The brainchild of local sports entrepreneur 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. The NFL needed congressional approval of the proposed AFL-NFL football 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.

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.

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. The 2000 NFL Executive of the Year Award was won by General Manager Randy Mueller indoctrinating large New Orleans Saints tickets sales.

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.

The divisional schedule this season includes the Nov. 2 (Monday) at 7:30pm CST with the Atlanta Falcons at home in the the Louisiana Superdome, November 8 at 3:05pm CST with the Carolina Panthers at home in the Louisiana Superdome, November 22 at 12noon CST at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Raymond James Stadium, December 13 at 12:00pm CST at Atlanta Falcons Georgia Dome, December 27 at 12:00 CST with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home in the Louisiana Superdome, and 17 January 3, 2010 at 12:00 CST at Carolina Panthers Bank of America Stadium. See if Drew Brees can bring the team some postseason glory with New Orleans Saints tickets from The Seats.