What’s your must obscure, random Saints fact? (1 Viewer)

[watts]

I’ll go first:

1) we once had an astronaut as a GM

 

[Saint Kamara]

Shiner was Pittsburgh QB that Doug Atkins sacked on his last play in Tulane Stadium.

Of course Dick Shiner was sacked.

 

[Green-Ghost]

Former Super Bowl 3 champion, Kansas City Chiefs coach Hank Stram became coach of the Saints. He coached the Saints to an even 8 & 8 season while Mecham was still the owner.

 

[NatureBoy]

It helped that Louisiana Senator Russell Long (Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee) and Louisiana Representative Hale Boggs (House Majority Whip) were on the job in D.C.

At that time the bill to merge the NFL and AFL was in congress. On its own, it would have to go through the Senate Judiciary Committee where it was unlikely to get out because it would have required an antitrust exemption which would have been opposed.

Hale Boggs came up with a plan and attached the merger bill to a tax bill heavily supported by LBJ. It included the antitrust exemption. Since it was primarily a tax bill, it would get routed to Long's Finance Committee, where he could steer it towards a vote.

Before the vote occurred, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle told Boggs that he didn't know how to thank him for helping out the NFL-AFL merger. Boggs essentially told him New Orleans gets a franchise immediately. That's the deal. The bill passed and New Orleans got its franchise.


And what a helmet it was. It accompanied him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.



The Falcons were led that day by a journeyman QB named Dick Shiner.

In the late 60s/early 70s the Browns had a WR named Fair Hooker.

 

[noser222]

I thought the 1992 Saints defense would have the best DSRS of the 1990s, but it was actually the 1999 Bills

 

[Dan in Lafayette]

In the late 60s/early 70s the Browns had a WR named Fair Hooker.

I remember him. And since he was a junior, he was also the son of a Fair Hooker.

 

[noser222]

Former Super Bowl 3 champion, Kansas City Chiefs coach Hank Stram became coach of the Saints. He coached the Saints to an even 8 & 8 season while Mecham was still the owner.

No...only after he was gone. Dick Nolan 1979 was first 8-8 season.

 

[Outbackjack]

Saints in October .....

Since 2017........

15-0

 

[sainthood]

The Saints gave the new Cleveland Browns and the Tampa Bay Bucs franchises their first ever wins. Flipper Anderson holds the single game record for receiving yards with 336 for the Rams against the Saints in 1989. The Saints were up 17 to 3 going into the fourth quarter and lost by three points.

 

[noser222]

19 years, that's impressive

is that a record?

I don't know about a record, but there was a time in the 90s when the Saints had a streak of not being shut out until 1997 ending with Danny Wuerfull backwards helmet.

 

[ndcc]

No...only after he was gone. Dick Nolan 1979 was first 8-8 season.

Glad you tweaked that... yes, it was Dick Nolan (father of former Saints LB coach Mike Nolan).

Stram should have been given another 2+ years. He was really building a good team. Sort of unfair.

 

[njsaint]

Without Al Dodd, Dempsey's kick would never have occurred.

Detroit kicked a field goal with 11 seconds on the clock to take the lead...17-16.
Dodd returned the kick-off to the 28 yd line with 8 seconds to go.
Kilmer then hit Dodd with a 17 yd. pass on the sidelines that required a tippy toe catch with 2 seconds to go.

The rest is history...





When I was six years old (1971), I bought a pack of football cards that contained the one on the bottom. For some reason I liked the uniform and became a life long fan.

Great story! I love it...

 

[ndcc]

The Saints gave the new Cleveland Browns and the Tampa Bay Bucs franchises their first ever wins. Flipper Anderson holds the single game record for receiving yards with 336 for the Rams against the Saints in 1989. The Saints were up 17 to 3 going into the fourth quarter and lost by three points.

Well, well, well Sainthood.

Aren’t you the spreader of sunshine and great memories.

 

[njsaint]

The Saints gave the new Cleveland Browns and the Tampa Bay Bucs franchises their first ever wins. Flipper Anderson holds the single game record for receiving yards with 336 for the Rams against the Saints in 1989. The Saints were up 17 to 3 going into the fourth quarter and lost by three points.

How can a guy have 336 receiving yards overall and his team only have 3 points through 3 quarters? Amazing stat, I remember that game ...

 

[zatsnzapps]

Flipper Anderson holds the single game record for receiving yards with 336 for the Rams against the Saints in 1989.

That game still ****** me off.

 

[njsaint]

I have always maintained that was the loudest I have ever heard the Dome. 8-7. 2 minutes from our first ever winning season and a playoff game. 2 minutes left. The Dome Patrol. The players on the bench waving towels and the Dome was absolutely insane. Then Lansford breaks our heart and the Dome goes deafly quiet for maybe a minute. Then like the movies we started clapping. Not cheering. Just clapping. The best season ever to that point

Easily the most brutal loss to that point for me as a Saint fan from about 74.. never forget it- Monday night game, thought we were finally going to the playoffs. just awful- hated those Ram teams

 

[njsaint]

The Saints did not play in the same division in back-to-back years for their first 4 years of existence.

67: NFL Capitol
68: NFL Century (with the Browns, Steelers and St. Louis Cardinals)
69: NFL Capitol
70: NFC West

They just kept passing us around....