jerseys, and gold pants with their black jerseys. But one season later, they 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, but have never worn them since then. The Vikings wore their purple jerseys for the game, marking the first time in the modern era neither team wore white jerseys during an NFL game. The uniform was humorously referred to as the "bumblebee" suit, a play on the black and yellow stripes found on bees. The bumblebee reference was also quite fitting, as the New Orleans Hornets, the city's National Basketball Association franchise, plays across the street from the Superdome at New Orleans Arena.

In 2006, to honor their return to Louisiana, the Saints are wearing 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. 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 Cincinnati Bengals did not agree to the switch, leaving the Saints to wear white for that game.

Starting in week 13 of the 2006 season, the Saints wore black jerseys with black pants and in a Week 16 game in The Meadowlands against the New York Giants (a 30-7 Saints win), the Saints wore the black pants with their road white jerseys.

Statistics

Season-by-season records

Season records
Season W L T Finish Playoff results
1967 3 11 0 4th Capitol (NFL) --
1968 4 9 1 3rd Century (NFL) --
1969 5 9 0 3rd Capitol (NFL) --
1970 2 11 1 4th NFC West --
1971 4 8 2 4th NFC West --
1972 2 11 1 4th NFC West --
1973 5 9 0 3rd NFC West --
1974 5 9 0 3rd NFC West --
1975 2 12 0 4th NFC West --
1976 4 10 0 3rd NFC West --
1977 3 11 0 4th NFC West --
1978 7 9 0 3rd NFC West --
1979 8 8 0 2nd NFC West --
1980 1 15 0 4th NFC West --
1981 4 12 0 4th NFC West --
1982 4 5 0 9th NFC Conf.+ --
1983 8 8 0 3rd NFC West --
1984 7 9 0 3rd NFC West --
1985 5 11 0 3rd NFC West --
1986 7 9 0 4th NFC West --
1987* 12 3 0 2nd NFC West Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Vikings) 44-10
1988 10 6 0 3rd NFC West --
1989 9 7 0 3rd NFC West --
1990 8 8 0 2nd NFC West Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Bears) 16-6
1991 11 5 0 1st NFC West Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Falcons) 27-20
1992 12 4 0 2nd NFC West Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Eagles) 36-20
1993 8 8 0 2nd NFC West --
1994 7 9 0 2nd NFC West --
1995 7 9 0 5th NFC West --
1996 3 13 0 5th NFC West --
1997 6 10 0 3rd NFC West --
1998 6 10 0 3rd NFC West --
1999 3 13 0 5th NFC West --
2000 10 6 0 1st NFC West Won Wild Card Playoffs (Rams) 31-28
Lost Divisional Playoffs (Vikings) 34-16
2001 7 9 0 3rd NFC West --
2002 9 7 0 3rd NFC South --
2003 8 8 0 2nd NFC South --
2004 8 8 0 2nd NFC South --
2005 3 13 0 4th NFC South --
2006 10 6 0 1st NFC South Won Divisional Playoffs (Eagles) 27-24
Lost Conference Championship (Bears) 39-14
2007 0 3 0 Tied 3rd NFC South --
Totals 247 360 5 (1967-present, regular season)
2 6 - (1967-present, playoffs)
249 366 5 (all games, 1967-present, including playoffs)

* = The 1987 was shortened by one-game because of a strike.

+ = Due to a strike-shortened season in 1982, all teams were ranked by conference instead of division.

Record vs. Opponents

(As of Week 2 of the 2007 NFL season. Includes postseason records.)

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

Team W L T Percent Last result Last date Last locale Postseason
Houston Texans 1 0 0 1.000 W 31-10 Sept 14, 2003 New Orleans
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19 12 0 .613 L 31-14 Sept 16, 2007 Tampa
Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts 5 5 0 .500 L 41-10 Sept 6, 2007 Indianapolis
New York Jets 5 5 0 .500 W 21-19 Nov 27, 2005 East Rutherford, NJ
Buffalo Bills 4 4 0 .500 W 19-7 Oct 2, 2005 *San Antonio
Kansas City Chiefs 4 4 0 .500 W 27-20 Nov 14, 2004 New Orleans
Pittsburgh Steelers 6 7 0 .462 L 38-31 Nov 12, 2006 Pittsburgh
St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals 11 13 0 .458 L 34-10 Oct 3, 2004 Tempe, AZ
Carolina Panthers 11 13 0 .458 L 31-21 Dec 31, 2006 New Orleans
Chicago Bears 11 13 0 .458 L 39-14(1) Jan 21, 2007 Chicago 0-2 postseason
Cincinnati Bengals 5 6 0 .455 L 31-16 Nov 19, 2006 New Orleans
Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams 30 37 0 .448 L 28-17 Oct 23, 2005 St. Louis 1-0 postseason
Detroit Lions 8 9 1 .444 L 13-12 Dec 24, 2005 *San Antonio
Atlanta Falcons 32 44 0 .421 W 31-13 Nov 26, 2006 Atlanta 0-1 postseason
New York Giants 10 14 0 .417 W 30-7 Dec 24, 2006 East Rutherford, NJ
Philadelphia Eagles 10 15 0 .400 W 27-24(2) Jan 13, 2007 New Orleans 1-1 postseason
Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders 4 5 1 .400 W 31-26 Oct 24, 2004 Oakland
Seattle Seahawks 4 5 0 .400 L 21-7 Sept 12, 2004 New Orleans
Dallas Cowboys 8 14 0 .364 W 42-17 Dec 10, 2006 Irving, TX
Hou. Oilers/Tennessee Titans 4 7 1 .333 L 31-14 Sept 24, 2007 New Orleans
Washington Redskins 7 14 0 .333 L 16-10 Dec 17, 2006 New Orleans
Miami Dolphins 3 6 0 .333 L 21-6 Oct 30, 2005 *Baton Rouge
Jacksonville Jaguars 1 2 0 .333 L 20-19 Dec 21, 2003 Jacksonville
San Francisco 49ers 21 45 2 .309 W 34-10 December 3, 2006 New Orleans
Green Bay Packers 6 14 0 .300 W 34-27 Sept 17, 2006 Green Bay
New England Patriots 3 8 0 .273 L 24-17 Nov 20, 2005 Foxboro, MA
Minnesota Vikings 7 19 0 .269 L 33-16 Sept 25, 2005 Minneapolis 0-2 postseason
Cleveland Browns 4 11 0 .267 W 19-14 Sept 10, 2006 Cleveland
Denver Broncos 2 6 0 .250 L 34-13 Nov 21, 2004 New Orleans
Baltimore Ravens 1 3 0 .250 L 35-22 Oct 29, 2006 New Orleans
San Diego Chargers 2 7 0 .222 L 43-17 Nov 7, 2004 San Diego

* - Saints home game, relocated due to Hurricane Katrina

(1) - 2007 NFC Championship Game

(2) - 2007 NFC Divisional Playoff Game

Single-season records

Saints career records

Players of note

Current roster

New Orleans Saints roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams


Rookies in italics

Roster updated May 13, 2024

89 active (+1 exempt), 1 unsigned

→ AFC rosters → NFC rosters

Pro Football Hall of Famers

  • It should be noted that none of these Hall of Famers are there for their careers with the Saints. While Finks' work with the Saints contributed to his induction, he is primarily recognized for his years as general manager of the Minnesota Vikings. No one is currently in the Hall who played, coached, or otherwise spent the majority of their career with the Saints. Another inductee, Paul Hornung, retired as a Saint during the 1967 training camp without ever playing for the team. Of NFL teams active prior to the league's 1995 expansion, only the Saints and their archrival, the Atlanta Falcons, do not have a representative who is primarily recognized for his achievements with that club.

Retired numbers

File:Saintshall.jpg
New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame, Interior

New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame

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. 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 of 2004. Busts and paintings of each of the 33 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[16].

Joe Gemelli "Fleur-De-Lis" Award

(Awarded yearly to a person who has contributed to the betterment of the New Orleans Saints organization[17].

  • 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
  • 2005-06: Bernard "Buddy" Diliberto (2005 induction ceremonies postponed to Oct. 27, 2006 due to Hurricane Katrina)*

Other notable alumni

Coaches of note

Head coaches

Name Years Regular Season
Record 		Postseason
Record 		Notes
Tom Fears 1967-1970 13-34-2 1-5-1 in 1970; fired on November 3, 1970
J.D. Roberts 1970-1972 7-25-3 1-6-0 in 1970; won first game on Tom Dempsey's 63-yard field goal vs. Detroit Lions; fired on August 25, 1973 after fourth pre-season game
John North 1973-1975 11-23-0 1-5-0 in 1975; fired on October 27, 1975
Ernie Hefferle 1975 1-7-0 Interim Coach
Hank Stram 1976-1977 7-21-0
Dick Nolan 1978-1980 15-29-0 0-12-0 in 1980; fired on November 25, 1980
Dick Stanfel 1980 1-3-0 Interim Coach
Bum Phillips 1981-1985 27-42-0 4-8-0 in 1985; resigned on November 25, 1985
Wade Phillips 1985 1-3-0 Interim Coach
Jim Mora, Sr. 1986-1996 93-78-0 0-4 1st playoff appearance in team history; 1st division championship in team history; 2-6-0 in 1996; resigned on October 21, 1996
Rick Venturi 1996 1-7-0 Interim Coach
Mike Ditka 1997-1999 15-33-0
Jim Haslett 2000-2005 45-51-0 1-1 1st playoff win in team history
Sean Payton 2006-Present 10-9-0 1-1 1st NFC Championship appearance.

Current staff

New Orleans Saints staff
Front office
  • Owner – Gayle Benson
  • President – Dennis Lauscha
  • Executive vice president/general manager – Mickey Loomis
  • Asst. general manager/college scouting director – Jeff Ireland
  • Asst. general manager & vice president of football administration – Khai Harley
  • Director of operations – Derek Stamnos
  • Director of pro scouting – Justin Matthews
  • Director of pro personnel – Michael Parenton
Head coach
Offensive coaches
  
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
  • Special teams coordinator – Darren Rizzi
  • Assistant special teams – Phil Galiano
  • Assistant to the head coach – Mike Martinez
Strength and conditioning
  • Director of sports science – Matt Rhea
  • Strength and conditioning coach – Matt Clapp
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Charles Byrd
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Rob Wenning

→ Coaching staff
→ Front office
→ More NFL staffs

Radio and television

As of 2006, the Saints' flagship station is WWL, 870AM, 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 WUPL. Tim Brando and Archie Manning call the preseason action.

Notes and references

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ [2]
  3. ^ [3]
  4. ^ [4]
  5. ^ [5]
  6. ^ [6]
  7. ^ [7]
  8. ^ [8]
  9. ^ [9]
  10. ^ [10]
  11. ^ [11]
  12. ^ [12]
  13. ^ [13]
  14. ^ [14]
  15. ^ [15]
  16. ^ [16]
  17. ^ [17]

External links

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