Saints Cornerback Gene Howard, 1968-1970
I Found this picture of former New Orleans Saints defender Gene Howard poking around some files on my computer and I thought it would be a nice tidbit of New Orleans Saints History to share.
Gene Howard was a 7th-round pick out of Langston in 1968. He ended up starting 10 games his rookie season with 3 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries. He also played some Special Teams returning kicks and punts.
Like most Saint players though he didn’t stay long and by 1971 was playing for the Rams giving them 2 solid seasons. In 1974 he ended up in the World Football League playing with the Southern California Sun until the organization folded in 1975.
In the picture here, we think is from 1970, he is defending against Vikings Star Receiver Gene Washington.
Gene Howard 1968-1970 New Orleans Saints Totals
| Year | Age | Pos | # | Games Started | Int | Yards | TD | Long | Fumbles Recovered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 22 | RCB | 29 | 10 | 3 | 51 | 0 | 35 | 2 |
| 1969 | 23 | RCB | 29 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | 24 | RCB | 29 | 6 | |||||
| 3 years as a Saint | 29 | 5 | 51 | 0 | 35 | 2 | |||
| Year | Punt Returns | Yards | TD | Long | Y/PR | Kick Returns | Yards | TD | Long | Y/KR | APYd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 8 | 42 | 0 | 12 | 5.3 | 23 | 533 | 0 | 36 | 23.2 | 626 |
| 1969 | 9 | 73 | 0 | 30 | 8.1 | 9 | 227 | 0 | 86 | 25.2 | 300 |
| 1970 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 2.8 | 14 | |||||
| Care | 22 | 129 | 0 | 30 | 5.9 | 41 | 975 | 0 | 86 | 23.8 | 1286 |
| 3 Years as a Saint | 22 | 129 | 0 | 30 | 5.9 | 32 | 760 | 0 | 86 | 23.8 | 940 |
