[“The Saints Are Coming” by U2 feat. Green Day plays.]

Tom Benson: Katrina? Oh, that was interesting times. [Laughs.] Well, you know, we, like everybody else, we got flooded out, so my family and I went to San Antonio. We all have businesses there, you know. So I went to the mayor there and got an agreement from him to let us practice and play there at the Alamodome. And, naturally, people thought, well, we want to move the club to San Antonio, and nobody liked that idea. But hey, we were flooded out. We couldn’t play here.

[Audio from “Remembering the Katrina Season” YouTube video by Cox Sports TV plays.

Saints defensive end Will Smith: Nobody knew what they were gonna do, where we were gonna be playing, where we were gonna be living, where our family was gonna to be. Everybody was kind of just in a, you know, deep depressed mood.]

Benson: But San Antonio opened their arms to us. It was, you know, they helped us a great deal. And about 50, 60,000 people attended the games we played there.

[Audio from “Remembering the Katrina Season” YouTube video by Cox Sports TV plays.

Saints wide receiver Devery Henderson: That wasn’t nothing we’d ever expected, but we made the best of it. The whole entire experience really was nothing like, you know, any other NFL team ever experienced.]

Benson: People had more worries at the time than going to a football game. But we didn’t have any place to go for a while. And then, of course, you know, the season was right on us too. We had to do something.

[Audio plays from ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast on September 25, 2006.

ESPN broadcaster Mike Tirico: And they’re here for the return in New Orleans. A moment almost unimaginable thirteen months ago is here. The NFL, the Saints, back in New Orleans, back in the Superdome.]

Benson: Well, nothing could have happened better than that first game, I’ll tell you what. And for the league to set up for us to play Atlanta, you know, one of our real archrivals, what a great game that was. And, of course, the fact that we win a game by this guy blocking that kick, that was fantastic, you know.

[Audio from WWL broadcast.

Saints play-by-play announcer Jim Henderson: Here’s Koenen to punt, and it’s blocked! It’s rolling inside the five. And it is going to be covered by the Saints for a touchdown. Ho-ho-ho-oh, baby!]

[Audio from “Remembering the Katrina Season” YouTube video by Cox Sports TV plays.

Smith: That was the first time coming back to the stadium, playing a real game in there. And, you know, it just was amazing, just the electricity that whole entire week, once we got back to New Orleans.]

Benson: That really gave everybody, including us, really a charge, you know. “Oh, boy, man, you know, we’re on our way now,” you know, sort of thing. And I think that, I know it did it for our club. You know, we haven’t stopped since. I think it helped, did it for the city, too. I really do.

[Audio plays from ESPN broadcast.

Tirico: Well guys, as this game wraps up here tonight, you think, people are going to enjoy it, they’re going to celebrate, they’ll have a good time. Tomorrow morning is gonna come, and all the problems that people have in New Orleans are still going to be here. But for tonight, they were given a chance to step away and enjoy a moment in this dome that some never thought they would see again. New Orleans Saints, three and 0.]

Benson: It really helped people who maybe were hesitant about coming back, helped them to come back, too, you know. You know, as you look back, the Saints were part of the fiber of the city, you know. You don’t realize that till you look back a little bit and you see that fiber. You know, boy, this is so important to the community. It brings everybody together, you know?