The crowd at Lee Circle was nearly impenetrable the night of Tuesday, Feb. 9.
A bone-chilling wind swept through the growing sea of black and gold, bringing the throngs of people even closer together. The sun had nearly set when the first semblance of a parade rolled into the cross point between Uptown and Downtown. With a ripple of shouts and cheers waving through the crowd, the Saints’ Super Bowl victory party had officially reached the roundabout.
The parade marked the culmination of the New Orleans Saints’ winning season, which ended Sunday night at the 44th Annual Super Bowl in Miami.
“It was an indescribable feeling,” Jessica Knowles, psychology senior, said.
Knowles attended the parade downtown along with several Loyola and Tulane students. “It was kind of like a mosh pit. I have never seen so many people come together to support their city and the Saints, and I feel blessed to be a part of this historic event,” she said.
The parade, however, was only one piece to the festive puzzle that was the Super Bowl victory.
On Super Bowl Sunday, Loyola held its own event in the St. Charles Room where students could receive free food and t-shirts as well as a safe place to watch the game. In addition, students scattered between dorm rooms, houses and local bars and restaurants to root for the New Orleans Saints. Some, including Loyola president the Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., who the Maroon recently reported celebrates Mass with Saints’ owner Tom Benson every game day, flew to Miami to enjoy the game.
The game itself started off on a somewhat underwhelming foot, with the Saints going into halftime never having led on the scoreboard and still four points behind the Indianapolis Colts. It wasn’t until head coach Sean Payton called for an on-side kick to start off the second half that the Saints gained — and held — the lead. With a pick-six by Tracy Porter in the last minutes of the game, the Saints solidified their 31-17 victory.
While the win may have been in Miami, the party was in New Orleans.
Within minutes after the games, fans flooded downtown New Orleans, several of whom came straight from Loyola.
“My friends and I drove Downtown and just walked around. The city was going nuts. Everyone was high-fiving and yelling, ‘Who-Dat!’ We ended up at a bar and even got on the news,” said Jesus Garcia, accounting junior.
“I have never high-fived so many people in my life,” said Mo Dey, English literature junior.
Chris Knibbs, graphic design freshman, who is originally from Jamaica, was happy to be a part of this historic win during his first year living in America.
“I think its pretty amazing. I’m from a pretty crazy culture myself where music and sports are concerned, and I’ve never seen the reaction that I’ve seen from the Saints fans. All around New Orleans, it’s been a crazy street party. I think it’s like Mardi Gras times 10,” Knibbs said. “It’s pretty amazing.”
Local students are agreeing with popular New Orleans figures that have continually said this win is much more than a football game for the city of New Orleans.
“It (the Saints’ win) means the same thing that basically everybody’s been saying, the Saints are kind of bringing the city back together,” said Kris Johnson, mass communication sophomore. “This has really been the first time that everybody has really celebrated something since Katrina. I mean, we’ve had Mardi Gras, but it hasn’t been the same. It kind of … feels good.”
For students not from the New Orleans area, the win still brought unity and celebration.
Audrey Schreck, graphic design junior who is from Utah, said, “I think that our community just got even stronger and came together because every single person I know of watched the game with all their friends, or they went out and partied and just had a great time and supported the city even if they’re not from here.”
On Sunday afternoon, before the game, the annual Krewe of Barkus rolled through the French Quarter, boasting hundreds of dogs dressed up in theme, this year’s being, “The Saints Go Barking In.” One dog in a canine-size Saints jersey marched with a stuffed monkey attached to his back. When his owner was asked about his pet’s costume, he answered that he was ready to get the ‘monkey’ off the Saints’ back. By the end of Sunday, that owner was only one of many happy fans.
Melanie Ziems can be reached at [email protected]
