The Brown & White

Less than five years ago, the New Orleans Superdome was a venue of misery - home to hundreds of thousands displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Their homes were destroyed; their faith tested; their future unsure. Still standing amidst the sheer destruction, the Superdome was a beacon of light.

And now, four years and five months later, the Superdome is a venue of hope and home to a team that has stood as a symbol of resilience for the entire city. The Saints have managed to ignite the spirit and soul of New Orleans.

It was hard to imagine that New Orleans could ever be put back together again. Floods of standing water took over most of the city. Street signs teetered on their hinges, and looters ran rampant. While the city was being put back together and the Superdome was being rebuilt, the New Orleans Saints played their home games at The Meadowlands, in San Antonio or in Baton Rouge.

It started with new head coach Sean Payton and his army of gridiron heroes. Among them was quarterback Drew Brees and running back Reggie Bush, who knew their new community would need more than just big plays from them. The three set out to resuscitate an ailing city and an ailing Saints franchise that posted a 63-97 record in the 10 years before their arrival. Together, they would hold together the success of their team and the spirit of their city.

The Play it Forward Foundation was established by Payton and his wife, Beth, to raise money and awareness for disadvantaged New Orleans families who needed aid with health, education and welfare. On Fridays, Payton invited kids who had lost everything because of the hurricane to watch practice. His actions made an obvious impression on his players, who soon followed in his footsteps in helping the community - a community that stood behind its team offering continual support, but one that was so badly in need of supporting itself.

Brees and Bush showed they were ready and willing to stand behind their community and their fans. Brees founded the Brees Dream Foundation, which donated a multipurpose field and a sparkling new weight room, among many other initiatives, to help the kids continue to make lasting childhood memories despite the catastrophe they experienced. His countless efforts earned him the 2006 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. Bush also did his best to help the city past its devastation by donating funds to local schools and restoring Tad Gormley Stadium.

When the Saints came marching in after the hurricane, with their philanthropy off the field and success on the field, prosperity came marching in with them. Hotel occupancies rose because of the games, bringing a natural rise in spending at bars, restaurants and stores. New Orleans loves a party, and the team gave them a reason to do so.

Five years ago, their mission was bigger than the Super Bowl. But as the city has slowly built itself back to the thriving, spirited community it once was, the team that helped it get there has experienced success of its own. It was a Monday night game four years ago when the team first stepped back under the bright lights to show the nation the Saints - and New Orleans - were coming back. Standing midfield in the Superdome, no one forgot that it was only 13 months prior that people had died in there, their bodies stored in the catering freezers.

But the city kept moving forward as did the Saints, who in just four short seasons after that first game back home had catapulted themselves to unparalleled victory. The Saints have given New Orleans a gift of hope. For the first time since the franchise joined the NFL in 1967, the Saints appeared in a Super Bowl. And prior to the playoff victories over Arizona and Minnesota this year, the Saints had only won two postseason games ... ever.

Resilience has defined the city of New Orleans. But the community's ability to bounce back is due largely to a collective spirit determined to find its former glory. And the team who helped the community get there is finding an uncharted glory of its own.