Elisha Archibald Manning III is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New Orleans Saints. He was a member of the Saints from 1971 to 1982 and also had brief stints with the Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings. In college, he played for the Ole Miss Rebels football team at the University of Mississippi and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989. Manning is the father of Cooper Manning, and former NFL quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Eli Manning.
Drew Christopher Brees is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He had a successful college football career at Purdue University, becoming one of the most decorated players in Purdue and Big Ten Conference history. Brees set two NCAA records, 13 Big Ten Conference records, and 19 Purdue University records during his college career. He remains the Big Ten record-holder in several passing categories, including completions (1,026), attempts (1,678), and yards (11,792). Brees was chosen by the San Diego Chargers with the first pick in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. Brees earned the starting job with the Chargers in 2002 and made the Pro Bowl in 2004. Nine months after suffering a dislocation in his right shoulder joint and a tear of the labrum and rotator cuff, Brees signed with the Saints as a free agent in 2006, where he has played since. He experienced immediate success in New Orleans, leading the Saints to their first-ever Super Bowl in Super Bowl XLIV and helping the team to a 31–17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Jonathan Polynice Vilma is a former American football linebacker and current Fox NFL analyst. He played college football at the University of Miami, winning a National Championship in 2001. He would go on to be drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Vilma won a Super Bowl championship with the New Orleans Saints. He serves as a color analyst for the NFL on Fox. He previously worked atESPN as a college football commentator and studio analyst. Vilma was elected as a member of the Orange Bowl Committee in 2018.
Reginald Alfred Bush Jr. is a former American football running back. He played college football at USC, where he earned consensus All-American honors twice and won the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding player in the nation. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints second overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. While with the Saints, Bush was named an All-Pro punt returner in 2008 and won Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 over the Indianapolis Colts. He also played for the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, and San Francisco 49ers.
William Raymond Smith III was an American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Ohio State and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft, where he played for the entirety of his career. Smith was shot and killed during an altercation after an alcohol related traffic crash.
William Layton Roaf, nicknamed "Nasty," is a former American football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college football for Louisiana Tech University, where he earned consensus All-American honors. He was a first-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL. An 11-time Pro Bowl selection and nine-time All-Pro, he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
Rickey Anderson Jackson is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints (1981–1993) and the San Francisco 49ers (1994–1995). With the Saints, he led the team's Dome Patrol linebacker corps. In 1997, Jackson was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. Jackson won a Super Bowl ring with the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX one year before retiring. On February 7, 2010, Jackson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Olin George Kreutz is a former American college and professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) for fourteen seasons. He played college football for University of Washington, and earned consensus All-American honors. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft and played professionally for the Bears and New Orleans Saints of the NFL.
Robert Martin Bailey is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Rams, Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions and the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football at the University of Miami.
Cedric Leonard Griffin is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Texas, where he was a stand-out performer on the 2005 national championship team.
David A. Whitsell was an American football cornerback in the National Football League for the Detroit Lions, the Chicago Bears, and the New Orleans Saints. He was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1967 season. Whitsell played college football at Indiana University.
The 1980 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 14th as a member of the National Football League. The Saints failed to improve on the previous season's output of 8–8, winning only one game. The team missed the playoffs for the fourteenth consecutive season and had the dubious distinction not only of winning only a single game, but winning it by a single point against the similarly struggling Jets, who like the Saints had widely been predicted before the season to advance to their first playoff appearance since 1969.
Mark Valentino Ingram II is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Alabama, won the Heisman Trophy, and was a member of a national championship team. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Patrick Robinson is an American football cornerback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State, and was drafted by the Saints in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Robinson has also played for the San Diego Chargers, Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles.
Reggie Jones is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Portland State University and the University of Idaho.
Cameron Tyler Jordan is an American football defensive end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at California, and was drafted by the Saints in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Andrus Jamerson Peat is an American football guard for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Stanford. As a high school senior, he was considered the best college football recruit by Sporting News. He committed to Stanford on February 1, 2012.
Lamar Holmes is a Canadian football offensive tackle for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Holmes played college football at Southern Miss. He is from Gastonia, North Carolina and attended Hunter Huss High School.
Landon Turner is an American football guard who is currently a free agent. He played college football at North Carolina. His uncle Jim Braxton played professionally for the Bills and Dolphins in the 1970s.
Thomas Mason Stevens is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi State and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Stevens initially played football at Penn State before transferring to Mississippi State. He played high school football at Decatur Central High School (DCHS) in Indianapolis. He played safety and quarterback in high school.
