New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans , Louisiana . The Saints were founded on November 1 , 1966 as an expansion team and played their home games at Tulane Stadium through the 1974 season . Their early record was marked by a lack of success ; they went more than a decade before they managed to finish a season with a . 500 record , two decades before having a winning season , and over four decades before finally reaching the Super Bowl . The team ' s 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 reached the NFC Championship Game in the 2006 season but lost 39 – 14 to the Chicago Bears . They repeated this feat in their most successful season in 2009 , this time winning the game and their first conference championship to send them to their first Super Bowl appearance . At Super Bowl XLIV , the Saints won the city of New Orleans its first league championship , defeating the Indianapolis Colts 31 - 17 . Since 1975 , the Saints ' home stadium has been the Louisiana Superdome , where they have played their home games every season except for 2005 , due to the disruption caused by Hurricane Katrina . History . The Jim Mora Era . 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 . During Mora ' s tenure the Saints made the playoffs four times , with teams marked by strong defenses led by the " Dome Patrol " linebacking corps , but 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 3 – 13 season . The Mike Ditka Era . 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 failure . 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 the Washington Redskins in order to draft University of Texas Heisman Trophy 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 . The Jim Haslett Era . 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 . 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 . The Rams , Saints , and Vikings all were 8 – 8 , with the Rams having a 7 – 5 conference record , Saints 6 – 6 , and the Vikings 5 – 7 . The Rams received the # 1 wild - card due to having the best conference record out of the 3 , followed by the Vikings due to the 33 – 16 loss handed to the Saints in Week 3 . Haslett was fired 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 . Effect of Hurricane Katrina . Due to the damage Hurricane Katrina caused to the Superdome and the New Orleans area , the Saints scheduled 2005 home opener against the New York Giants was moved to Giants Stadium . 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 . The Sean Payton and Drew Brees Era . 2006 . On March 23 , the Saints announced that the team ' s two 2006 preseason games were to be played at Shreveport , Louisiana and Jackson , Mississippi . After a $ 185 million renovation of the historic stadium , on April 6 the Saints released their 2006 schedule , with all home games scheduled to be played at the Superdome . On September 19 , Saints owner Tom Benson announced that the team had sold out the Louisiana Superdome for the entire season with season tickets alone ( 70 , 001 seats ) , a first in franchise history . 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 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 at the time . Green Day and U2 performed " Wake Me Up When September Ends " and " The Saints Are Coming " , respectively , before the game . The game received a 2007 ESPY award for " Best Moment in Sports " . On December 17 , 2006 , the Saints clinched their third division title and their first NFC South title in franchise history . For the first time in Saints ' history , they clinched their NFC South title on their home field . 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 . After the first - round bye , the Saints beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27 – 24 in the Superdome in the 2006 Divisional Playoffs . No team had ever had such a poor record in the prior year ( 3 – 13 ) and then gone on to a league or conference championship game since the 1999 St . Louis Rams who advanced to win their first Super Bowl after being 4 – 12 the season before . Since the Saints ' only previous playoff win was in the wild card round , this was the farthest the Saints had ever advanced at the time . 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 . The Saints announced that for the second year in a row , the Louisiana Superdome had sold out every ticket for the season . Additionally , all luxury boxes had 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 ) . . The first game of the season was against the defending Super Bowl XLI champion Indianapolis Colts . The Saints lost this game , 41 – 10 , and lost their next three games . In one of these three games , against the Tennessee Titans , the Saints lost running back Deuce McAllister for the season with his second career ( second time in three seasons ) ACL tear . After winning their first game , against the Seattle Seahawks , two weeks later , the team went on a four - game winning streak to bring their record to an even 4 – 4 . After reaching 7 – 7 , the Saints lost their final two games to finish 7 – 9 . 2008 . Following a disappointing 7 - 9 record in the 2007 season , the Saints ended the 2008 season 8 - 8 . Failing to qualify for the post season for the second straight year , the Saints found themselves struggling on defense . The Saints would match the explosive offense they had in the 2006 season , however . Drew Brees ended the 2008 season just 16 yards short of beating Dan Marino single season record of 5084 total passing yards . Lance Moore was 72 yards short of his first 1000 yard season . 