New Orleans Saints

The professional football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana is called the New Orleans Saints. They compete in the National Football League as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) South Division. The New Orleans Saints football team was founded on November 1, 1966, by David Dixon, John W. Mecom Jr., and the city of New Orleans.

“Saints” alludes to November 1st being All Saints Day, a celebration in the Catholic faith meant to honor all of the known and unknown saints. Because New Orleans has a pretty sizeable Catholic population, “When the Saints Go Marching In” is often sung by fans at the games.

The primary colors or the Saints are black and gold, and their logo is a simplified fleur-de-lis. At first, the team played their home games in Tulane Stadium through the 1974 NFL season. They then moved to the Louisiana Superdome, now the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the following year.

For the majority of their first 20 years, the team was not very competitive. They didn’t have their first ever winning season until 1987, when they finished 12-3 and for the first time, qualified for the NFL playoffs. However, the New Orleans Saints then lost to the Minnesota Vikings with a score of 44-10.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina rained devastation on the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. The Superdome was used as an emergency refuge to temporarily shelter people who were unable to leave the city during the mandatory evacuation. The Superdome did suffer damage during the hurricane, with some flooding and part of the roof being torn off. Because of the damage from Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Saints were forced to play their first home game against the New York Giants at their home stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. During that season, rumors abounded that Tom Benson, the Saints’ owner, would deem the Superdome unusable and want to legally void his contract, moving the Saints to San Antonio, where he had his business interests. However, the Superdome was repaired in time for the 2006 season, costing around $185 million. The Saints’ first true home game after Hurricane Katrina was against the Atlanta Falcons, their division rival. The Saints defeated the Falcons 23-3, going on to notch the second playoff win in franchise history.

The 2009 football season was historic for the New Orleans Saints, as they won 13 games and qualified for Super Bowl XLIV. They defeated the AFC champion Indianapolis Colts with a score of 31-17, and to this day it is the only Super Bowl championship the team has won. Because this is the only Super Bowl the Saints have ever participated in, they are one of the three NFL teams to win their lone Super Bowl appearance, along with the New York Jets and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Mrbrown at English Wikipedia, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons