The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that former New Orleans Saints linebacker Sam Mills was recognized as a semifinalist for the Class of 2019.
Mills played in the NFL for 12 years, spending 9 of them in New Orleans as part of the formidable “Dome Patrol” defense with linebackers Pat Swilling, Vaughan Johnson, and Rickey Jackson, who was named to the Hall of Fame Class of 2010. Mills logged 934 tackles for the black and gold along with 17 fumble recoveries, 16 forced fumbles, 10.5 sacks, and 4 interceptions, scoring 2 defensive touchdowns. He left the team in 1995 as a founding member of the expansion-team Carolina Panthers, who raised a statue in his honor outside their home stadium following his 2005 passing.