1970 New Orleans Saints season

NFL team season

1970 New Orleans Saints season

Owner| John W. Mecom Jr.
General manager| Vic Schwenk
Head coach| Tom Fears (1–5–1)
J. D. Roberts (1–6)
Home field| Tulane Stadium
Results
Record| 2–11–1
Division place| 4th NFC West
Playoff finish| Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers| None

* <- 1969
* Saints seasons
* 1971 ->

Logo of New Orleans Saints (1967-1999)

The 1970 New Orleans Saints season was the team's fourth as a member of the National Football League. After spending their first three seasons in the NFL's Eastern Conference, the Saints moved in 1970 to the West Division of the new National Football Conference. They failed to improve on their previous season's output of 5–9, winning only two games,[1] and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

Following a 1–5–1 start, head coach Tom Fears was fired by owner John W. Mecom Jr. and replaced by J.D. Roberts,[2][3][4] whose first game was a 19–17 victory over the Detroit Lions at Tulane Stadium in which Tom Dempsey set an NFL record with a 63-yard field goal on the final play;[5] it broke the record held by Bert Rechichar of the Baltimore Colts by seven yards, set seventeen years earlier.[6][7] Dempsey's record was tied by three: Jason Elam (Denver Broncos, 1998), Sebastian Janikowski (Oakland Raiders, 2011), and David Akers (San Francisco 49ers, 2012). It was broken by Matt Prater of the Broncos in 2013, at 64 yards at elevation in Colorado (Prater's record was broken in 2021 by Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens, who kicked a 66-yard game winner vs. the Lions).

The victory over the Lions was last of the season for the Saints, but both victories came over teams in the thick of the NFC playoff race. The other, a 14–10 triumph over the New York Giants in week three, cost the Giants the NFC East division championship. The Lions qualified for the playoffs as the wild card from the NFC, but were nearly forced into a coin toss with the Dallas Cowboys, a situation which was only averted when the Giants lost their season finale to the Los Angeles Rams.

The Saints' 2–11–1 record was the worst in the NFC and gave them the second overall pick in the 1971 NFL draft; they selected quarterback Archie Manning of Mississippi.

## Offseason

[edit]

### NFL draft

[edit]

Main article: 1970 NFL draft

1970 New Orleans Saints draft

Round  | Pick  | Player  | Position  | College  | Notes
1  | 10  | Ken Burrough * | Wide receiver | Texas Southern |
3  | 62  | Clovis Swinney | Defensive tackle | Arkansas State |
4  | 88  | Delles Howell | Defensive back | Grambling |
5  | 106  | Glenn Cannon | Defensive back | Mississippi |
5  | 126  | Steve Ramsey | Quarterback | North Texas State |
6  | 140  | Mel Easley | Defensive back | Oregon State |
7  | 166  | Lon Woodard | Defensive end | San Diego State |
8  | 192  | Larry Estes | Defensive end | Alcorn A&M |
9  | 218  | Jim Otis * | Running back | Ohio State |
10  | 244  | Jim Brumfield | Running back | Indiana State |
11  | 270  | Gary Klahr | Linebacker | Arizona |
12  | 296  | Willie Davenport | Defensive back | Southern |
13  | 322  | Ralph Miller | Tight end | Alabama State |
14  | 348  | Doug Sutherland | Defensive end | Wisconsin-Superior |
15  | 374  | Jim Vest | Defensive end | Washington State |
16  | 400  | Cliff Gaspar | Defensive tackle | Grambling |
17  | 426  | Doug Wyatt | Defensive back | Tulsa |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[8]

## Personnel

[edit]

### Staff

[edit]

1970 New Orleans Saints staff |

Front office

* President – John W. Mecom, Jr.
* General Manager – Vic Schwenk
* Director of Player Personnel – Jack Faulkner

Head coaches

* Head Coach – Tom Fears (first 7 games)
* Head Coach – J. D. Roberts (last 7 games)

Offensive coaches

* Offensive Backfield – Don Heinrich
* Receivers – Billy Ray Barnes
* Offensive Line – Brad Ecklund (first 7 games)
* Offensive Line – Jim Royer (last 7 games)

|  |  | Defensive coaches

* Defensive Line – Ed Khayat
* Linebackers – Jerry Smith
* Defensive Backfield – Ed Biles

|
|
|
|

[9]

