Saints Countdown To NFL Kickoff With The History Of Number 71

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04-07-2025

Saints Countdown To NFL Kickoff With The History Of Number 71 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The New Orleans Saints sit 71 days before their opening game of the 2025 NFL season. New Orleans will take on the Arizona Cardinals at home to start this year, their 59th of NFL existence.
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Wearing number 71 for the Saints is one of the team's major offseason acquisitions, rookie offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. A first round choice out of Texas, Banks is wearing a number worn to a tremendous standard in New Orleans for the last several years.
Saints History of 71
Oct 15, 2017; New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk (71) blocks on a kick attempt against the Detroit Lions. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-Imagn Images
• Dave McCormick, OT (1967)
• Dick Anderson, OT (1967)
• Willie Townes, DE (1970)
• Faddie Tillman, DE (1972)
• Paul Fersen, OT (1973-74)
• Kurt Schumacher, OG (1975-77)
• J.T. Taylor, OT (1978-81)
• Petey Perot, OG (1985)
• Casey Merrill, DE (1986)
• Ken Kaplan, OT (1987)
• Richard Cooper, OT (1990-95)
• Fred Stokes, DE (1996)
• Ricky Siglar, OT (1997-98)
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• Spencer Folau, OT (2002-04)
• Kendrick Clancy, DT (2007-09)
• Charles Brown, OT (2010-13)
• Kaleb Eulls, DT (2015)
• Ryan Ramczyk, OT (2017-24)
• Kelvin Banks Jr., OT (present)
New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Richard Cooper (71) blocks against the Los Angeles Rams. Credit: Saints Wire/USA TODAY
Offensive linemen McCormick and Anderson were the first to put on No. 71 for the Saints. Each played only two games during the inaugural New Orleans season of 1967. Townes was the first defensive player to suit up in 71, playing six games and contributing 1.5 sacks during his only year with the franchise in 1970.
The first Saints draft choice to put on 71 was Paul Fersen. Selected in 14th round of the 1973 NFL Draft, Fersen was also the first to wear 71 for more than one season, albeit appearing in only four games over two years with the team.
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Kurt Schumacher was selected in Round 1 of the 1975 NFL Draft by the Saints out of Ohio State. Schumacher played in 41 games with 16 starts over three years as a Saint, also becoming of six players to wear 71 for more than two years. Until the selection of Kelvin Banks 50 years later, Schumacher was also the highest drafted player by New Orleans to wear number 71.
December 10, 2007; New Orleans Saints defensive tackle (71) Kendrick Clancy reaches to try to tackle Atlanta Falcons running back (28) Warrick Dunn. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine Imagn Images
J.T. Taylor was a second round pick by New Orleans in the 1978 NFL Draft out of Missouri. Taylor stuck around longer than any other 71 for the Saints to date. In four years with New Orleans, he started all of his 57 game appearances.
After Taylor came a string of three players to wear No. 71 through the 1980s. None of them lasted longer than a season with the team, combining to play only 11 games with 10 starts.
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Undrafted Richard Cooper broke that string in 1990, then surprisingly winning a starting job the following season. Cooper was a fixture for three seasons at left tackle, then for two years at right tackle. He played 77 games as a Saint over six years with the team, starting 72 of those contests.
Aug 25, 2013; New Orleans Saints tackle Charles Brown (71) lined up against the Houston Texans. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports
Following Cooper there was another stretch of four New Orleans players to wear 71 over the next 15 years. Two of them, Folau and Clancy, played three years with the team. Clancy had 2.5 sacks and 6 tackles for loss in his 30 games while Folau started 20 of 46 games appearances.
Charles Brown was a highly-touted second round draft choice out of USC in 2010. He was with the Saints for four years and played in 37 games with 22 starts, but never lived up to his collegiate hype or secured a starting role up front.
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Ryan Ramczyk arrived to New Orleans as the last choice in Round 1 of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Wisconsin. The former Badgers standout started his rookie opener at left tackle, then was a fixture at right tackle for the remainder of his career.
Sep 9, 2019; Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) is blocked by New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk (71). Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-Imagn Images
Ramczyk started 63 of 64 regular season games between 2017 and 2020, becoming one of the NFL's most dominant linemen. Knee issues started a decline in 2021, but Ramczyk still played at an elite level for 101 regular season outings in seven standout years with New Orleans.
Ramczyk missed the 2024-25 before officially retiring this offseason. He may not find a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, despite his dominating performance. However, he has a sure place in the Saints Hall of Fame and is one of the best offensive linemen in franchise history.
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Filling Ramczyk's formidable shoes in number 71 is now Banks. An All-American, three-time all-conference selection, and 2024 Outland Trophy Award winner at Texas, Banks is the projected starter at left tackle. Like Ramczyk in 2017, Banks will be expected to elevate the performance of the New Orleans offensive line and entire offense.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.