Saints Earn Playoff Bye, Payton Earns Sportexe Coach of the Year Award

January 4th, 2007

ROUND ROCK,TX- Good things are certainly coming to the New Orleans Saints after years of inconsistency, turmoil and - most recently - uncertainty.

The Saints, victims of Hurricane Katrina, went 3-13 in 2005 after being forced to evacuate the city and play the entire season with no home crowd, no home practice facility, and no home stadium and - in some instances - no home period.

Only 11 months have passed since replacing six-year head coach Jim Haslett, and already first time head coach Sean Payton has guided the New Orleans Saints to a 10-6 record and its first playoff berth in six years - only its sixth appearance in franchise history.

Now, the Saints with only one playoff victory in its 40-season existence are looking to climb out of the NFL cellar and symbolically lift the City of New Orleans out of the turbulent shadow caused by the destructive aftermath of two vicious hurricanes in the fall of 2005.

On Dec. 21, Sportexe announced Payton as its NFL winner of its inaugural Sportexe Football Coach of the Year award for 2006. As one of the global leaders in the synthetic turf system industry, Sportexe thoroughly reviewed candidates nationwide to find coaches from high school, collegiate and professional levels that demonstrate the same quality, integrity and performance that has become synonymous with the Sportexe brand.

"We are in the trenches working hand-in-hand with these guys every day," said Sportexe CEO and President Mark Nicholls. "One would be hard-pressed to find people more in tune with the football-coaching industry than us. We keep a close eye on what’s going on and we are excited to be able to acknowledge just a few of the game’s many outstanding achievers."

Payton, a protégé of Bill Parcells while serving as assistant head coach with the Dallas Cowboys in 2003-05, has never wavered from the task nor shirked his responsibility of his role in the rebirth of New Orleans and its football team.

With the help of former San Diego Charger quarterback Drew Brees, who signed as a free agent this season after undergoing career-threatening shoulder surgery in January, and Heisman winner Reggie Bush, the second overall pick in the 2006 draft, Payton’s Saints are no longer the nation’s "feel good" story and are now a "real good" story with realistic Super Bowl aspirations.

"As I have stated, if we work to reach our goals, awards will come," said Payton. "It is an honor for me and the Saints organization for Sportexe to recognize me for this award, but more importantly to recognize the success of our entire team this year."

Other Sportexe Coach of the Year winners included: Art Briles, University of Houston (NCAA Division I-A); Dave Bennett, Coastal Carolina (NCAA Division I-AA); Bill O’Boyle, Chadron State (NCAA Division II); Frank Miriello, Washington & Lee (NCAA Division III); Dino Kaklis, Bethel College (Tenn.) (NAIA); and Brad Franchione, Blinn College (Junior College).

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