Tom Benson: The Man Who Kept the Saints in New Orleans

Tom Benson: The Man Who Kept the Saints in New Orleans

Tom Benson is the reason the New Orleans Saints still play in New Orleans. The auto dealer turned billionaire purchased the struggling franchise in 1985 when it was widely expected to relocate, and he kept the team in the city through three decades of mostly terrible football, a catastrophic hurricane, and intense pressure from the NFL to move to a bigger market. When the Saints finally won the Super Bowl in 2010, the image of the 82-year-old Benson doing his signature umbrella dance on the sideline was the culmination of a 25-year bet on a city that the rest of the country had written off.

From the Ninth Ward to the Owner’s Box

Benson was born in 1927 in the Ninth Ward and grew up in modest circumstances. He served in the Navy during World War II, attended Loyola University on the G.I. Bill, and went to work selling cars. He proved to be a gifted businessman, eventually building a network of auto dealerships across Louisiana and Texas. He expanded into banking, real estate, and other ventures, accumulating a fortune that would eventually make him one of the wealthiest men in the South. In 1985, he purchased the Saints from John Mecom Jr. for $70 million—a price that seemed high for a franchise that had never had a winning season in its first 20 years of existence.

The Lean Years

Benson’s first two decades as owner were not pretty. The Saints were consistently mediocre to terrible, earning the nickname the “Aints” and inspiring fans to wear paper bags over their heads at games. Benson threatened to move the team multiple times, flirting with San Antonio and Jacksonville. He was booed by fans, mocked by the media, and blamed for the team’s failures. But he never pulled the trigger on a move, and when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005, he committed to bringing the team back to the Superdome—a decision that meant more to the city’s recovery than any single government program.

The Super Bowl

The Saints’ return to the Superdome on September 25, 2006—the first game in the rebuilt stadium after Katrina—was one of the most emotional events in sports history. The team, led by quarterback Drew Brees and coach Sean Payton, went on a remarkable run that culminated in Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010, where they defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17. The victory was not just a sports achievement—it was a catharsis for a city that had suffered more than any American city in modern memory. And Tom Benson, the man who had been booed for decades, was dancing on the sideline with his umbrella.

The Legacy

Benson died in 2018 at the age of 90. He also owned the New Orleans Pelicans basketball team and was one of the largest private employers in the city. His legacy is complicated—the threats to relocate were real and deeply hurtful, and his later years were marked by a bitter family feud over control of his empire. But the bottom line is simple: he kept the Saints in New Orleans, and the Saints won the Super Bowl. For a city that measures everything in moments of joy, that is a legacy that will last forever.