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42 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 42 jersey
Sunday marks 42 days left until the New Orleans Saints regular season opener. New Orleans will be on the road to start their year, traveling to take on the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. As the Saints start training camp, cornerback Mike Reid is wearing No. 42 for the team.
Reid was brought on just as training camp started. He'll have his work cut out to make the team at a crowded position. Reid is also looking to become the 19th Saint to wear the 42 jersey. Our countdown to kickoff series continues by looking at each.
John Gilliam was the first to put on 42 for the original New Orleans team of 1967 as a second round choice (52nd overall) in the 1967 NFL draft. Gilliam also scored the first ever touchdown in the first ever game on the first ever play for New Orleans, taking the opening kickoff 94 yards for a score against the Los Angeles Rams . In two years and 27 games with the Saints, Gilliam had 46 receptions for 548 yards and a touchdown. After standout years with the St. Louis Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings , Gilliam returned to New Orleans in 1977 to cap off his 11-year NFL career. He wore No. 41 in that final season.
After Gilliam, two running backs followed in No. 42 over the next three years. Jim Strong had the most success of the two, rushing for 524 yards and three scores in two seasons with the Saints. In 1976, New Orleans would add another running back to wear No. 42. He'd go on to be one of the most talented but also one of the most controversial figures in team history.
New Orleans selected California Bears running back Chuck Muncie with the third overall choice in the 1976 NFL draft. Muncie is undoubtedly one of the most talented runners to wear a New Orleans uniform. Unfortunately, he is just as well known for drug problems and other behavior issues that ultimately forced the Saints to trade him away to the San Diego Chargers early into the 1980 campaign.
Muncie had 3,393 rushing yards, another 1,086 as a receiver, and scored 29 touchdowns in 59 games for New Orleans. It is the most games for any player to wear No. 42 for the franchise. He achieved the first 1,000-yard rushing season in franchise history, picking up 1,198 yards in 1979. Chuck Muncie's talent and accomplishments are deserving a spot in the Saints Hall of Fame. The fact that he isn't there is a testament to the serious nature of his off-field problems. A native of Uniontown in western Pennsylvania, Chuck Muncie passed away in 2013 at 60 years old.
After Muncie was traded, six players wore 42 for the Saints over the next two decades. Out of them, only Touissant Tyler (18 games) wore the jersey for more than one season. The other five wore it for a combined 34 games. Fred Weary was among that group. He was with the Saints for four seasons, but only wore 42 in his first with the team. Jason David, acquired in 2007, didn't fare much better than that group. David was a Saint for two seasons and had 8 interceptions in 27 outings, but was also a magnet for big plays by the opposition.
The less said about Darren Sharper, the better. His 9 interceptions for 376 return yards and 3 touchdowns during the Super Bowl XLIV championship season led the NFL in all three categories. The interception return yardage remains an NFL single-season record. After the detestable Sharper, six players have worn No. 42 over the past 15 years. Zach Line had success as a lead blocker at fullback for 40 games, second among all players to wear 42 for the team. Hansen remained for three years, but played only 16 contests in special teams duty. Summers was in New Orleans for three years, wearing three different numbers during that stretch and 42 for a brief time in 2023 as a special teams contributor.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 42 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 42 jersey
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