Who Dat ? Who dat ? is an English idiom originating from New Orleans for over a century . First referenced in poetry , the phrase was a common dialogue element between the performers and crowd at traveling minstrel shows in the region . Eventually , the phrase became used in US cinematic productions for two decades , including TV and movies . In World War II , the phrase became known as a source of entertainment for American soldiers . More recently , the phrase ' Who dat ? ' has become a chant of team support . It is most widely used by fans of the New Orleans Saints , an American football team . The entire chant is : " Who dat ? Who dat ? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints ? " " Who dat " may also be used as a noun , describing a Saints fan . Origins . The chant of " Who Dat ? " originated in minstrel shows and vaudeville acts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was taken up by jazz and big band performers in the 1920s and 30s . The first reference to " Who Dat ? " can be found in the 19th Century in the poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar , first in his poem " When Malindy Sings " and later in his lyrics to the song " Who Dat Say Chicken in dis Crowd , " a featured song in " " , an " operetta " by Dunbar and Will Marion Cook that was first presented as part of E . E . Rice ' s 1898 show " Summer Nights " . A common tag line in the days of Negro minstrel shows was : " Who dat ? " answered by " Who dat say who dat ? " Many different blackface d gags played off that opening . Vaudeville performer Mantan Moreland was known for the routine . Another example is " Swing Wedding , " a 1930s Harman - Ising cartoon musical , which caricatured Fats Waller , Cab Calloway , Bill " Bojangles " Robinson , Ethel Waters , and the Mills Brothers as frogs in a swamp performing minstrel show jokes and jazz tunes . The frogs repeatedly used the phrase " who dat ? " In the swing era , " who dat " chants back and forth between the band and the band leader or between the audience and the band were extemporaneous . That is , there was no one specific set of words except for the two magic ones . " Who Dat ? " lyrics from 1937 : Who dat up there who ’ s dat down there < br > Who dat up there who dat well down there < br > Who ’ s dat up there , sayin ’ who ’ s dat down there < br > When I see you up there well who ’ s dat down there Who dat inside who ’ s dat outside < br > Who ’ s dat inside who dat well outside < br > Who ’ s dat inside , singin ’ who ’ s dat outside < br > When I see up there well who ’ s dat out there Button up your lip there big boy < br > Stop answerin ’ back < br > Give you a tip there big boy < br > Announce yourself jack Who dat up there who ’ s dat down there < br > Who dat up there who dat , well down there < br > Who ’ s dat up there , singin ’ who ’ s dat down there < br > When I see you up there you bum < br > Well who ’ s dat down there Who dat < br > Staged minstrel skits featured frightened African - American characters saying " who dat " when they encountered a ghost , or someone imitating a ghost . Then , the " who dat " - " who dat say who dat " skit would play itself out . This skit was done frequently in short reels from the 1930s to 1950s and in some early TV shows too . Even the Marx Brothers had a " who dat " routine , which they included in their film " A Day at the Races " . " Who Dat Man ? Why It ' s Gabriel ! " Often , a ghost was called a " who dat " . MGM ' s now - banned animated character Bosko once had such an encounter in a 1938 toon called " Lil Ol Bosko in Bagdad " . " Who Dat ? " became a familiar joke with soldiers during World War II . Back in WWII , US fighter squadron pilots would often fly under radio silence . But things get lonely up there in the cockpit , so after a while there ' d be a crackle of static as someone keyed his mike . Then a disembodied voice would reply , " Who dat ? " An answer would come , " Who dat say who dat ? " And another , " Who dat say who dat when ah say who dat ? " After a few rounds of this , the squadron commander would grab his microphone and yell , " Cut it out , you guys ! " A few moments of silence . Then . . . " Who dat ? " Origins of the " Who Dat ? " chant . " Who Dat " became part of a chant for fans cheering on their favorite team . It has been debated exactly where it started , but some claim it began with Southern University Jaguars fans either in the late 1960s or early 1970s and went " Who dat talkin ' ' bout beatin ' dem Jags " . Another claim is that it was connected with St . Augustine High School , a historically African - American all - boys Catholic high school in New Orleans , and yet another is that the cheer originated at Patterson High School in Patterson , Louisiana ( home of Saints running back Dalton Hilliard ) . In the late 1970s fans at Alcorn State University and Louisiana State University picked up on the cheer . Fans of professional wrestler Junkyard Dog , a star on the Mid - South Wrestling circuit from 1979 to 1984 who frequently appeared in events at the Louisiana Superdome and Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans , had a similar chant : " Who dat think they gonna beat that Dog " . By 1983 the cheer had become so popular among fans that the New Orleans Saints organization officially adopted it during the tenure of coach Bum Phillips , and Aaron Neville ( along with local musicians Sal and Steve Monistere and Carlo Nuccio ) recorded a version of " When the Saints Go Marching In " that incorporated the chant of " Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints " ( performed by a group of Saints players ) . The song quickly became a major local hit , due in part to the support of sportscaster Ron Swoboda and the fact that Saints fans had been using the chant for some time . Meanwhile , in about 1981 Cincinnati Bengals fans and players had started with their similar " Who Dey " cheer ( " Who Dey think gonna beat them Bengals " ) . In a 2006 article , Toni Monkovic , a " New York Times " writer , speculated that the 1981 popularity of the Bengals ’ " Who Dey " may have led Saints fans to expand their use of " Who Dat " , from the " small number , and possibly a very small number " of Saints fans using it in the late 1970s to the much wider use of the chant in 1983 . She noted that the fan bases of the two teams continue to disagree about this , and that ultimately the evidence is unclear . " Who Dat ? " spin - off chants . After the Saints won the on January 24 , 2010 , against the