Tag: Sam Mills

Former Saints trainer Dean Kleinschmidt recognized by Pro Football Hall of Fame

Former New Orleans Saints athletic trainer Dean Kleinschmidt was recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame with its 2024 Award of Excellence:

Here’s some well-deserved recognition for longtime New Orleans Saints athletic trainer Dean Kleinschmidt. The Pro Football Hall of Fame honored him Thursday with its 2024 Award of Excellence for his efforts in treating athletes and helping to cultivate the game. He’s spent his years away from the NFL working with the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

“I’ve enjoyed 43 years in the NFL,” Kleinschmidt told Mobile Bay Magazine’s Breck Pappas. “But I’ve really loved 50 years in Mobile.”

Kleinschmidt was with the Saints from 1969 to 2000, having worked with a host of future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees: Rickey Jackson, Willie Roaf, Sam Mills, and many other great players, establishing some long-lasting friendships. At times early in his career he was tasked with watching Archie Manning’s sons Peyton, Eli, and Cooper while their father received treatment or worked out at the team practice facility.

“We’re in that business of trying to speed healing,” Kleinschmidt said in back in 1998, per the Herald Times’ Mike Wright. “We do everything we can to get these guys ready, within safety limits, to play on the next deadline, which is noon the following Sunday.”

He continued to work in the NFL after leaving the Saints, most notably joining the Detroit Lions as their coordinator of athletic medicine. Kleinschmidt retired from the NFL in 2015 and has since been enshrined at the Saints’ team Hall of Fame as well as the National Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame. Now the Pro Football Hall of Fame is making room for him, too.

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6 best free-agent signings in Panthers franchise history

They’ve never been known as big spenders in free agency, but the Panthers have found some great value on the open market in the past.

With free agency inching closer, let’s take a fond look into the past.

Here are the six best free-agent signings in Carolina Panthers history:

Every Pro Bowl selection in Panthers franchise history

Let’s take a look back at every Pro Bowl selection in Panthers franchise history

It took a bit longer than it should’ve, but defensive tackle Derrick Brown rightfully became the latest Pro Bowler in Carolina Panthers history.

So, as we gear up for the rest of the festivities this weekend, let’s look back at Brown and every other Panther who has been selected as an all-star.

Opinion: Saints shouldn’t wait much longer to memorialize ‘Dome Patrol’ legends

The Saints shouldn’t wait much longer to memorialize their ‘Dome Patrol’ legends. Permanent recognition for their first great team is long overdue:

Steve Sidwell died Wednesday evening. For New Orleans Saints fans of a certain age, he was one of the first members of the team whose name they remembered — for good reasons. He was the Saints defensive coordinator from 1986 to 1994, also coaching the team’s linebackers at times, and he was one of the people most responsible for building, developing, and maintaining the greatest defense in franchise history.

Now he’s gone. So are two of his former linebackers who helped make up the “Dome Patrol” defense: Pro Football Hall of Famer Sam Mills (who died far too young, back in 2005) and fan-favorite linebacker Vaughan Johnson (who passed more recently in 2019). Rickey Jackson, also a Hall of Fame inductee, is still with us as is Pat Swilling.

But the Saints shouldn’t keep putting this off. Installing a permanent memorial to their first great team, insuring that those legendary players will not be forgotten by future generations, should be an easy decision. Saints fans seem to bring it up every summer. And the precedent is there.

Mills has already been immortalized with a bronze statue outside the Carolina Panthers’ stadium in Charlotte; he was a founding member of that franchise as a player and coach before his tragic death, and fans of both NFC South-rival teams came together to celebrate his Hall of Fame induction with his family.

If the Panthers can make tribute to Mills, why can’t the Saints? Why shouldn’t the Saints do it for the entire four-man linebacker corps, the only group in NFL history to be invited to the Pro Bowl at the time in 1992? Their defense powered New Orleans to its first winning season and playoff appearance in 1987. They gave fans something more to root for than Tom Dempsey’s legendary field goal or Archie Manning’s futile heroics.

The Saints recognized them last year with reprints of the iconic posters that young fans all across the Gulf South proudly displayed in their youth, and all four linebackers have places in the Saints Hall of Fame. But they can do more. And they should, with a larger public gesture. Late owner Tom Benson placed a statue of himself in Champions Square back in 2014. The Caesars Superdome is also home to a Vietnam War Memorial near Poydras Street. And of course there’s Steve Gleason’s all-time great “Rebirth” statue, which has become a landmark and pilgrimage for many fans visiting town for the first time.

There’s room for a “Dome Patrol” memorial on the Superdome grounds. There’s appetite for it among the fanbase, too. And with time working against them, the Saints shouldn’t put this easy decision off any longer. People should be given their flowers while they’re still with us to appreciate them. It’s too late for Mills, Johnson, and Sidwell to have that time in the sun. That doesn’t mean the Saints can’t make things right with their families and the legendary players and coaches still among us.

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Former Saints ‘Dome Patrol’ DC Steve Sidwell dead at 78

Former Saints defensive coordinator Steve Sidwell has died at 78. Dennis Allen paid tribute to one of the architects of the legendary “Dome Patrol” defense:

This is tough news. The New Orleans Saints announced the death of former defensive coordinator Steve Sidwell on Thursday, paying tribute to one of the architects of their storied “Dome Patrol” defense.

Sidwell coached the Saints defense from 1986 to 1994, helping to draft and develop some of the greatest defenders in franchise history on Jim Mora’s staff. Two of his linebackers, Rickey Jackson and Sam Mills, were selected for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

And Saints head coach Dennis Allen paid tribute to Sidwell during his Thursday press conference after practice. After expressing condolences to Sidwell’s family, Allen acknowledged what Sidwell accomplished in New Orleans.

