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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 result of the AFL-NFL Merger , for which legislation was helped pass in Congress by the Louisiana contingent of Senators and Representatives. Louisiana was rewarded for its lobbying with an NFL franchise, which can be considered a direct result of the existence of the rival American Football League (AFL 1960 - 1969) and the subsequent merger of the NFL with the AFL. 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 "' Aint s" 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 . Recent history 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. 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 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 '' 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 {Link without Title} . NFL Commissioner 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 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[http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-benson-saintsgames&prov=ap&type=lgns , 2006: Homecoming and postseason 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 . 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 {Link without Title} . On , 2006, that the Superdome would reopen on September 24 when the Saints host the Atlanta Falcons {Link without Title} . 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 {Link without Title} . 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 {Link without Title} . 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 {Link without Title} . 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 {Link without Title} . 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 See Also: 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. Additionally, all luxury boxes have been sold out for the season. 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). LOGO AND UNIFORMS |
1987 12 3 0 2nd NFC West Lost
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/NFL_playoffs,_1987-88" class="copylinks">Wild Card Playoffs ( Vikings ) 44-10 <!-- season shortened due to strike --> |
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1990 8 8 0 2nd NFC West Lost
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/NFL_playoffs,_1990-91" class="copylinks">Wild Card Playoffs ( Bears ) 16-6 |
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1991 11 5 0 '''1st NFC West''' Lost
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/NFL_playoffs,_1991-92" class="copylinks">Wild Card Playoffs ( Falcons ) 27-20 |
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1992 12 4 0 2nd NFC West Lost
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/NFL_playoffs,_1992-93" class="copylinks">Wild Card Playoffs ( Eagles ) 36-20 |
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2000 10 6 0 '''1st NFC West''' '''Won'''
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/NFL_playoffs,_2000-01" class="copylinks">Wild Card Playoffs ( Rams ) 31-28<br>Lost Divisional Playoffs ( Vikings ) 34-16 |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/2006_New_Orleans_Saints_season" class="copylinks">2006 10 6 0 '''1st NFC South''' '''Won''' Divisional Playoffs ( Eagles ) 27-24<br>Lost Conference Championship ( Bears ) 39-14 |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/2007_New_Orleans_Saints_season" class="copylinks">2007 0 1 0 -- -- |
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"3"Totals 247 359 5 |
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"2" (1967-present, regular season) <!-- Correct up to Sept 6, 2007 --> |
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"2" (1967-present, playoffs) <!-- Correct up to Jan 21, 2007 --> |
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"2" (all games, 1967-present, including playoffs) <!-- Correct up to Sept 6, 2007 --> |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Houston_Texans" class="copylinks">Houston Texans 1 0 0 1000 W 31-10 September 14 , 2003 New Orleans, Louisiana |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers" class="copylinks">Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19 11 0 633 W 31-14 November 5 , 2006 Tampa, Florida |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Indianapolis_Colts" class="copylinks">Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts 5 5 0 500 L 41-10 September 6 , 2007 Indianapolis, Indiana |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Buffalo_Bills" class="copylinks">Buffalo Bills 4 4 0 500 W 19-7 October 2 , 2005 <nowiki></nowiki> San Antonio, Texas |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Kansas_City_Chiefs" class="copylinks">Kansas City Chiefs 4 4 0 500 W 27-20 November 14 , 2004 New Orleans, Louisiana |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/New_York_Jets" class="copylinks">New York Jets 5 5 0 500 W 21-19 November 27 , 2005 East Rutherford, New Jersey |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Pittsburgh_Steelers" class="copylinks">Pittsburgh Steelers 6 7 0 462 L 38-31 November 12 , 2006 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Arizona_Cardinals" class="copylinks">St Louis/Arizona Cardinals 11 13 0 458 L 34-10 October 3 , 2004 Tempe, Arizona |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Carolina_Panthers" class="copylinks">Carolina Panthers 11 13 0 458 L 31-21 December 31 , 2006 New Orleans, Louisiana |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Chicago_Bears" class="copylinks">Chicago Bears 11 13 0 458 L 39-14<sup>(1)</sup> January 21 , 2007 Chicago, Illinois 0-2 postseason |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Cincinnati_Bengals" class="copylinks">Cincinnati Bengals 5 6 0 455 L 31-16 November 19 , 2006 New Orleans, Louisiana |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/St_Louis_Rams" class="copylinks">Los Angeles/St Louis Rams 30 37 0 448 L 28-17 October 23 , 2005 St Louis, Missouri 1-0 postseason |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Detroit_Lions" class="copylinks">Detroit Lions 8 9 1 444 L 13-12 December 24 , 2005 <nowiki></nowiki> San Antonio, Texas |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Atlanta_Falcons" class="copylinks">Atlanta Falcons 32 44 0 421 W 31-13 November 26 , 2006 Atlanta, Georgia 0-1 postseason |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/New_York_Giants" class="copylinks">New York Giants 10 14 0 417 W 30-7 December 24 , 2006 East Rutherford, New Jersey |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Oakland_Raiders" class="copylinks">Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders 4 5 1 400 W 31-26 October 24 , 2004 Oakland, California |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Philadelphia_Eagles" class="copylinks">Philadelphia Eagles 10 15 0 400 W 27-24<sup>(2)</sup> January 13 , 2007 New Orleans, Louisiana 1-1 postseason |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Seattle_Seahawks" class="copylinks">Seattle Seahawks 4 5 0 400 L 21-7 September 12 , 2004 New Orleans, Louisiana |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Dallas_Cowboys" class="copylinks">Dallas Cowboys 8 14 0 364 W 42-17 December 10 , 2006 Irving, Texas |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Tennessee_Titans" class="copylinks">Hou Oilers/Tennessee Titans 4 6 1 364 L 27-12 September 21 , 2003 Nashville, Tennessee |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Jacksonville_Jaguars" class="copylinks">Jacksonville Jaguars 1 2 0 333 L 20-19 December 21 , 2003 Jacksonville, Florida |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Miami_Dolphins" class="copylinks">Miami Dolphins 3 6 0 333 L 21-6 October 30 , 2005 <nowiki></nowiki> Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Washington_Redskins" class="copylinks">Washington Redskins 7 14 0 333 L 16-10 December 17 , 2006 New Orleans, Louisiana |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/San_Francisco_49ers" class="copylinks">San Francisco 49ers 21 45 2 309 W 34-10 December 3 , 2006 New Orleans, Louisiana |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Green_Bay_Packers" class="copylinks">Green Bay Packers 6 14 0 300 W 34-27 September 17 , 2006 Green Bay, Wisconsin |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/New_England_Patriots" class="copylinks">New England Patriots 3 8 0 273 L 24-17 November 20 , 2005 Foxboro, Massachusetts |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Minnesota_Vikings" class="copylinks">Minnesota Vikings 7 19 0 269 L 33-16 September 25 , 2005 Minneapolis, Minnesota 0-2 postseason |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Cleveland_Browns" class="copylinks">Cleveland Browns 4 11 0 267 W 19-14 September 10 , 2006 Cleveland, Ohio |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Baltimore_Ravens" class="copylinks">Baltimore Ravens 1 3 0 250 L 35-22 October 29 , 2006 New Orleans, Louisiana |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Denver_Broncos" class="copylinks">Denver Broncos 2 6 0 250 L 34-13 November 21 , 2004 New Orleans, Louisiana |
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| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/San_Diego_Chargers" class="copylinks">San Diego Chargers 2 7 0 222 L 43-17 November 7 , 2004 San Diego, California |
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