New Orleans Saints mourn the loss of J.D. Roberts Roberts was the second head coach in franchise history and an original member of the Saints’ staff May 25, 2021 at 01:25 PM Copied!
The New Orleans Saints mourn the loss of J. D. Roberts, the second head coach in franchise history and an original member of the Saints staff.
Hired midway through the 1970 season as the interim head coach on November 3, 1970, Roberts spent the next two seasons in the full time position. In his first game in charge, Roberts led the Saints to a 19-17 victory over the Detroit Lions in Tulane Stadium when Tom Dempsey kicked a then NFL record 63-yard field goal as time expired. Roberts also served as the first head coach for Saints Hall-of-Fame quarterback and Ring-of-Honor inductee Archie Manning. Before his time as a head coach, Roberts was an original member of the Saints staff as a scout and linebackers coach from 1967-69 before being assigned