Home Grown Who Dats (Part 1)

The New Orleans Saints players may steal the spotlight on the field, but the ones who get the crowd pumped up are the Saintsations. Earlier this football season, News 25 headed over to New Orleans to meet some Mississippi Gulf Coast Saintsations.

They light up the field with their energy and excitement, and while they give fans a break from the intensity of the game, they are hard workers themselves. Mary, a Saintsation, says, “I do work a full time job. So it’s tough, but you know, you have to work on time management. Everything really works out if you’re organized. It’s very important to stay organized beyond this team.”

For each girl, there’s something different that makes them passionate about being a Saintsation. Brandy’s dad is a season ticket holder, and she grew up a Saints fan. After he suffered a severe heart attack, she wanted to find a way to make him proud. Brandy says, “He said, ‘I believe in you and I think that you can do it.’ And he had just suffered from a really serious heart attack and I knew he really cared about the team, so I knew it was something we could do to connect with each other.”

One connection all these girls share is being Mississippi Gulf Coast girls. New Orleans welcomes them with open arms. Lesslee Fitzmorris, Saintsations Director, says, “The Saints are really a regional team, and so we really encourage girls from Mississippi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Florida, Alabama to come out and be a part of the Saints Nation.”

Fitzmorris loves having Saintsations who represent the fans from the Magnolia State. She also says, “And we’re just so thrilled to have so many girls from the beautiful State of Mississippi be on our team, because we have a lot of fans there and a lot of events there, and we love our Mississippi fans.”

For the Gulf Coast Saintsations, it’s an opportunity to show off their Mississippi pride. Jennifer, another Saintsation, says, “I am so proud that I am part of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but I love that I can show how great Mississippi is to New Orleans. We’re not that far away. I’m from Biloxi and we have so much to offer there and I love representing it and saying, ‘Hey, these Mississippi girls can do it too.’”

These girls are proving year after year that Mississippi Saints fans can cheer just as loud. Fitzmorris closes, “So here’s to all our Mississippi fans. We love you!”