On Sundays, citizens of the Who Dat Nation fill dorm rooms, lobbies and the Danna Student Center to watch the New Orleans Saints football games in hopes of a win.
Out-of-state students recognized the historic season this fall and hopped onto the Saints’ bandwagon, abandoning their hometown teams after witnessing the valiant efforts made by the Saints.
“The Tennessee Titans were my favorite team, until I started liking the Saints,” said Tyree Worthy, a marketing sophomore from Memphis, Tenn. “The Titians disappointed me when they lost the Super Bowl to the St. Louis Rams (in 2000) and never bounced back.”
Still, some members of the Wolfpack community aren’t quite ready to drink the Kool-Aid.
Brian Lussier, criminal justice junior and San Diego native, says his hometown team will always be his favorite.
“The Saints are my number two team,” Lussier said. “I’m a die-hard Chargers fan, but I like the Saints.”
According to Usama Young, safety of the New Orleans Saints, it feels good to turn some people into believers, if not all.
“It’s not going to be easy… we (the Saints) are going to take some bumps and bruises, but when it’s your time to shine, basically, you have to step up when you have the chance,” Young said.
It seems the Saints have been taking advantage of that chance since their first post-Katrina season in 2006, grabbing the attention of New Orleans-area college students ever since.
“I didn’t really start following the Saints until I came to New Orleans for college in 2007,” Lussier said.
Even international students are catching the Saints bug.
“They didn’t have American football in Costa Rica,” said Fabiola Porras, music performance senior. “I don’t understand football, but I love the good spirit it gives Loyola and the city.”
After the 13 regular season wins, the “LaBREESiana” students carried the appreciation and spirit of the Saints as if they were Loyola’s own team. Some students adopted the Saints because Loyola does not have a football team.
“I think instating a football team at Loyola probably would have a positive impact on the school and the community,” Young said. “The students would have something to do on Saturdays and another way to build traditions.”
The first 13 games played had the “Who Dat” students boasting about the first-time undefeated team.
“I feel like they’ve come a long way from the 8-8 team I watched in Memphis,” Worthy said. “I’m glad their hard work is finally showing off.”
“I don’t like to talk about the losses,” said Jamaya Johnson, criminal justice junior. “I hope the Saints turn things back around.”
The Saints were the second to last team to end their unblemished record. They broke 20 records this season and secured the first round bye of the playoffs for the National Football Conference as well as the home field advantage.
“It’s the NFL and it happens to the best of us,” Young said. “You never plan on losing and you don’t want to lose, but when it’s all said and done it’s not about the loss, it’s about how you bounce back from it.”
Loyola students will continue to gather watching the Saints playoff games in anticipation of going to Miami in February.
“I hope it’s a Black and Gold Super Bowl,” Lussier said.
Brittney Holmes can be reached at [email protected]
