New Orleans Night

Arena Football League (1991-1992)

Our Favorite Stuff

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New Orleans Night
Arena Football T-Shirt

The Zubax-clad warriors that were the New Orleans Night patrolled the floor of the cavernous Louisiana Superdome for two seasons in 1991 and 1992. Jerry Rice’s college quarterback, “Satellite” Willie Totten, called signals for the Night in 1991.  

This design is available today in sizes Small through 3 XL from our friends at Cincinnati’s Old School Shirts!

 

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Background

The New Orleans Night was a short-lived franchise during the early years of the original Arena Football League (1987-2008).  The Night formed as an owner-less expansion team in March 1991 and were operated during their first season by the building management of the Louisiana Superdome.

In July 1991, Orlando-area businessman and former NFL defensive end Mike McBath put together a group to buy the Night for $500,000.  McBath already was a part owner of the league’s very popular Orlando Predators franchise, but he was unable to replicate Orlando’s success in the Big Easy. The Night folded after a winless 1992 campaign.

The Night were 4-6 in the first season in 1991 under former Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Eddie Khayat.  The team’s most notable player was former Mississippi Valley State quarterback Willie Totten.  Totten was Jerry Rice’s college quarterback and shattered numerous Division 1-AA passing records in tandem with the legendary receiver.  Totten split time at quarterback with former LSU signal caller Mickey Guidry in 1991.

Demise & Return of the AFL Under Saints Ownership

After Mike McBath bought the team, former Tulane Head Coach Vince Gibson replaced Eddie Khayat for the 1992 season.  The Night went 0-10 under Gibson, with Mickey Guidry taking most of the snaps at quarterback.  The Night’s final appearance was a 62-8 humiliation on the road against McBath’s other team, the Orlando Predators, on July 31, 1992.  McBath and his partners handed the keys to the franchise back to the league office in October 1992. The league quietly euthanized the New Orleans Night when no other buyers stepped forward.

Arena Football returned to New Orleans in 2004 with the arrival of the New Orleans Voodoo, owned by Saints owner Tom Benson.

Trivia

Even among Arena Football diehards, the New Orleans Night are an obscure and forgotten franchise.  To the extent they are remembered at all, it is usually for sporting garish Zubaz stripes on their uniforms as part of a 1991 promotional campaign with the flash-in-the-pan apparel manufacturer.

New Orleans Night Shop

Our Favorite Stuff

Order at Old School Shirts

Arena Football League
1987-2002 Logo T-Shirt

This logo tee from Old School Shirts reps the original Arena Football League logo, used for the league’s first 16 seasons as the circuit grew from four to sixteen franchises. The design includes uprights to imply one of the most unique innovations of the  indoor game –  the taut netting surrounding narrowed uprights that ricocheted kickoffs and missed field goals back into live play. Curiously, the netting wasn’t incorporated into the graphic which seems like a missed opportunity.

This design is also available as a Hooded or Crewneck Sweatshirt from Old School Shirts today!

When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

New Orleans Night Video

The Night host the Dallas Texans at the Superdome. July 5, 1991.

In Memoriam

Former Night Head Coach Vince Gibson passed away on January 10, 2012 from Lou Gehrig’s Disease.  Gibson was 78.

Links

Arena Football League Media Guides

Arena Football League Programs

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