New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton awarded honorary doctorate at Eastern Illinois University

NFL Coach of the Year. Super Bowl champion. And now, officially, a doctor.

New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton received an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree this past weekend from his alma mater, Eastern Illinois University. The school, which had previously retired Payton's football jersey and put him in its athletic Hall of Fame, now honored him for his work both on the field and off with his Play It Forward charity foundation.

"I'm gonna tell my coaches, 'You don't have to call me Dr. Payton unless it's a certain event.' I'll give 'em a hard time about it," said Payton, who went back to Charleston, Ill., for the school's graduation ceremonies and even donned his own cap and gown. "It was special. It was a cool deal. I was glad to be back there and glad the timing worked out."

Payton played quarterback at Eastern Illinois from 1983-1986. He threw for 10,665 yards, which was the third-highest total in NCAA Division 1-AA history at the time, and he was an honorable mention All-American in 1986.

Eastern has been a pipeline of sorts to the NFL in recent years, with current head coach Mike Shanahan, former head coach Brad Childress, the late assistant coach Mike Heimerdinger and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo all having attended the school.

"It's a pretty special place," Payton said. "All of us to some point or another are products of where we've been. I had a great experience there and was influenced by a lot of people there."

New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton awarded honorary doctorate at Eastern Illinois University | NOLA.com