NEW ORLEANS – WWL-TV Sports Director and Saints play-by-play broadcaster Jim Henderson had said that if the Saints win the Super Bowl the city of New Orleans would be like “Mardi Gras times ten with fewer beads and more clothes.”
Sunday night was pretty close.
Fans partied like it was Mardi Gras with spontaneous outbursts all across the city after the game-winning field goal split the uprights.
A roller coaster of emotions that had fans weary tested the party-ability of New Orleanians – they passed with flying colors.
NOPD Superintendent Warren Riley reported "no major incidents" in the celebration that followed and said there were also no reports of property damage.
Canal Street traffic ground to a halt but no one was complaining. Honking horns and cries of Who Dat! were everywhere.
Some fans even pledged to take right off for Miami, site of this year’s Super Bowl where the Saints will face the Colts.
“I’m going to get an oil change and head to Miami right now,” shouted one man behind the wheel of a truck that was blaring one of several Saints anthems.
Tears flowed openly, but unlike four and a half years ago, these were tears of joy.
“It means more than people think,” said another fan who was tearing up.
"I've been waiting all my life for this," said 62-year-old Ronald Despenza of New Orleans. "I'm not going to sleep tonight.
I'm too happy.'
The Saints lifted the spirits of a city still struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina's epic destruction. Their title run
has been a rallying point.
"The New Orleans Saints have done more for race relations in this city than anything," Bob Hinyub, 63, of Gretna, said as he filed out of the dome. "Everybody here is black and gold. Nobody is black and white."
Partying went well into the wee hours with police doing a ‘street sweep’ of Bourbon Street similar to the one they do at midnight on Mardi Gras, sweeping the streets clean of trash and patrons.