### Roster

[edit]

1970 New Orleans Saints roster

| Quarterbacks

* 14 Ed Hargett
* 17 Billy Kilmer
* 16 Steve Ramsey

Running backs

* 32 Tom Barrington
* 36 Dick Davis
* 36 Vic Nyvall
* 35 Jim Otis FB
* 22 Elijah Pitts
* 39 Ernie Wheelwright

Wide receivers

* 46 Danny Abramowicz
* 00 Ken Burrough
* 25 Al Dodd
* 47 Bill Dusenbery
* 30 Bob Shaw

Tight ends

* 83 Dave Parks
* 85 Ray Poage

|  | Offensive linemen

* 50 Jake Kupp G
* 70 Errol Linden T
* 75 Mike Richey T
* 67 John Shinners G
* 73 Jerry Sturm C
* 72 Don Talbert T
* 77 Mike Taylor T
* 61 Del Williams G

Defensive linemen

* 84 Larry Estes DE
* 89 Dave Long DE
* 87 Richard Neal DE
* 76 Dave Rowe DT
* 79 Clovis Swinney DT
* 60 Doug Sutherland DT
* 74 Mike Tilleman DT

|  | Linebackers

* 53 Dick Absher
* 82 Johnny Brewer
* 55 Jackie Burkett
* 66 Bill Cody
* 59 Wayne Colman
* 52 Harry Jacobs
* 57 Mike Morgan

Defensive backs

* 49 Major Hazelton
* 18 Hugo Hollas SS
* 20 Delles Howell CB
* 43 Dicky Lyons
* 24 Elijah Nevett CB
* 21 Joe Scarpati FS
* 23 Doug Wyatt CB

Special teams

* 19 Tom Dempsey K
* 10 Julian Fagan P

|  | Reserve lists

* 38 Tony Baker RB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* 48 Andy Livingston RB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)

Practice squad

Rookies in italics

## Schedule

[edit]

Week  | Date  | Opponent  | Result  | Record  | Venue  | Attendance

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | September 20  | Atlanta Falcons | L 3–14  | 0–1  | Tulane Stadium | 77,042
2  | September 27  | at Minnesota Vikings | L 0–26  | 0–2  | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,900
3  | October 4  | New York Giants | W 14–10  | 1–2  | Tulane Stadium  | 69,126
4  | October 11  | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 17–24  | 1–3  | Busch Memorial Stadium | 45,294
5  | October 18  | at San Francisco 49ers | T 20–20  | 1–3–1  | Kezar Stadium | 39,446
6  | October 25  | at Atlanta Falcons | L 14–32  | 1–4–1  | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850
7  | November 1  | Los Angeles Rams | L 17–30  | 1–5–1  | Tulane Stadium  | 77,861
8  | November 8  | Detroit Lions | W 19–17  | 2–5–1  | Tulane Stadium  | 66,910
9  | November 15  | at Miami Dolphins | L 10–21  | 2–6–1  | Miami Orange Bowl | 42,866
10  | November 22  | Denver Broncos | L 6–31  | 2–7–1  | Tulane Stadium  | 66,837
11  | November 29  | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 6–26  | 2–8–1  | Riverfront Stadium | 59,342
12  | December 6  | at Los Angeles Rams | L 16–34  | 2–9–1  | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 66,410
13  | December 13  | San Francisco 49ers | L 27–38  | 2–10–1  | Tulane Stadium  | 61,940
14  | December 20  | Chicago Bears | L 3–24  | 2–11–1  | Tulane Stadium  | 63,518
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

## Standings

[edit]

NFC West

* view
* talk
* edit

| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK
San Francisco 49ers | 10  | 3  | 1  | .769  | 3–2–1  | 6–3–1  | 352  | 267  | W3
Los Angeles Rams | 9  | 4  | 1  | .692  | 4–1–1  | 7–3–1  | 325  | 202  | W1
Atlanta Falcons | 4  | 8  | 2  | .333  | 3–2–1  | 3–6–2  | 206  | 261  | L1
New Orleans Saints | 2  | 11  | 1  | .154  | 0–5–1  | 2–8–1  | 172  | 347  | L6

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

## Quotes

[edit]

Al Wester of WWL Radio describes Tom Dempsey's 63-yard field goal against the Detroit Lions.

