Vintage Fans: Tell Us a Tulane Stadium Story?

Marlboro Man · 03-19-2011, 11:34 PM

I remember the day I was at Chalmette High School for a game on Fri. night and they announced over the speakers that New Orleans had been awarded a franchise. Everyone went insane, jumping up and down hugging each other and screaming and crying. It was wild.

The team was going to start play in 1967 and I just had to be involved in some way. There was this company called Andrew D. Frain Security and they were hiring ticket takers and security for the games at Tulane Stadium. While I'm not one of those guys that looks older than he is, I went in and applied for the job even though I was under age, and got the job.

I turned 14 in August of the Saints inaugural season and was in the stands looking for people throwing glass beer bottles down onto the walkway or sitting in the wrong areas and helping people to their seats. All of a sudden, a huge roar came up from the crowd and people started standing up and as I turned to the field, I saw John Gilliam (SP) take the opening kick all the way back for a touchdown!!

It was an incredible and exciting moment in a young man's eyes and cemented my love for the Saints through all the hard years to come.

One thing I will also relate is that we used to take tickets at the gates to the games too, and there were some really dark back alley gates there. we used to sell ticket stubs to people who didn't have tickets to make extra money as they didn't pay us all that well back in those days. I guess cause we were kids. I was also able to be at the game where Dempsey kicked the record field goal. Lots of great memories and moments but nothing compared to losing my job to watch the Saints beat Indy in Super Bowl 44.

03-19-2011, 11:34 PM	#31
Marlboro Man 1000 Posts + Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,469	I remember the day I was at Chalmette High School for a game on Fri. night and they announced over the speakers that New Orleans had been awarded a franchise. Everyone went insane, jumping up and down hugging each other and screaming and crying. It was wild. The team was going to start play in 1967 and I just had to be involved in some way. There was this company called Andrew D. Frain Security and they were hiring ticket takers and security for the games at Tulane Stadium. While I'm not one of those guys that looks older than he is, I went in and applied for the job even though I was under age, and got the job. I turned 14 in August of the Saints inaugural season and was in the stands looking for people throwing glass beer bottles down onto the walkway or sitting in the wrong areas and helping people to their seats. All of a sudden, a huge roar came up from the crowd and people started standing up and as I turned to the field, I saw John Gilliam (SP) take the opening kick all the way back for a touchdown!! It was an incredible and exciting moment in a young man's eyes and cemented my love for the Saints through all the hard years to come. One thing I will also relate is that we used to take tickets at the gates to the games too, and there were some really dark back alley gates there. we used to sell ticket stubs to people who didn't have tickets to make extra money as they didn't pay us all that well back in those days. I guess cause we were kids. I was also able to be at the game where Dempsey kicked the record field goal. Lots of great memories and moments but nothing compared to losing my job to watch the Saints beat Indy in Super Bowl 44.