Four home Saints games will be in Baton Rouge, three in San Antonio
BATON ROUGE - It's official. Tiger Stadium will be the home away from the home away from the home of the New Orleans-San Antonio Saints.
NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue announced today from a podium near the south end zone of Tiger Stadium that the Saints would play four of their home games in Tiger Stadium because the Superdome in New Orleans was seriously damaged by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
"The opportune time, the appropriate time for the Saints to start playing games here at LSU would be against the Miami Dolphins on the weekend of Oct. 30, continuing with the Chicago Bears game on the next weekend and then in early December, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panther games would be played here at LSU's stadium," Tagliabue said.
Former LSU coach Nick Saban, who now coaches the Miami Dolphins, will return to Tiger Stadium for a noon game on Sunday, Oct. 30, the day after LSU hosts North Texas in a game scheduled for 7 p.m.
The other Tiger Stadium Saints games will be on Sunday, Nov. 6, against Chicago, Sunday, Dec. 4, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and former LSU receiver Michael Clayton and Sunday, Dec. 18, against the Carolina Panthers and Breaux Bridge quarterback Jake Delhomme.
"Playing at LSU helps serve the goal of giving priority in this region to the rebuilding and recovery efforts and to the needs of the campus," Tagliabue said. "That was a decision that I made."
Three other Saints home games will be played at the AlamoDome in San Antonio, where the Saints immediately moved their offices to after the hurricane hit New Orleans on Aug. 29.
The Saints, who opened the season with a 23-20 win at Carolina, next play on Monday, Sept. 19, at the New York Giants in a "home" game. Tagliabue moved that home game to New York shortly after the hurricane.
The San Antonio games are on Oct. 2 against Buffalo, Oct. 16 against Atlanta and on Dec. 24 against Detroit.
"The priority in this region had to continue to be recovery and rebuilding from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina," Tagliabue said. "That involves hundreds of challenges that are without precedent, not the least of which is LSU's challenge in accommodating 3,000 students from other institutions here on campus.
" As we looked ahead for the next two weeks, next month, it seemed to us that we should stay out of the way of those priorities being met.
" Saints owner Tom Benson was asked if he planned to permanently move the Saints to San Antonio beyond 2005.
"I don't want to leave Louisiana. Otherwise, we wouldn't be playing four games here," Benson said.
"The New Orleans Saints represent New Orleans, Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region," Tagliabue said, "and Mr. Benson and I both recognize that we have a great responsibility to the people of this state, for New Orleans and for the region."
