1974 New Orleans Saints season

1974 New Orleans Saints season
Head Coach	John North
Home Field	Tulane Stadium
Results
Record	5–9
Place	3rd NFC West
Playoff Finish	did not qualify
Timeline
Previous season	Next season
1973	1975

The 1974 New Orleans Saints season was the team’s eighth as a member of the National Football League (NFL). This was their final season at Tulane Stadium as the Louisiana Superdome opened the following season. They matched their previous season's output of 5–9. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.

Despite another losing record, the Saints defeated two of the NFC's four playoff entries, ousting the Los Angeles Rams 20–7 in week 10 and the St. Louis Cardinals 14–0 in week 13, both at home. The win over the Cardinals was the Saints’ final game at Tulane Stadium.

The Saints ended an 18-game winless streak on the road when they defeated the Atlanta Falcons in week six. However, they would not win again away from New Orleans until 1976. From 1972 through 1975, the Saints were 1–26–1 on the road.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1974 NFL draft

1974 New Orleans Saints draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	13	Rick Middleton	Linebacker	Ohio State
2	36	Paul Seal	Tight end	Michigan
4	88	Rod McNeill	Running back	USC
5	113	Joel Parker	Wide receiver	Ohio State
5	121	Terry Schmidt	Cornerback	Ball State
8	201	Alvin Maxson	Running back	Southern Methodist
9	217	Phil LaPorta	Offensive tackle	Penn State
10	235	Frosty Anderson	Wide receiver	Nebraska
10	242	Tommy Thibodeaux	Guard	Tulane
11	270	Kent Merritt	Wide receiver	Virginia
12	295	Jim Buckmon	Defensive end	Pittsburgh
13	320	Mike Truax	Linebacker	Tulane
14	348	Kent Marshall	Defensive back	Texas Christian
15	373	Larry Cipa	Quarterback	Michigan
15	391	Jim Polak	Center	Purdue
16	398	Don Coleman	Linebacker	Michigan
17	426	Marvin Williams	Wide receiver	Western Illinois
Made roster

Personnel

Staff

1974 New Orleans Saints staff
	Front office President – John W. Mecom, Jr. Assistant to the President – Fred Williams Executive Vice President – Richard F. Gordon, Jr. Vice President of Administration – Harry Hulmes Business Manager and Treasurer – Eddie Jones Director of Pro Scouting – Ernie Hefferle Director of Player Personnel – Bob Whitman Head coaches Head Coach – John North Offensive coaches Quarterbacks – Lamar McHan Offensive Backs – Bob Ledbetter Receivers – Jim Phillips Offensive Line – Wimp Hewgley			Defensive coaches Defensive Line – Bob Cummings Linebackers – Doug Shively Defensive Backfield – Bud Whitehead

Roster

1974 New Orleans Saints roster
	Quarterbacks 13 Larry Cipa 8 Archie Manning 12 Bobby Scott Running backs 47 Jack DeGrenier 28 Alvin Maxson 27 Rod McNeill 34 Jess Phillips 22 Howard Stevens Wide receivers 80 Sam Havrilak 41 Bob Newland 42 Joel Parker Tight ends 85 John Beasley 84 Paul Seal		Offensive linemen 51 John Didion C 50 Jake Kupp G 67 Phil LaPorta T 73 John Mooring G 76 Don Morrison T 66 Rocky Rasley G 65 Dave Thompson T 79 Emanuel Zanders G Defensive linemen 63 Steve Baumgartner DE 74 Derland Moore DT 78 Billy Newsome DE 72 Joe Owens DE 82 Bob Pollard DT 75 Elex Price DT		Linebackers 59 Wayne Colman 55 Don Coleman 58 Joe Federspiel 53 Rick Kingrea 57 Jim Merlo 54 Rick Middleton Defensive backs 44 Chris Farasopoulos FS 24 Johnny Fuller SS 15 Donnie Gibbs 30 Ernie Jackson CB 11 Bivian Lee 25 Jerry Moore 37 Tom Myers FS 40 Terry Schmidt CB Special teams 16 Tom Blanchard P		Reserve lists {{{reserve_lists}}} Practice squad {{{practice_squad}}} Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 15	San Francisco 49ers	L 17–13	65,071
2	September 22	at Los Angeles Rams	L 24–0	64,178
3	September 29	Atlanta Falcons	W 14–13	62,273
4	October 6	at Chicago Bears	L 24–10	45,818
5	October 13	at Denver Broncos	L 33–17	50,881
6	October 20	at Atlanta Falcons	W 13–3	47,217
7	October 27	Philadelphia Eagles	W 14–10	64,257
8	November 3	at Detroit Lions	L 19–14	43,256
9	November 10	Miami Dolphins	L 21–0	74,289
10	November 17	Los Angeles Rams	W 20–7	57,287
11	November 25	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 28–7	71,907
12	December 1	at Minnesota Vikings	L 29–9	44,202
13	December 8	St. Louis Cardinals	W 14–0	57,152
14	December 15	at San Francisco 49ers	L 35–21	40,418

Standings

NFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA
Los Angeles Rams	10	4	0	.714	5–1	7–3	263	181
San Francisco 49ers	6	8	0	.429	4–2	6–5	226	236
New Orleans Saints	5	9	0	.357	3–3	5–6	166	263
Atlanta Falcons	3	11	0	.214	0–6	3–8	111	271

External links

• 1974 New Orleans Saints at Pro-Football-Reference.com