Wednesday, May 5, 2010

New Orleans Saints

The 1971 New Orleans Saints have the standard allotment of 10 player cards. In 1970, the Saints finished 2-11-1, in what would become their customary 4th spot in the NFC West. In 1971, with rookie QB Archie Manning at the controls, they improved to 4-8-2, but still finished 4th.


#226 Edd Hargett - Hargett played for the Saints from 1969-72, and the Oilers in 1973. His only starts came during 1970 and 1971.


#198 Hoyle Granger - Granger was drafted by the Oilers in 1966, and was their fullback from 1966 to 1972, except for the one season (1971) he spent with the Saints. His best season was 1967, when he rushed for 1194 yards.


#90 Dan Abramowicz - Dan was picked by the Saints in the last (17th) round of the 1967 draft. He played for the Saints from 1967 until 2 games into the 1973 season. He spent the remainder of 1973 and all of 1974 with the 49ers. His 73 receptions led the NFL in 1969.


#148 Al Dodd - After playing in a few games for the Bears in 1967, Al became a starting wide receiver for the Saints from 1969-71, and the Falcons in 1973-74. He also returned kicks and punts during his career. Al missed the 1968 and 1972 seasons.


#37 Dave Parks - Dave was the first overall pick (by the 49ers) in the 1964 draft. After playing split end for the 49ers from 1964-67, he joined the Saints in 1968, and switched to tight end in 1969. In 1965, he led the NFL in receptions (80), receiving yards (134), and touchdowns (12). He finished his career with the Oilers in 1973.


#117 Errol Linden - Linden's career began in 1961 with the Browns. He played for the Vikings from 1962-65, the Falcons from 1966-68, and the Saints from 1969-70. He was his team's starting offensive right tackle from 1963-70.


#5 Tom Dempsey - Tom was with the Chargers in 1968 but did not play. He kicked for the Saints from 1969-70, including a record 63-yard field goal in 1970. In a classic "What have you done for me lately?" move, he was cut after the 1970 season. Midway through the 1971 season, he hooked on with the Eagles, where he stayed through the 1974 season. He also kicked for the Rams (1975-76), Oilers (1977), and Bills (1978-79).


#251 Jackie Burkett - Jackie was the Colts' 1st-round pick in 1959. After playing for the Colts through the 1966 season, he played for the Saints in 1967 and 1970, and for the Cowboys in 1968-69.


#57 Mike Morgan - Here we see Morgan in his Eagles' jersey, where he was the starting left linebacker from 1964-67. After one season (1968) with the Redskins, he finished his career as the Saints' regular left linebacker from 1969-70.


#173 Joe Scarpati - Another ex-Eagle here is Joe Scarpati. Joe was the Eagles' starting free safety from 1964 to 1969. He was also the Saints' free safety during his only season there (1970). Although he's shown on this card as a Saint, he returned to the Eagles for the 1971 season. A pre-season injury ended his career.


Also check out the 1967 and 1972 Saints.


Next time: Denver Broncos
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