The New Orleans Saints joined the National Football League (NFL) in 1967. The new club didn't to well for several years playing in the National Football League (NFL). The Saints hired several coaches during that period, getting twelve consecutive losing records, and averaging only four wins per season from 1967 to 1978. The team’s leader during much of this time was quarterback Archie Manning, who won the National Football League (NFL) player of the year award in 1978. The greatest moment in New Orleans Saints history came on November 8, 1970, when New Orleans kicker Tom Dempsey sealed a 19-17 upset of the Detroit Lions with a 63 yard field goal, the longest in National Football League (NFL) history. The New Orleans Saints began playing in the Superdome in 1975, and four years later they recorded their first non losing mark, finishing with an 8-8 win loss record under head coach Dick Nolan.

The team’s woes continued during the 1980s, however, and New Orleans Saints was never able to put together more than eight wins in a season. Under head coach Jim Mora, the New Orleans Saints achieved their first winning record and their first playoff appearance in 1987. A former defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, Mora was named National Football League (NFL) coach of the year. Running back Rueben Mayes, the 1986 rookie of the year, and wide receiver Eric Martin, a three-time 1,000-yard gainer, anchored the National Football Conference’s (NFC) second-best offense. Mora steered the Saints to three consecutive trips to the postseason from 1990 to 1992.

New Orleans assembled the National Football Conference’s (NFC) strongest defense in 1990 and 1991, led by one of the best linebacker units in the league. In 1992 linebackers Rickey Jackson, Vaughn Johnson, Sam Mills, and Pat Swilling all played in the Pro Bowl, and the Saints led the league in quarterback sacks. Despite its tenacious defense, the team lost in the first round each time it made the playoffs. At the end of the 1996 season, former Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka replaced Mora. Ditka was fired after the 1999 season. The New Orleans Saints have never played in the Super Bowl. New Orleans Saints are one of four teams in the Western Division of the National Football Conference (NFC), which is part of the National Football League (NFL). The New Orleans Saints home stadium in the Louisiana Superdome, and the teams uniform colors are, gold, black, and white. The team is named after the Dixieland classic and team fight song, “When the Saints Go Marchin" In.