NOSNew Orleans Saints

Franchise history

The New Orleans Saints were awarded to the city on November 1, 1966 — All Saints' Day, a date local promoter David Dixon lobbied NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle to choose deliberately — with Houston oilman John W. Mecom Jr. installed as majority owner. The franchise name pays homage to the jazz standard 'When the Saints Go Marching In,' a New Orleans musical touchstone, while the black-and-old-gold color scheme reflected Mecom's oil-industry roots ('black gold'), with white added as a third color. New Orleans began play in 1967 at Tulane Stadium before moving into the Superdome (now Caesars Superdome) in 1975, which has remained its home except for the 2005 season, when Hurricane Katrina forced the Saints to play home games at LSU's Tiger Stadium, the Alamodome in San Antonio, and Giants Stadium.

The Saints' early decades were marked by futility — twenty straight non-winning seasons is commonly cited, and fans famously donned paper bags over their heads during a dismal 1980 campaign, coining the derisive nickname 'Aints.' The franchise's fortunes turned after Katrina, as the rebuilt Superdome and a resurgent 2006 team became symbols of the city's recovery. That arc culminated in the 2009 season, when quarterback Drew Brees and coach Sean Payton led New Orleans to its only Super Bowl title, a win over Indianapolis in Super Bowl XLIV. The following years brought the 2012 'Bountygate' scandal, over a pay-for-injury bounty program, along with periodic playoff droughts and near-misses, including a widely disputed no-call in the 2018 NFC Championship Game.

Sources

• Pro Football Reference
• Wikipedia

Super Bowl Champions won (1)

• Super Bowl XLIV - 2009