New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are a National Football League team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Due to damage caused by Hurricane Katrina to the New Orleans area, the team is headquartered and trains in San Antonio, Texas at the Alamodome.

Franchise history

Main article: History of the New Orleans Saints

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The NFL awarded the city of New Orleans an NFL franchise on 1 November, 1966. John W. Mecom, Jr. became the majority stockholder, and the team was named the Saints on 9 January 1967, since the franchise had been granted to New Orleans on All Saints' Day. Despite a 94 yard opening kickoff return for a touchdown by John Gilliam, the Saints lost their first game 27-13 to the Los Angeles Rams. Their first season record was 3-11, and they could not manage to even 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.

Related Topics:
1 November - 1966 - John W. Mecom, Jr. - 9 January - 1967 - All Saints' Day - John Gilliam - Los Angeles Rams - 1979 - 1983 - 1987

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One of the franchise's shining moments came on 8 November 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.

Related Topics:
8 November - 1970 - Tom Dempsey - Detroit Lions - Jason Elam - Denver Broncos

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1980, the Saints lost their first 14 games, prompting fans to design paper bags to wear over their heads to the team's home games; the bags rendered the club's name as the "'Aints" rather than the "Saints," and this practice then spread rapidly, first to fans of other poorly-performing teams within the NFL, and ultimately to those of other American team sports as well, and has become a firmly-established custom throughout the United States.

Related Topics:
1980 - United States

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 12-3 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. Although they made the playoffs four times under Mora's tenure, 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 dismal 3-13 season.

Related Topics:
Tom Benson - 1985 - Jim Finks - Jim Mora - 1990 - 1991 - 1996

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After the end of the 1996 season, legendary 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 surprised many by trading 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. Unfortunately, the bold move didn't help the Saints, as they went 3-13 in 1999. Ditka, most of his coaching staff, and general manager Bill Kuharik were fired at the end of that season.

Related Topics:
Chicago Bears - Mike Ditka - 1997 - 1998 - 1999 - NFL Draft - University of Texas - Ricky Williams

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Current coach Jim Haslett has held the post since 2000, in which year he took the team to the playoffs but lost to the Minnesota Vikings a week after besting the St. Louis Rams for the team's first ever playoff win. 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. 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 pull the team together and put on a three-game win streak, 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 in a thrilling overtime game the Saints were eliminated. Nevertheless, the four-game win streak to end the season left many Saints fans optimistic about the team's future prospects.

Related Topics:
Jim Haslett - 2000 - Minnesota Vikings - St. Louis Rams - 2001 - 2002 - Super Bowl XXXVII - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 2003 - 2004 - Carolina - New York Jets

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans in August 2005 and caused extensive damage to the Superdome, the Saints found they would not be able to play any home games there for the entire 2005 NFL season. Although the league announced that the Saints' first home game on September 18 against the New York Giants would instead be played at Giants Stadium at 7:30 p.m. EDT on September 19, other home games will be split between Tiger Stadium at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (80 miles/130 km from New Orleans) and the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas (540 miles/869 km from New Orleans). However, a site for a potential home playoff game has yet to be announced. For the time being, the team has set up their temporary headquarters and practice fields in San Antonio.

Related Topics:
Hurricane Katrina - 2005 NFL season - September 18 - New York Giants - Giants Stadium - EDT - September 19 - Tiger Stadium - Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Alamodome - San Antonio, Texas

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Beyond 2005, the Saints' future is even more uncertain, and they are rumored to be the next franchise to relocate. There is speculation that the Superdome may need to be demolished due to the extent of the damages from Hurricaine Katrina. A decision should be made on the Superdome's fate by the end of the year following a complete assessment of the structrual soundness of the building.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It is still to be determined if the region's economy will be able to support the construction of a new stadium. After inspection of the Superdome is complete, it will be determined if the Superdome can be renovated, or will need to be torn down. In any case, the answers to renovation may take time to sort out as higher priority items such as water, electricity, and the influx of people returning are a higher priority. Time will tell, in the rebuilding project, if New Orleans can continue to economically support the team in the future, as well as any projected stadium reconstruction efforts.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The owner has indicated his desire to return, if possible, to New Orleans. However, if economics make a move necessary, it would likely be to San Antonio, where Tom Benson has strong business and personal ties. He has a home, business assets, and family ties to the San Antonio area. Media reports indicate Mr. Benson's choice, if a relocation is necessary, is San Antonio. Mr. Benson's family is from the San Antonio area, and the city has a stadium (the Alamodome) that could be ready for NFL football in short order. The NFL commisioner states he would like to see a team relocate to Los Angeles, but Mr. Benson will most likely not be forced relocate his team there, unless it is sold, and he currently is not deemed to be interested in selling. If the team is sold, another popular rumor scenario has the team moving to Los Angeles, who lost both the Rams and Raiders in 1995 and has been the NFL's preferred destination for a new team ever since. The city's failure to organize and agree upon a stadium plan in 1999 resulted in the NFL's awarding of the 32nd NFL team to Houston.

Related Topics:
Rams - Raiders - 1995 - Houston

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Currently, the Saints are the oldest team in the NFL never to play in either a Super Bowl or any other NFL championship game.

Related Topics:
Super Bowl - NFL championship game

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Season-by-season