Jim Mora came to the Saints in 1986 and immediately success followed the team. While they would never win a playoff game under Mora, the Saints immediately went 12-3 in 1987 to make the playoffs for the first time in team history. Lots of special players during that time. Making this list was really hard. I left out guys like Jim Wilks, Reuben Mayes, Brad Edelman, Joel Hilgenberg, Bobby Hebert, Bruce Clark and Vaughan Johnson. The challenge is that there’s a lot of overlap between the 80s and 90s because the Saints started to get good in the late 80s. A lot of those special players carried good careers into the 90s. So hopefully some of those guys that unfairly missed out here will be mentioned in the 90s list. Here are the ten best.
1. Rickey Jackson, LB – He’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and of course the Saints Hall of Fame. In the 80s he made 4 Pro Bowls, posting 12 sack seasons twice.
2. Morten Andersen, K – He kicked for the Saints from 1982 to 1994 and remains to this day the all time leading scorer in NFL history. Nicknamed “Mr. Automatic” he made 4 Pro Bowls in the 80s. He was long overdue in getting inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame finally in 2009.
3. Dave Waymer, CB – Played the entire 80s decade for the Saints and made the Pro Bowl once in 1987. He had 37 interceptions in his career with the Saints which is most all time in team history. Somehow not in the Saints Hall of Fame. Somehow he’s not in the Saints Hall of Fame, which is shocking.
4. Sam Mills, LB -Made two Pro Bowls during the 80s in 1987 and 1988. He would also have huge seasons in the 90s. Elected to the Saints Hall of Fame in 1998.
5. Stan Brock, T – Played for the Saints from 1980 to 1995. One of the best Saints players to never make a Pro Bowl. A dominant player.
6. Eric Martin, WR – He played five seasons for the Saints in the 80s, making his only career Pro Bowl in 1988. He posted two 1,000 yard receiving seasons during that span. Martin is 2nd in team history in receptions, 2nd in team history in receiving yards and 4th in team history in touchdown receptions.
7. George Rogers, RB – A member of the Saints Hall of Fame since 1992. In 1981 he rushed for 1,674 yards which remains a team single season record. He made the Pro Bowl twice in four seasons with the Saints.
8. Frank Warren, DE – Played for the Saints from 1981 to 1994. His 52.5 career sacks are 5th best all time in Saints history.
9. Dalton Hilliard, RB – Made the 1989 Pro Bowl thanks to one of the most legendary seasons in team history. That year he scored 18 touchdowns which led the NFL and remains a team single season record, and threw for another. He rushed for 1,226 yards and added another 514 yards receiving that year. He also threw for 4 touchdown passes in the 80s which coined him as a “triple threat” player (passing, receiving, rushing). He was added to the Saints Hall of Fame in 1998.
10. Pat Swilling, LB – He made his first Pro Bowl in 1989 thanks to a monster 16.5 sack season. He also had a 10.5 sack season in 1987. He made the Saints Hall of Fame in 2000 and his 76.5 sacks are 3rd in team history. He made a significant impact in the 90s, too, so you’ll be reading about him again.
Previous entries:
Top 10 from the 1970s
Top 10 from 1960s
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