Monster trucks superdome new orleans1/17/2024 Each team had its own version, which targeted younger fans with associated merchandise and plush toys. The Saints went to a generic mascot called Huddles. Gumbo was shown the door during the 1985 season (and was the subject of a $1.5 million lawsuit regarding the dismissal the following year). And she wasn’t seriously hurt, but because of that the organization got kind of concerned about liability and that ended live Gumbo at that point. We had like 300 young girls over there and their mothers and all that, and a lady slipped down on it and had to be taken to the hospital. But one time, nobody noticed it, and we had a big group of dancers, like eight or nine high school dance teams. And being indoors at the Superdome, having a live animal mascot presented more problems than it was worth.īirrcher: The dog was having some bowel problems, and one day at a game, he had an accident on the sideline when they were moving the dog around and it wasn’t noticed, because once or twice when I saw it, I grabbed a towel from the bench and cleaned it up. Suit (in 1993): Gumbo … had his own opinions about what he could, would and should do on the sideline. ![]() Greg Suit, the team’s director of marketing at the time, said via the Biloxi Sun Herald in 1993 that working with a live animal had become a hassle. By the time Gumbo IV came around in the mid-1980s, with new owner Tom Benson preparing to take over, the use of a live dog was a nuisance. Bernard had its moments over the years, patience was beginning to run thin with the use of a live animal. The little dog jumped out, it went to the goal posts and lifted its leg and the crowd REALLY went crazy. ![]() … The guy who trained the dog brought (Gumbo) out in a little red wagon onto the field and the crowd went crazy. He witnessed every version of their mascots, live and costumed.īirrcher: The second one was a little puppy dog. Gumbo II died of a stomach issue at age 2 and in 1975 was replaced by Gumbo III, who had to be dragged onto the field due to reluctance and usually slept through games.īarra Birrcher worked for the Saints in numerous roles for more than 30 years before retiring in 2007. ![]() Gumbo II loved beer, once chased Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw into the end zone, and begged to be let off the field by halftime, according to the book “Football Hall of Shame” by Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo. The Saints went without a mascot until Gumbo II’s debut against the Chiefs before a Monday Night Football game on Sept. Gumbo I served four seasons before mysteriously disappearing sometime during the 1970 season. That’s the way Jimmy affects a lot of NFL defensive workers.” Later Jimmy Taylor made Gumbo growl by walking near him. His handler had to struggle to retain the beast. Gumbo proved he had a little fight in him, too, by trying to go after Barrington. Like when fullback Tom Barrington, run out of bounds by Ram defenders, crash over the Saint mascot, Gumbo. His first game was described in the Times-Picayune on Sept. 17, 1967, and almost immediately proved that a live mascot would make life interesting for the team. Bernards would represent the Saints in those first few decades, all named Gumbo. ![]() The name “Gumbo” was selected via a contest that had more than 3,000 entries, and he was a fixture on the sidelines beginning with the inaugural season. In July of 1967, the Louisiana Restaurant Association gifted them their first mascot: a Saint Bernard puppy from Heiligehof Kennels in Morrison, Colo. The Saints began searching for a mascot almost immediately after New Orleans was awarded the expansion team on Nov. This is the weird and wacky history of the Saints’ mascots. But while fans have long gotten used to seeing the goofy characters roam the sideline, the organization went through quite a few turns to get there. That joy is why Gumbo, and his more recent counterpart, Sir Saint, have become part of the team’s lexicon.
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