Minnesota Vikings in the Superdome , fans from all across New Orleans , including fans who were exiting the game , started a Mardi Gras - style " Who Dat " on Bourbon Street with modified lyrics , chanting , " Who Dat , Who Dat , Who Dat in the Super Bowl ! " in reference to the Saints advancing to the Super Bowl for the first time ever in their 43 - year history . In Super Bowl XLIV , on February 7 , 2010 , the Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts 31 - 17 . Who Dat Nation . In recent years the phrase " Who Dat Nation " has become a popular term for the entire community of Saints fans . According to Bobby Hebert , formerly a Saints quarterback and currently a sports commentator in New Orleans , the term " Who Dat Nation " originated after a highly anticipated 2006 game between the Saints and the favored Dallas Cowboys , which the Saints won ; after the game , listeners from a wide geographic range called in to Hebert ' s radio show on WWL ( AM ) , and Hebert commented , " Man , there ' s a whole Who Dat Nation out there . " Ownership controversy . In January 2010 , the NFL sent cease and desist letters to several Louisiana t - shirt shop owners ordering them to cease producing t - shirts bearing the phrase " Who dat " . According to some recipients of these letters , the NFL was claiming to own the trademark to the term " Who dat " , and that unlicensed t - shirts bearing the phrase would cause confusion among fans of the Saints about the official status of the merchandise . On January 27 one company tweeted about their whodat tee shirt cease and desist order from the NFL , and NewOrleans . com and Huffington Post interviewed the Monisteres about the NFL ' s claims in relation to their company " Who Dat ? , Inc . " The next day , the brothers released a statement claiming rights to the phrase to NewOrleans . com , which they registered in 1983 after recording the version of " When the Saints Go Marching In " that incorporated the chant . The Monistere ' s record is listed as inactive , meaning that it was not renewed upon expiration . The Saints organization , through their company " The New Orleans Louisiana Saints Limited Partnership " , also registered the mark " Who Dat " in 1988 when used in conjunction with " fleur - de - lis design " , but later the Saints released their claim of ownership to " WhoDat , Inc . " , asserting that they owned the phrase . The NFL ' s action also provoked responses from U . S . Senator David Vitter and Congressman Charlie Melancon of Louisiana , among others . Vitter sent a formal letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell criticizing the NFL ' s attempt to claim ownership of the chant , informing Goodell he would be printing t - shirts using the phrase , and daring the NFL to sue him . It was later reported that the NFL had responded to Vitter ' s letter , stating that it was only seeking to prevent unauthorized uses of " Who Dat ? " together with other identifying marks of the Saints . Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell called the NFL and had a conversation about the ownership of the " Who Dat " slogan and of the fleur - de - lis . Caldwell said the bottom line from the legal back - and - forth with the league is that the NFL " is conceding it has no exclusive rights to the fleur - de - lis and no exclusive rights to ' Who Dat ' and offshoots of ' Who Dat , ' and no exclusive rights to the colors black and gold . " Caldwell said his office was drafting a document to be signed by the state and the NFL outlining what is and is not allowable . On March 4 , 2010 , the Monisteres ' company , Who Dat ? Inc . , filed suit in federal court against the Saints , NFL Properties , and the state of Louisiana , alleging improper interference with their business interests . The suit alleges : in 1987 the New Orleans Saints were granted a license by Who Dat ? , Inc . to use the Who Dat phrase ; in that agreement , the Saints agreed that the mark was original and that Monistere was the first use owner of the trademark ; the Saints also agreed to never challenge Monistere ' s ownership of the mark or aid any one else in doing so ; and the Saints were to also help protect the mark from infringement by others on behalf of the licensors ( Who Dat ? , Inc . ) . Who Dat ? Inc . subsequently amended their complaint to name several local retailers as defendants , most notably Fleurty Girl , and the matter was set for initial hearing in the U . S . District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana on November 10 , 2010 . In January 2012 , it was reported that the NFL and the Monisteres had agreed to dismiss their claims against each other and to cooperate in the production of " co - branded merchandise " . The lawsuit continued as to some of the other defendants , pending hearing of their motions to dismiss the case . In October 2012 it was reported that the remaining parties had settled the case on confidential terms . According to one attorney and restaurant owner who had been a party to the case , " The net effect of the settlement is that nobody owns Who Dat " . In hip hop . " Who Dat " is the name of the 8th single from " The Recession " by Young Jeezy . " They say who dat ? " JT Money has a 1999 single called " Who Dat . " The song was a hit , but was likely not intended to have any relation to the Saints or Vaudeville . " Who dat " is also used in the song " Holla Back " by New Orleans - based rapper Juvenile : " They want a pimp to give them some money , but I don ' t do that . But baby I ' m a Saints fan that ' s why I say who dat . " In 2008 , New Orleans based artist Lil Wayne referenced the chant in his hit single " A Milli " where he raps " Who dat say dey gonna beat Lil Wayne " even though he is a Green Bay Packers fan . In 2009 , New Orleans based artist K . Gates recorded “ Black and Gold ( Who Dat ) ” based on Ying Yang Twins ’ “ Halftime ( Get Crunk ) ” . In 2009 , New Orleans rapper Birdman chants a " Who Dat . " in the Single Wasted ( Remix ) by Gucci Mane featuring Birdman , Jadakiss and Lil Wayne . In 2010 , rapper J . Cole recorded a song called " Who Dat " . In 2010 , New Orleans native , Ashley Forrestier released " Who Dat ( Going to the Super Bowl ) " celebrating the New Orleans Saints 31 - 28 Overtime Win over the Minnesota Vikings in the . In 2012 , New Orleans based rapper G - Eazy , in collaboration with artists Mod Sun and Meta , released the song " Rappin ' A $ $ Rappers " in which G - Eazy raps " livin ' in New Orleans where dem people holla ' Who Dat ' " .