On The TunneySide of Sports January 21, 2019 #728 Up Next… The Superdome is Special!
After further review… The Superdome is the home stadium for the New Orleans Saints. In the 2018 NFL season, the Saints have said: “The road to the Super Bowl (LIII) goes through the Superdome.” As of this writing, it appears so. However, that has not always been the case for the Saints, but to me, the Superdome has always been special.
When the dome opened in 1975, I was privileged to be the referee for the first pre-season game. It was a Saturday night, August 3, 1975 played between the Houston Oilers and the Saints. The dome was packed with 72,434 screaming fans, but the Saints lost 13-7, and their season ended 2-12. In 1975 the dome, as it is today, was spectacular. In those days the only other dome was the Astrodome, home of the Oilers.
As you drive east on I-10 from the Louis Armstrong International Airport (of course, it’s called Louis Armstrong – what else would you call it) located in Kenner. LA., you can see the top of the dome from a mile away, and the excitement begins to build. Entering the dome was a thrill unlike any other. In 1975, it was special. That specialness is not lost on the Saints players. Archie Manning, Saints QB in 1975, wanted to win the toss in that first game, so he could throw and complete the first pass. The Saints lost the toss, but the Oilers QB didn’t complete a pass. When the Saints had the ball, Archie, indeed, did complete a screen pass for a first down. Special!
At the end of that first season (1975), the NFL held its Pro Bowl in the Superdome. Two years later, January 16, 1978 (forty years ago last Wednesday) the first Super Bowl was played in the Superdome between Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. Dallas won 27-10 and yours truly was the Referee. Officiating a Super Bowl is always the pinnacle of every NFL official’s season. Being the first one in the Superdome was special. The honorary toss of the coin was handled by Red Grange, The Galloping Ghost (as he was known). Grange was a three-time All American at Illinois and a member of the Chicago Bears as well as charter member of both the college hall of fame and the pro football hall of fame. Special to hand that coin to a football legend.
Will you please recognize with me how special that iconic stadium is?
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