The 1968 New Orleans Saints season was the team's second as a member of the National Football League (NFL). They improved on their previous season's output of 3–11, winning four games.[1] The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season, and finished third in the Century Division of the NFL Eastern Conference.
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1968 New Orleans Saints draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Kevin Hardy | Defensive tackle | Notre Dame | |
| 3 | 59 | Dave Szymakowski | Wide receiver | West Texas State | |
| 4 | 85 | Willie Crittendon | Defensive tackle | Tulsa | |
| 4 | 103 | Dan Sartin | Defensive tackle | Ole Miss | |
| 5 | 115 | Ronnie Lee South | Quarterback | Arkansas | |
| 7 | 169 | Ray Phillips | Guard | Michigan | |
| 7 | 175 | Gene Howard | Defensive back | Langston | |
| 8 | 195 | Dick Swatland | Guard | Notre Dame | |
| 9 | 223 | Joe Blake | Tackle | Tulsa | |
| 10 | 254 | Doug Robinson | Defensive back | Iowa State | |
| 11 | 276 | Bennie Blocker | Running back | South Carolina State | |
| 12 | 303 | John Beck | Defensive back | San Diego State | |
| 13 | 331 | K.O. Trepanier | Defensive end | Montana State | |
| 14 | 359 | Herb Covington | Running back | Memphis State | |
| 15 | 384 | Wilmer Cooks | Running back | Colorado | |
| 16 | 411 | Elie Ghattas | Guard | Ball State | |
| 17 | 439 | James Ferguson | Center | USC | |
| Made roster | |||||
Personnel
Staff
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
|
Roster
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 15 | Cleveland Browns | L 10–24 | 0–1 | Tulane Stadium | 74,215 |
| 2 | September 22 | Washington Redskins | W 37–17 | 1–1 | Tulane Stadium | 65,941 |
| 3 | September 29 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 20–21 | 1–2 | Tulane Stadium | 79,021 |
| 4 | October 6 | at New York Giants | L 21–38 | 1–3 | Yankee Stadium | 60,967 |
| 5 | October 13 | Minnesota Vikings | W 20–17 | 2–3 | Tulane Stadium | 71,105 |
| 6 | October 20 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 16–12 | 3–3 | Pitt Stadium | 32,303 |
| 7 | October 27 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 17–31 | 3–4 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 45,476 |
| 8 | November 3 | Dallas Cowboys | L 3–17 | 3–5 | Tulane Stadium | 84,728 |
| 9 | November 10 | at Cleveland Browns | L 17–35 | 3–6 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 71,025 |
| 10 | November 17 | at Green Bay Packers | L 7–29 | 3–7 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 49,644 |
| 11 | November 24 | at Detroit Lions | T 20–20 | 3–7–1 | Tiger Stadium | 46,152 |
| 12 | December 1 | Chicago Bears | L 17–23 | 3–8–1 | Tulane Stadium | 78,285 |
| 13 | December 8 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–29 | 3–9–1 | Franklin Field | 57,128 |
| 14 | December 15 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24–14 | 4–9–1 | Tulane Stadium | 66,131 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||
Standings
| NFL Century | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Cleveland Browns | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 4–2 | 7–3 | 394 | 273 | L1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 9 | 4 | 1 | .692 | 5–0–1 | 8–1–1 | 325 | 289 | W4 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 2–4 | 3–7 | 246 | 327 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2 | 11 | 1 | .154 | 0–5–1 | 1–8–1 | 244 | 397 | L5 |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
References
- ^ 1968 New Orleans Saints
- ^ "1968 New Orleans Saints draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- ^ "All-Time Roster". NewOrleansSaints.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2012.