2009 . The 2009 season was the team ' s most successful season , which culminated in the franchise ' s first league championship win against the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV . After achieving a record of 13 – 0 with their win over the Atlanta Falcons , it marked the Saints ' best start to a season in its franchise history . The result clinched an NFC playoff berth , a bye in the first round of the playoffs . By winning their first 13 games , the Saints also set the record for the longest undefeated season opening ( 13 – 0 ) by an NFC team since the AFL – NFL merger , surpassing the previous record ( 12 – 0 ) held by the 1985 Chicago Bears . However , they would fall victim to the Dallas Cowboys in week 15 , going on to end the season with a 3 game losing streak . Although its opponents would include winners of 9 of the last 15 NFL MVP awards , the team advanced to the 2009 NFC Championship game where they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 31 – 28 in overtime , and then went on to win their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history . Television ratings for Super Bowl 44 were the highest for any TV program , sports or otherwise , in history . , as their successful bid to win the Super Bowl was seen by many to represent the city ' s resurgence after the devastating Hurricane Katrina 2010 . The Saints 2010 season began in the Superdome as the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14 - 9 , in a rematch of the 2009 NFC Championship Game . It was played on Thursday September 9 , 2010 and televised on NBC , making it the first time the Saints have opened the NFL ' s season at home . On Sunday , August 8 , 2010 , NBC announced the televised opening festivities of the evening would begin with Taylor Swift and Dave Matthews Band . On December 27 , 2010 with a 17 - 14 win against the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta the Saints clinched a playoff appearance ( wild card ) . This marked the first time a team in the NFC South the Saints make back - to - back playoff appearances since the division was formed in 2002 . The Saints would face the Seattle Seahawks for the wild - card opener at Qwest Field . The Seahawks were the 1st NFL team to capture their division with a sub . - 500 regular season record ( 7 - 9 ) . Drew Brees completed a postseason - record 39 passes for 404 yards and two touchdowns . Despite throwing 60 passes and hindered by a lack of depth at running back , last year ' s Super Bowl MVP wasn ' t intercepted and rallied the Saints within 34 - 30 in the fourth quarter . In the end , his efforts were negated by a defense that couldn ' t get enough stops and a late TD run by Marshawn Lynch breaking about a half - dozen tackles with 3 : 22 left which allowed Seattle to finish off the Saints . Final score 41 - 36 . Logos 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 ( a symbol of the City of New Orleans and of France ' s Royal Family , which included the House of Bourbon ) , 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 , Jr . 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 . 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 . In an October 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 E . 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 . The logo replaced the striping pattern that had been on the uniforms since the team ' s inception ; save for color variations , the striping pattern was similar to that used by the Washington Redskins ( until 1979 ) , Green Bay Packers ( until 1997 ) , and Cleveland Browns ( still in use ) , which is likely why the change was made . That logo was removed in 1996 and replaced with a fleur - de - lis on both the sleeves and sides of the pants . Throughout their history at the Superdome , the Saints have never needed to wear their white jerseys to gain an advantage with the heat , but as mentioned before , have done so ( the NFL does not force teams who play in domed stadiums to wear their colored jerseys at home ) . They occasionally wear white at home when facing the Dallas Cowboys in order to force them to wear their " cursed " blue jerseys . 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 . 2000s . 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 , and won 31 – 28 over the defending champion Rams . The defining play of the game came with the Saints clinging to a three - point lead with minutes to play . The Saints punted to the Rams ' Az - Zahir Hakim ( who would play one season for the Saints in 2005 ) , who fumbled the punt deep in Rams ' territory . Brian Milne recovered for the Saints , who then ran out the clock to preserve the victory . In 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 . In 2002 , the Saints wore black pants with their white jerseys ( except for the final road game , a 20 – 13 loss in Cincinnati when they went back to the gold pants ) , and gold pants with their black jerseys , a gold alternate jersey , and a 1967 - style throwback uniform . But one season later , they stopped using the alternates and 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 , a 32 – 31 loss , but have never worn them since then . Because of the metallic gold ' s bright color , the gold jerseys were considered the " light " jersey in the game , so the Vikings wore their purple home jerseys as the " dark " colored team . One team must wear " dark " and one team must wear " light " , this was done because of black & white t . v . broadcasts so viewers could tell the teams apart . the only exception being if both teams are wearing throwback uniforms , such as Thanksgiving Classic games . Today only the New England Patriots have a " light " jersey ( their alternate , a bright metallic silver ) that isn ' t white in which the other team would wear their colored , or " dark " jerseys against them since the third jersey rule was implemented in the NFL in 2002 . The Saints also introduced a 1967 - style throwback uniform in a 23 – 20 win in week 13 ( December 1 ) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . This also was never worn again but re - introduction of the jerseys in stores suggests they may make a comeback as the Saints ' alternate uniform . In 2006 , to honor their return to Louisiana , the Saints wore 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 after the second home game . 