Editing New Orleans Saints (section)

=== John Mecom Jr. era (1967–1984) ===
U.S. [[House Majority Whip]] from Louisiana [[Hale Boggs]] attached the merger to a bill approving an exemption from antitrust sanctions allowing for the merger and the team. [[John W. Mecom Jr.]], a young oilman from Houston, became the team's first majority stockholder. The team's colors, black and gold, symbolized both Mecom's and New Orleans' strong ties to the [[oil]] industry. Trumpeter [[Al Hirt]] was part owner of the team.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/28/arts/al-hirt-76-trumpeter-and-symbol-of-new-orleans-dies.html|title=Al Hirt, 76, Trumpeter and Symbol of New Orleans, Dies|last=Ravo|first=Nick|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 28, 1999|accessdate=June 3, 2024}}</ref>
[[File:1986 Jeno's Pizza - 25 - Archie Manning (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|[[Archie Manning]], pictured attempting a pass in 1980, was one of the first players to be inducted into the Saints' Ring of Honor.]]

Tom Fears was named as the team's first head coach.<ref name="i66a">{{cite web | last=Trahan | first=Ken | title=New Orleans Saints Coaching History—Tom Fears (1967-70) | website=Crescent City Sports | date=2020-04-08 | url=https://crescentcitysports.com/new-orleans-saints-coaching-history-tom-fears-1967-70/ | access-date=2024-08-20}}</ref> The inaugural game on September 17, [[1967 New Orleans Saints season|1967]], started with Saints receiver [[John Gilliam]] returning the opening kickoff 94-yards for a touchdown, in a losing effort, 27–13, to the [[1967 Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams]] at Tulane Stadium, with over 80,000 in attendance.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ctcpAAAAIBAJ&pg=6825%2C3573816 |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |agency=Associated Press |title=Rams get scare but top Saints |date=September 18, 1967 |page=2, part 2}}</ref> It was one of the few highlights of a 3–11 season, which set an NFL record for most wins by an expansion team.

For most of their first 20 years, the Saints finished third or fourth in their division until [[1979 New Orleans Saints season|1979]]. Until 1987, the 1979 and [[1983 New Orleans Saints season|1983]] teams were the only ones to finish at .500.

One of the franchise's early bright moments came on November 8, 1970, when [[Tom Dempsey]] kicked an NFL record-breaking 63-yard field goal at Tulane Stadium to defeat the [[1970 Detroit Lions season|Detroit Lions]] 19–17 in the final seconds of the game; the previous record was seven yards less, set in <!--September 27,-->{{nfly|1953}}.<ref name="dfgwgmms">{{Cite news |date=November 9, 1970 |title=Dempsey's 63 yard FG jolts Lions |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IJtRAAAAIBAJ&pg=3930%2C1540387 |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |page=1, part 2 |agency=Associated Press|via=Google News}}</ref><ref name="cjbrs">{{Cite news |date=September 28, 1953 |title=Colts jolt Bears, 13–9, get record 56-yard field goal |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=E5ExAAAAIBAJ&pg=2279%2C3321799 |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |page=2, part 2 |agency=Associated Press|via=Google News}}</ref> Dempsey's record was not broken until {{nfly|2013}} by [[Matt Prater]] of the [[2013 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]], who kicked one yard farther.

In [[1980 New Orleans Saints season|1980]], the Saints lost their first 14 games, prompting local sportscaster Bernard "Buddy D" Diliberto to advise Saints supporters to wear paper bags over their heads at the team's home games; many bags rendered the club's name as the "'[[Ain't|Aint]]s" rather than the "Saints."<ref name=Aints>{{cite news|last1=Bishop|first1=Greg|title=Beneath Brown Bags, Saints Had Loyal Fans|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/sports/football/05bag.html?_r=0|access-date=May 25, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=February 4, 2010|archive-date=August 31, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831062146/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/sports/football/05bag.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref>