Hey Julia,
I have heard stories about the Saints’ very first game ever. I don’t want to spoil the plot. So, tell me, is it true?
– Russ Dequincey, Bastrop
There you go! I try hard to maintain my mystique as some sort of all-knowing Caribbean goddess and you ask a question that exposes me as just another football fan. Nevertheless, after consultation with Poydras, here’s what happened:
September 17, 1967 – After years of wanting an NFL franchise, New Orleans finally got one. The team newly christened as “The Saints” took the field on opening day against the Los Angeles Rams. The town, already dizzied by being in the Big Leagues, was about to be blown away with excitement. All the fans in the 80,000-seat Tulane Stadium (the Superdome did not yet not exist) were on their feet as the opening kickoff went to Saints receiver John Gilliam. [Pause for moment—take deep breath.] Weaving and dashing, Gillam charged 94 yards for a touchdown! (What? A touchdown!) The new team had only been playing football for about a minute and already it was up 7-0 to the mighty Rams. The Saints seemed invincible. Could the franchise possibly win the Super Bowl in its first year?
However, reality quickly set in. The Rams overcame opening moment shock and won 27-13. The Saints did not achieve their first win until November 5 when they downed the Philadelphia Eagles 31-24. They finished the season with a dismal, but promising for a new team, record of 3-11.
Eventually the vision of winning a Superbowl would be realized, only it would be 42 seasons later.
Dear Julia,
Earlier this year there was an effort to recall New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell. Has there been a successful recall effort in the state?
– Jay Delano, Marigny
Yes, but first you should know that successful recalls are hard to pull off. The problems is with the number of signatures required to be on a petition to force a recall election. Legislatures write the rules. Since they are elected officials themselves, they don’t want the process to be too easy. If a name does get on a ballot, the chances of an office-holder being booted increases greatly.
In 2013, Demetric “Deedy” Slaughter was voted out of office by the voters in Port Allen, located across the river from Baton Rouge. Petition organizers had a list of accusations most having to do with misappropriations of funds and creating tensions. In November of that year the electorate agreed.
On April 5, 2014, Slaughter ran to reclaim her former office in a special election but was soundly defeated. She did however have an impact on state law. In May, the legislature passed a law preventing recalled officials from running in special elections to replace them. It was inspired by the Slaughter case.
In her own way, Deedy Slaughter made political history.
Send us your questions!
Poydras is looking for something to do. Send your questions to julia@myneworleans.com and be sure to include your name and information. For the subject line use: Julia and Poydras Question.
