The story behind the iconic Dome Patrol poster, and how it lives on in the Hall of Fame

SmashMouth · 08-07-2022, 10:16 AM

When Pro Football Hall of Fame officials notify honorees about their induction, one of the first things they do is request personal artifacts to display in a locker exhibit at the museum in Canton, Ohio.

Sam Mills’ family immediately went to work. They dug into boxes of Sam’s personal belongings from his playing days in New Orleans and Carolina to see what they could find. In one of the boxes, they uncovered a one-of-a-kind item: black military fatigues with gold lettering. The nameplate over the chest: MILLS. The unit: N.O. SAINTS. Mills’ No. 51 was stitched on one front pocket. A gold patch of Louisiana was on the other.

“When we saw it, we knew immediately what it was,” said Marcus Mills, one of Sam’s three sons. “Who else has a big, black onesie jumpsuit sitting around?”

Marcus and his brothers, Andre and Sam III, where there on that day in 1988 when his father and Saints teammates Rickey Jackson, Vaughan Johnson and Pat Swilling posed in the outfits for the iconic "Dome Patrol" poster on the apron of the Superdome.

The poster instantly became one of the most popular in the line produced by Seattle-based Costacos Brothers, and a must-have collector’s item for Saints fans. It remains an enduring symbol of the famed Dome Patrol teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s, a cherished piece of memorabilia from the first great era of Saints football.

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08-07-2022, 10:16 AM	#1
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 38,813 Blog Entries: 29	The story behind the iconic Dome Patrol poster, and how it lives on in the Hall of Fame When Pro Football Hall of Fame officials notify honorees about their induction, one of the first things they do is request personal artifacts to display in a locker exhibit at the museum in Canton, Ohio. Sam Mills’ family immediately went to work. They dug into boxes of Sam’s personal belongings from his playing days in New Orleans and Carolina to see what they could find. In one of the boxes, they uncovered a one-of-a-kind item: black military fatigues with gold lettering. The nameplate over the chest: MILLS. The unit: N.O. SAINTS. Mills’ No. 51 was stitched on one front pocket. A gold patch of Louisiana was on the other. “When we saw it, we knew immediately what it was,” said Marcus Mills, one of Sam’s three sons. “Who else has a big, black onesie jumpsuit sitting around?” Marcus and his brothers, Andre and Sam III, where there on that day in 1988 when his father and Saints teammates Rickey Jackson, Vaughan Johnson and Pat Swilling posed in the outfits for the iconic "Dome Patrol" poster on the apron of the Superdome. The poster instantly became one of the most popular in the line produced by Seattle-based Costacos Brothers, and a must-have collector’s item for Saints fans. It remains an enduring symbol of the famed Dome Patrol teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s, a cherished piece of memorabilia from the first great era of Saints football. more here Twitter Attached Thumbnails jeanpierre likes this.