Former New Orleans Saints head coach J.D. Roberts passes away at age 88

J.D. Roberts (Twitter)

Former New Orleans Saints head coach J.D. Roberts of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma passed away at the age of 88 according to Ryan Young of Yahoo! Sports. Roberts was the coach of the Saints from 1970 to 1973. In 35 games, Roberts only had a record of seven wins, 25 losses and three ties.

The first game Roberts ever coached was one of the most memorable games in National Football League history. That is because Saints kicker Tom Dempsey of Milwaukee, Wisconsin kicked the second longest field goal ever in the NFL at 63 yards in a 19-17 Saints win over the Detroit Lions on November 8, 1970. Dempsey passed away on March 30, 2020 of coronavirus at the age of 73.

Roberts then had the opportunity to coach Archie Manning, the most notable New Orleans Saints players from the 1970s. Manning would be the Saints quarterback from 1971 to 1982, and would go on to represent the Saints at the 1978 and 1979 Pro Bowls. Archie Manning is also best known as being the father of two of the greatest quarterbacks in the NFL over the last 20 years in Peyton and Eli Manning. Peyton Manning was ranked the fourth best player in NFL history by The Sporting Base.

In addition to being a head coach, Roberts was the linebackers coach with the Saints in 1967 and 1968. As a player, Roberts won the Outland Trophy with the University of Oklahoma in 1953 as the top lineman in American college football. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 1954 NFL Draft, but never played a game of professional football. In 1955, Roberts joined the American navy.

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