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 Atlanta Falcons , Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati Bengals did not agree to the switch , forcing the Saints to wear white jerseys for that game . Starting in week 13 of the 2006 season , the Saints wore white 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 . The Saints later stuck with that combo in the NFC Championship in Chicago . The Saints wore white jerseys for their first four home games of 2008 . Three of the four games the white jerseys with black pants combination were worn at home , while the white jerseys with gold pants combination were worn for the first of those four games . The Saints chose to wear the all - black combination for the October 26 game at Wembley Stadium in London vs . the San Diego Chargers , in which New Orleans was the designated home team . They also wore black jerseys with black pants for the rest of their home games at the Superdome following the game at London . The Saints wore their white jerseys at home for the first three home games of 2009 . , with the gold pants combination . They have worn the all - black combo the last two home games . For its run through the 2009 playoffs , the team wore the gold pants . The Saints wore the white jerseys / black pants combination only once in 2009 , the November 15 game vs . the St . Louis Rams . Rivals . Atlanta Falcons . The Saints ' oldest and most important rival is the Atlanta Falcons . The two clubs joined the NFL within a year of each other as expansion teams and have been pitted against one another in the NFC West and later the NFC South . Tampa Bay Buccaneers ( Battle of the Gulf Coast ) . The Saints also have a developing rivalry with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , which have been part of the NFC South with the Saints since 2002 . The teams actually played each other quite often as non - division rivals . Between 1977 - 2001 , there were only five years in which the teams did not play . This includes 12 years in a row from 1981 - 92 - all as a result of the scheduling formulas in place prior to 2002 ( this remains a record for most consecutive years in which two teams not from the same division met each other ) . The Saints won 13 of 20 games as non - division opponents . Since becoming division rivals the series has been even , with 9 games each won by both New Orleans and Tampa Bay . Statistics . Record vs . opponents . < nowiki > * < / nowiki > Super Bowl XLIV . The Saints were designated the visiting team for this game . < nowiki > * * < / nowiki > The Saints were designated the home team for this game . Pro Bowl Players . The following Saints players have been named to the Pro bowl : Players . Pro Football Hall of Famers . Until the selection of Rickey Jackson in 2010 , there had been no players in the Hall of Fame whose time with the Saints contributed to their selection ; the others were chosen for their work with previous teams . However , Jim Finks ' s tenure as Saints general manager was a significant factor in his selection . New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame . The Saints Hall of Fame is a non - profit organization created by and for fans of the team to protect , preserve , promote and present the history of the franchise . 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 . Due to building damage received during Hurricane Katrina the Hall of Fame is temporarily located at Gate B in the New Orleans Superdome and can be visited for free at every Saints home game . 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 2004 . Busts and paintings of each of the 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 . New Orleans Saints All - Time team . The Saints Hall of Fame selection committee met recently and selected the franchise ’ s all - time team as the club heads into its 45th year of competition ( 2011 ) . The committee , currently composed of 19 prominent members of the local media – representing print , television and radio – chooses a Saints all - time team every five years . The current edition features all eras of Saints history , with 19 of the 29 honorees being named as unanimous selections . The following is the list of the All - Time Saints team , along with their years of service to the Saints : OFFENSE Wide Receiver – Eric Martin * ( 1985 – 93 ) Wide Receiver – Joe Horn * ( 2000 – 06 ) Center – John Hill * ( 1975 – 84 ) Guard – Jim Dombrowski * ( 1986 – 96 ) Guard – Jahri Evans * ( 2006 – present ) Tackle – Willie Roaf * ( 1993 – 2001 ) Tackle – Stan Brock * ( 1980 – 92 ) Tight End – Hoby Brenner * ( 1981 – 93 ) Quarterback – Drew Brees * ( 2006 – present ) Running Back – Dalton Hilliard * ( 1986 – 93 ) Running Back – Deuce McAllister ( 2001 – 09 ) Athlete – Reggie Bush ( 2006 – present ) DEFENSE Defensive Line – Wayne Martin ( 1989 – 99 ) Defensive Line – Jim Wilks ( 1981 – 93 ) Defensive Line – Joe Johnson * ( 1994 – 98 , 2000 – 01 ) Defensive Line – Will Smith ( 2004 – present ) Linebacker – Sam Mills * ( 1986 – 94 ) Linebacker – Vaughan Johnson * ( 1986 – 93 ) Linebacker – Rickey Jackson * ( 1981 – 93 ) Linebacker – Pat Swilling * ( 1986 – 92 ) Cornerback – Dave Waymer * ( 1980 – 89 ) Cornerback – Mike McKenzie ( 2004 – 09 ) Safety – Tommy Myers ( 1972 – 81 ) Safety – Sammy Knight ( 1997 - 02 ) SPECIALISTS Kicker – Morten Andersen * ( 1982 – 94 ) Punter – Tommy Barnhardt ( 1987 , 89 - 94 , 99 ) Special Teamer – Fred McAfee * ( 1991 – 93 , 2000 – 06 ) Kick / Punt Returner – Michael Lewis * ( 2001 – 06 ) COACH Sean Payton ( 2006 – present ) Joe Gemelli " Fleur - De - Lis " Award . Awarded yearly to a person who has contributed to the betterment of the New Orleans Saints organization . Radio and television . The Saints ' flagship station is WWL 870AM ( FM Simulcast on WWL 105 . 3FM ) , 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 WVUE ( Channel 8 ) , a station which has been owned by a consortium led by Saints owner Tom Benson since mid - 2008 . Tim Brando and Solomon Wilcots call the preseason action .