All season NewOrleansSaints.com will be writing about the special moments, traditions and plays from the 50 season of Saints football. Today, the story of how New Orleans was awarded the Saints.
By Peter Finney Jr., Special to NewOrleansSaints.com
Frank Dixon was a sophomore at Jesuit High School in 1966 when his father Dave, the incurable optimist and visionary, got the word from NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle: After years of showcasing the Crescent City as a potentially powerhouse pro football market, Dave Dixon and the equally powerful Louisiana Congressional delegation had delivered on their decade-long quest to acquire an NFL expansion franchise for New Orleans.