“He was a tremendous defensive coach in our league,” Allen began. “Ton of success. Led the Dome Patrol defense which is really the standard of defense for the New Orleans Saints. It’s what we kind of aspire to be defensively. It’s a sad day for our organization, and again our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Sidwell is survived by his wife Kathleen and their town sons Brad and Scott. We’ll be wishing them the best in this difficult time.

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Sam Mills named greatest free-agent signing in Panthers history

Sam Mills, who brought so much to Carolina in so little time, was named the Panthers’ greatest free-agent signing.

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Sam Mills is certifiably, and in more ways than one, a Carolina Panther great.

Not too long after he was deemed the organization’s best Hall of Famer, the iconic linebacker has now been named their greatest free-agent signing. Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports, who picked one all-time inking for each team, writes:

After a highly successful nine-year run in New Orleans, Mills signed a two-year deal with the expansion Panthers despite the Saints matching Carolina’s offer. The 36-year-old made an immediate impact in Carolina. In 1995, Mills tallied 110 tackles, 4.5 sacks, five interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and four fumble recoveries. Mills earned All-Pro honors in 1996 while helping lead the Panthers to an NFC title game appearance. A member of the Panthers’ Hall of Honor, Mills’ No. 51 has been retired by the franchise.

Along with the 1996 All-Pro distinction, Mills also (obviously) received a Pro Bowl nod that season. His selection, thanks to a busy 122-tackle campaign, made him the oldest defensive player (37 years old) to earn a ticket to the all-star festivities.

So—with all honors and stats considered—the Panthers got a pretty sweet deal, no?

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Sam Mills named Panthers’ best Hall of Famer

Panthers legend Sam Mills was named the franchise’s top Pro Football Hall of Fame member.

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The Carolina Panthers don’t have a whole lot of representation over in Canton, Ohio. But what they do have, like the man you’re going to read about, packs quite a punch.

Franchise icon Sam Mills was recently named the Panthers’ best Hall of Famer. The 33rd Team senior writer Barry Wilner complied his list of the NFL’s premier 32 reps, and wrote the following of the inspirational linebacker:

Sam Mills was too small and slow to make an NFL impact. Yeah, right. The 5-foot-9 Mills went from Montclair State (it’s in New Jersey) to USFL stardom when the NFL ignored him. That changed in 1986 when he joined New Orleans and was a major factor on the Saints’ defense.

But it was in his last three pro seasons with the Panthers that Mills solidified his Canton candidacy with 331 tackles, six forced fumbles and the kind of leadership that lands you in the Hall of Fame.

Mills was officially (and finally) enshrined into the Hall of Fame last summer, in what was his final year of eligibility. His work for the organization as a player, coach and legendary source of motivation now has him immortalized amongst the game’s very best.

Carolina’s very best in Canton also includes prolific pass rushers Kevin Greene and Reggie White. But with both men spending a combined three seasons in Charlotte, Mills’ impact makes him the clear choice for this relatively young franchise.

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Who belongs on the Carolina Panthers’ Mount Rushmore?

Three cheers for the black, white and process blue! Here are our picks for which Panthers would occupy the franchise’s Mount Rushmore.

Happy Fourth of July, folks! Now, let’s celebrate the red, white and blue with a little black, white and process blue.

Here—based on which players have put forth the most productive, successful and impactful careers in franchise history—is our Mount Rushmore for the Carolina Panthers.

Tulane’s Nick Anderson picked the perfect jersey to celebrate signing with the Saints

Tulane’s Nick Anderson picked the perfect jersey to celebrate signing with the Saints. He’s hoping to follow in the footsteps of the legendary “Field Mouse” Sam Mills:

Congratulations are in order for former Tulane Green Wave linebacker Nick Anderson, who picked the perfect jersey to celebrate his signing with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent — the 5-foot-9 linebacker is drawing some inspiration from a “Dome Patrol” legend who was also called too short and small, flexing for the world to see in a Sam Mills jersey.

Now, Anderson may not be bound for the Pro Football Hall of Fame like the “Field Mouse” once was, but this is a great role model for him to draw inspiration from. Anderson figures to compete for a job on the Saints special teams units (where he has a ton of experience, with 756 career snaps in college) and if that goes well, maybe he makes his case as a backup for Demario Davis. For now, we’ll congratulate him on getting the opportunity to go pro in New Orleans, and see where his football life takes him.

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Saints honoring Sam Mills’ Hall of Fame induction with ‘Dome Patrol’ poster for fans

Saints honoring Sam Mills’ Hall of Fame induction with ‘Dome Patrol’ poster for fans at Monday night game vs. Ravens; will you be in that number?

Now this is cool. Remember that iconic poster every teenaged New Orleans Saints fan had hanging in their room of the “Dome Patrol” linebackers standing tall in matching fatigues and gold wraparound sunglasses? Replica posters will be handed out to fans in attendance for Monday night’s home game with the Baltimore Ravens at the Caesars Superdome this week, featuring the legendary Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills, Vaughan Johnson, and Pat Swilling.

It’s a very appropriate commemoration for Mills’ long-awaited induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this year, where a bronze bust in his likeness joined Jackson for time immemorial. Mills died of cancer in 2005 but his family and supporters kept his Hall of Fame campaign going, finally finding success when he was inducted as part of the Class of 2022.

So you can bet it’s going to be a joyous occasion celebrating this achievement with Mills’ family, friends, and old teammates. Will you be in that number?

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