| 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 stadium | Tulane Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 2–11–1 |
| Division place | 4thNFC West |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | None |
The1970 New Orleans Saints season was the team's fourth as a member of theNational Football League. After spending their first three seasons in the NFL'sEastern Conference, the Saints moved in1970 to theWest Division of the newNational Football Conference. They failed to improve on theirprevious season's outputof 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 coachTom Fears was fired by ownerJohn W. Mecom Jr. and replaced byJ.D. Roberts,[2][3][4] whose first game was a19–17 victory over theDetroit Lions atTulane Stadium in whichTom Dempsey set an NFL record with a 63-yard field goal on the final play;[5] it broke the record held byBert Rechichar of theBaltimore Colts by seven yards, set seventeen yearsearlier.[6][7] Dempsey's record was tied by three:Jason Elam (Denver Broncos,1998),Sebastian Janikowski (Oakland Raiders,2011), andDavid Akers (San Francisco 49ers,2012).It was broken byMatt Prater of theBroncos in2013, at 64 yards at elevation inColorado (Prater's record was broken in2021 byJustin Tucker of theBaltimore 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, a14–10 triumph over theNew York Giants in week three, cost the Giants the NFC East division championship. The Lions qualified for theplayoffs as the wild card from the NFC, but were nearly forced into a coin toss with theDallas Cowboys, a situation which was only averted when the Giants lost their season finale to theLos Angeles Rams.
The Saints' 2–11–1 record was the worst in the NFC and gave them the second overall pick in the1971 NFL draft; they selected quarterbackArchie Manning ofMississippi.
| 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 onePro Bowl during career | |||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
|
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB) Defensive backs(DB)
Special teams(ST) | Practice squad Reserve
|
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 20 | Atlanta Falcons | L 3–14 | 0–1 | Tulane Stadium | 77,042 |
| 2 | September 27 | atMinnesota 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 | atSt. Louis Cardinals | L 17–24 | 1–3 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 45,294 |
| 5 | October 18 | atSan Francisco 49ers | T 20–20 | 1–3–1 | Kezar Stadium | 39,446 |
| 6 | October 25 | atAtlanta 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 | atMiami 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 | atCincinnati Bengals | L 6–26 | 2–8–1 | Riverfront Stadium | 59,342 |
| 12 | December 6 | atLos 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 inbold text. | ||||||
| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Al Wester ofWWL Radio describesTom Dempsey's 63-yard field goal against theDetroit 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 forCBS:
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!
