1974 New Orleans Saints season

The 1974 New Orleans Saints season was the team’s eighth as a member of the National Football League (NFL). This was their final season at Tulane Stadium as the Louisiana Superdome opened the following season. They matched their previous season's output of 5–9.[1] The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.

1974 New Orleans Saints season
OwnerJohn W. Mecom, Jr.
Head coachJohn North
Home fieldTulane Stadium
Results
Record5–9
Division place3rd NFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersNone

Despite another losing record, the Saints defeated two of the NFC's four playoff entries, ousting the Los Angeles Rams 20–7 in week 10 and the St. Louis Cardinals 14–0 in week 13, both at home. The win over the Cardinals was the Saints’ final game at Tulane Stadium.

The Saints ended an 18-game winless streak on the road when they defeated the Atlanta Falcons in week six. However, they would not win again away from New Orleans until 1976 when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. From 1972 through 1975, the Saints were 1–26–1 on the road.

The win at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium allowed New Orleans to complete its first season sweep of Atlanta since the Saints and Falcons became division rivals in 1970. The Saints entered 1974 with a nine-game losing streak to their archrival, including a humiliating 62-7 rout at home in the previous season's opener. New Orleans did not sweep Atlanta again until 1983.

Offseason

NFL draft
Main article: 1974 NFL draft
1974 New Orleans Saints draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 13 Rick Middleton  Linebacker Ohio State
2 36 Paul Seal  Tight end Michigan
4 88 Rod McNeill  Running back USC
5 113 Joel Parker  Wide receiver Ohio State
5 121 Terry Schmidt  Cornerback Ball State
8 201 Alvin Maxson  Running back Southern Methodist
9 217 Phil LaPorta  Offensive tackle Penn State
10 235 Frosty Anderson  Wide receiver Nebraska
10 242 Tommy Thibodeaux  Guard Tulane
11 270 Kent Merritt  Wide receiver Virginia
12 295 Jim Buckmon  Defensive end Pittsburgh
13 320 Mike Truax  Linebacker Tulane
14 348 Kent Marshall  Defensive back Texas Christian
15 373 Larry Cipa  Quarterback Michigan
15 391 Jim Polak  Center Purdue
16 398 Don Coleman  Linebacker Michigan
17 426 Marvin Williams  Wide receiver Western Illinois
      Made roster  

[2]

Personnel

Staff
1974 New Orleans Saints staff
Front office
  • President – John W. Mecom, Jr.
  • Assistant to the President – Fred Williams
  • Executive Vice President – Richard F. Gordon, Jr.
  • Vice President of Administration – Harry Hulmes
  • Business Manager and Treasurer – Eddie Jones
  • Director of Pro Scouting – Ernie Hefferle
  • Director of Player Personnel – Bob Whitman

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

  • Quarterbacks – Lamar McHan
  • Offensive Backs – Bob Ledbetter
  • Receivers – Jim Phillips
  • Offensive Line – Wimp Hewgley
 Defensive coaches

Roster
1974 New Orleans Saints roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists
  • -- Frosty Anderson WR (IR)


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 15 San Francisco 49ers L 13–17 0–1 Tulane Stadium 65,071 Recap
2 September 22 at Los Angeles Rams L 0–24 0–2 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 64,178 Recap
3 September 29 Atlanta Falcons W 14–13 1–2 Tulane Stadium 62,273 Recap
4 October 6 at Chicago Bears L 10–24 1–3 Soldier Field 45,818 Recap
5 October 13 at Denver Broncos L 17–33 1–4 Mile High Stadium 50,881 Recap
6 October 20 at Atlanta Falcons W 13–3 2–4 Atlanta Stadium 47,217 Recap
7 October 27 Philadelphia Eagles W 14–10 3–4 Tulane Stadium 64,257 Recap
8 November 3 at Detroit Lions L 14–19 3–5 Tiger Stadium 43,256 Recap
9 November 10 Miami Dolphins L 0–21 3–6 Tulane Stadium 74,289 Recap
10 November 17 Los Angeles Rams W 20–7 4–6 Tulane Stadium 57,287 Recap
11 November 25 Pittsburgh Steelers L 7–28 4–7 Tulane Stadium 71,907 Recap
12 December 1 at Minnesota Vikings L 9–29 4–8 Metropolitan Stadium 44,202 Recap
13 December 8 St. Louis Cardinals W 14–0 5–8 Tulane Stadium 57,152 Recap
14 December 15 at San Francisco 49ers L 21–35 5–9 Candlestick Park 40,418 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings
NFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Los Angeles Rams 10 4 0 .714 5–1 7–3 263 181 W1
San Francisco 49ers 6 8 0 .429 4–2 6–5 226 236 W2
New Orleans Saints 5 9 0 .357 3–3 5–6 166 263 L1
Atlanta Falcons 3 11 0 .214 0–6 3–8 111 271 W1

References
  1. 1974 New Orleans Saints
  2. "1974 New Orleans Saints draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
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