Billionaire Tom Benson—who died Thursday at the age of 90 following a battle with the flu—loved the New Orleans Saints, but he loved the city of New Orleans even more, writes Sports Illustrated columnist Peter King.
“When I think of Benson, in fact, I don’t think of his 33-year reign as Saints owner. I think of his impact on the city of New Orleans,” King says. “You could quibble with some of his football decisions over the years—the time he gave all power over football decision-making to head coach Mike Ditka in 1997, who then traded every draft pick to select Ricky Williams in 1999, comes to mind—but you cannot question his affection for where he was born and schooled.”
Benson, who also owned the New Orleans Pelicans, bought the Saints for $70 million in 1985 at a time when locals feared the team was on the verge of moving to Phoenix or Jacksonville. As owner of the NFL franchise, Benson insisted on highlighting aspects of Louisiana—most prominently the fleur de lis—on the Saints’ uniform.
“Why not?” Benson once said. “I’m proud of where I come from.”
“How proud?” King asked. “When the beloved Times-Picayune announced it would cease being a daily paper in 2012, Benson, who read the paper daily, was outraged and said he wanted to buy it. (The owners would not sell.) When Dixie Beer, a local brewery, never recovered after damages following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Benson bought the brewery and revived it in ’17.” The beer is now available in select locations throughout the state, he says.