> Here’s the snap. The ball is down. Dempsey's kick is on the way. And...it is good! It’s good! It’s good! The Saints have won! The Saints have won! The stadium is wild. Dempsey is being mobbed. The time has run out, and the Saints have won, 19-17! Dempsey with a 63-yard field goal! The longest field goal in the history of the National League!

Don Criqui describing the same play for CBS:

> He's trying a 63-yard field goal. Not only will Tom Dempsey if he hits this one--he has a very slight wind at his back--he'll set a National Football League record, in addition to winning the game. (Dempsey kicks) I don't believe this..."IT'S GOOD! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! THE FIELD GOAL ATTEMPT WAS GOOD FROM 63 YARDS AWAY! It's the incredible! Tulane Stadium has gone wild! A 63-yard field goal!

## References

[edit]

1. ^ 1970 New Orleans Saints
2. ^ "Saints bounce Fears as head coach". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. November 4, 1970. p. 25.
3. ^ "Fears fired by Saints". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. November 4, 1970. p. 73.
4. ^ "Saints get new coach". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. November 4, 1970. p. 11.
5. ^ "63-yard FG lifts Saints over Lions". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. November 9, 1970. p. 25.
6. ^ "Dempsey's 63 yard FG jolts Lions". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. November 9, 1970. p. 1, part 2.[permanent dead link]
7. ^ "Colts jolt Bears, 13-9, get record 56-yard field goal". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. September 28, 1953. p. 2, part 2.[permanent dead link]
8. ^ "1970 New Orleans Saints draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
9. ^ "All-Time Roster". NewOrleansSaints.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2012.

* v
* t
* e

New Orleans Saints

* Founded in 1967
* Based in New Orleans, Louisiana
* Headquartered in Metairie, Louisiana

Franchise|

* Franchise
* Seasons
* History
* Players
* Coaches
* Expansion draft
* First-round draft picks
* Starting quarterbacks
* Broadcasters

Stadiums|

* Tulane Stadium
* Caesars Superdome
* Temporary home venues in 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina: Alamodome
* Giants Stadium
* Tiger Stadium

Culture|

* Gumbo
* Sir Saint
* Saintsations
* Who Dat?
* Tom Benson
* Effect of Hurricane Katrina
* Buddy D
* "When the Saints Go Marching In"
* Home Team
* Number One
* A Saintly Switch

Lore|

* "Aints" (1–15)
* Dempsey's 63-yard field goal
* Dome Patrol
* Ricky Williams trade
* River City Relay
* Steve Gleason's blocked punt
* Beast Quake
* Bountygate
* Minneapolis Miracle
* NOLA No-Call

Rivalries|

* Atlanta Falcons
* Carolina Panthers
* Los Angeles Rams
* Minnesota Vikings
* Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Wild card berths (5)|

* 1987
* 1990
* 1992
* 2010
* 2013

Division championships (9)|

* 1991
* 2000
* 2006
* 2009
* 2011
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020

Conference championships (1)|

* 2009

League championships (1)|

* 2009 (XLIV)

Retired numbers|

* 31
* 81

Ring of Honor|

* Andersen
* Benson
* Jackson
* Manning
* Mills
* Roaf
* Smith

Current league affiliations|

* League: National Football League
* Conference: National Football Conference
* Division: South Division

* v
* t
* e

New Orleans Saints seasons

* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Bold indicates Super Bowl victory

* v
* t
* e

1970 NFL season

| AFC| East | Central| West| East| Central| West | NFC

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Baltimore | Cincinnati| Denver| Dallas| Chicago| Atlanta
Boston | Cleveland| Kansas City| NY Giants| Detroit| Los Angeles
Buffalo | Houston| Oakland| Philadelphia| Green Bay| New Orleans
Miami | Pittsburgh| San Diego| St. Louis| Minnesota| San Francisco
NY Jets | | | Washington| |

* 1970 NFL Draft
* 1970 NFL strike
* NFL playoffs
* Pro Bowl
* Super Bowl V

This article relating to an American football season is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

|

* v
* t
* e

*[IR]: Injured reserve
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[PCT]: Winning percentage
*[DIV]: Win–Loss record within their division
*[CONF]: Win–Loss record within their conference
*[PF]: Points For (Total points scored)
*[PA]: Points Against (Total points allowed)
*[STK]: Current Winning or Losing Streak
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template