The story of the New Orleans Saints' first player, Paige Cothren

By Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune NOLA.com

New Orleans Saints fans are famously trivial.

Paige Cothren was the first player to sign a contract with the newly formed New Orleans Saints.

They can remember the most picayune details of their club's 45-year history.
Without hesitation, they can recite fact after arcane fact. Who scored the first touchdown (John Gilliam). Who held for Tom Dempsey's famous kick (Joe Scarpati).
Even who recovered the fumble when Hakim dropped the ball (Brian Milne).
But few if any can tell you the name of the first Saint.
"Not many people knew me back then," said Paige Cothren from his home in the piney woods of Houston, Miss. "If I would have made the team it would have been better."
Before Billy Kilmer and Doug Atkins were signed and Danny Abramowicz drafted, there was Cothren, a semi-retired kicker from Ole Miss who became the first player to sign a formal contract with the Saints on Feb. 2, 1967

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