Special Teams Ace Rich Mauti
A couple of pictures of Rich Mauti, a Penn State graduate who joined the Saints in 1977. Mauti excelled as special teams player making the Pro Bowl as a kick returner in 1980. He actually set an NFL record of 27 solo tackles on kick and punt returns in 1978.
Pictured above, from the 1978 regular season game against Cleveland, Mauti caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Archie Manning – 1 of the 2 he had that year. In the other picture he zeroes in on Browns returner Keith Wright.
His son, Michael Mauti also played for the Saints and like his father, excelled on special teams. In 2015 Michael returned a blocked punt for a score against the Falcons on a Thursday Night Prime Time game.