Saints Countdown To NFL Kickoff With The History Of Number 86
Saints Countdown To NFL Kickoff With The History Of Number 86 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
We sit 86 days away from the 2025 regular season opener for the New Orleans Saints. The Saints will take on the Arizona Cardinals to kick off their 59th NFL season, first under new head coach Kellen Moore.
Advertisement
Tight end Michael Jacobson is currently wearing number 86 for the Saints. He's spent two years on the team's practice squad but has yet to see any regular season action. A former college basketball star, Jacobson faces a stiff battle for a roster spot this offseason.
Here's a look at all players who have worn 86 for the Saints during a regular season game.
Saints History of 86
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Jubilee Dunbar (86) makes a catch against the Chicago Bears in 1973. Credit: Pinterest
• Tom Hall, WR (1967)
• Daniel Colchico, DE (1969)
• Creston Whitaker, WR (1972)
• Jubilee Dunbar, WR (1973)
• Richard Williams, WR (1974)
• Dave Davis, WR (1974)
• Melvin Baker, WR (1975)
• Jim Thaxton, TE (1976-77)
• Tom Donovan, WR (1980)
Advertisement
• Rich Martini, WR (1981)
• Rich Caster, TE (1981)
• Jeff Groth, WR (1982-85)
• Mike Jones, WR (1986-87)
• Vic Harrison, WR (1987)
• Cliff Benson, TE (1988)
• Rod Harris, WR (1989)
• Gerald Alphin, WR (1990-91)
• Louis Lipps, WR (1992)
• Marcus Dowdell, WR (1992)
• Pat Newman, WR (1991-93)
• Kurt Botkin, TE (1994-95)
• Tony Johnson, TE (1996-97)
• Gunnard Twyner, WR (1997)
• Sean Dawkins, WR (1998)
• Kendall Gammon, LS/TE (1999)
• Jake Reed, WR (2000, 2002)
• Walter Rasby, TE (2003)
• Zachary Hilton, TE (2005)
• John Owens, TE (2006-07)
• Buck Ortega, TE (2008-09)
• Chris Manhertz, TE (2016)
• John Phillips, TE (2016-17)
Advertisement
• Jason Vander Laan, TE (2019)
• Ethan Wolf, TE (2021)
• J.P. Holtz, TE (2023)
• Michael Jacobson, TE (present)
Dec 12, 1982; FILE PHOTO; New Orleans Saints receiver Jeff Groth (86) makes a catch against the Atlanta Falcons. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-Imagn Images
There have been 36 players to wear number 86 for the Saints. Of that list, 23 of them wore it for one season or less and only two wore it for more than two seasons.
The first to sport the number was Tom Hall, who caught passes for yards 19 passes for 249 yards during the first Saints season in 1967. Jubilee Dunbar was the first No. 86 to score a touchdown for New Orleans, pulling in 23 receptions for 447 yards and 4 touchdowns in 1973.
It wasn't until 1976 and seven different players had worn 86 until someone did it for more than one year. In two seasons as a Saint, Jim Thaxton had 21 catches for 323 yards and two scores.
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Jake Reed catches a pass during a 2002 game against the Detroit Lions. Credit: SB Nation
After 11 players donned 86, the Saints finally had a player to do it for more than two years when Jeff Groth did it in the early 1980s. Groth actually played for the Saints from 1981 to 1985, switching from No. 48 in his first year to 86 for the final four.
Advertisement
While in 86, Groth caught 127 passes for 1,693 yards and scored four times. With his four years and 53 games for the Saints in No. 86, Groth remains the longest-tenured and most productive Saint to wear that jersey.
Jones was a quietly productive member of the New Orleans offense for two seasons. He led the 1986 squad with 48 catches and had 75 receptions for 1,045 yards and 6 scores in 28 games wearing No. 86.
Pat Newman is the only Saints player other than Groth to wear 86 for more than two seasons. Newman played in 33 games, also second to Groth, but had just 14 receptions for 175 yards and one score.
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Mike Jones (86) catches a touchdown pass in a 1987 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Credit: nosaintshistory.com
Through the 1980s and 1990s, the Saints had a habit of bringing in players who were well past their prime. Three wideouts that wore 86 for New Orleans perfectly embodied this problem in Louis Lipps, Sean Dawkins, and Jake Reed.
Advertisement
Unlike Lipps, Dawkins was fairly productive in his one-year stint for New Orleans. He led the 1998 Saints with 823 receiving yards, catching 55 balls to finish second on the team. Dawkins' yardage output would be the second highest of his nine-year career in the NFL.
After starring with the Minnesota Vikings for the first 10 years of his career, Reed played two of his last three seasons in New Orleans. He appeared in 21 regular season games, the fourth most by a Saints player wearing 86.
In three years with the Saints, Reed had 37 receptions for 566 yards and 3 touchdowns. His last NFL season was with the Saints in 2003. Since Reed, nine different players have worn number 86 in a regular season game for the Saints. Only John Owens (13 games) and John Phillips (9 games), and Buck Ortega (12 games) have worn the jersey for more than one year.
Related: Saints Countdown To Kickoff With The History Of Number 89
Related: Saints Countdown To Kickoff With The History Of Number 94
Related: Saints To Bring In Veteran Running Back For Minicamp Tryout
Related: Derek Carr Further Explains Retirement Decision From New Orleans Saints
Related: Trevor Penning May Have A New Home On Saints Offensive Line
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Russell Wilson Turns Heads With Personal Announcement on Thursday
Russell Wilson Turns Heads With Personal Announcement on Thursday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Russell Wilson will be turning the page into a new chapter of his career next season after signing a one-year deal with the New York Giants. Advertisement Wilson is preparing to play for his fourth NFL team, having previously played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks. While waiting for another season in the NFL, Wilson took some time away from the field, making an impact with his "Why Not You Foundation." Wilson has partnered with Colossal Impact, a fundraising platform, to find the "Youth Athlete of the Year." This young athlete, who wins the competition presented by Wilson and his team, will be representing Wilson's 3brand and take home $25,000. "Hey parents, Russell Wilson here," Wilson said. "I've partnered up with Colossal to find the next youth athlete of the year. Where they can showcase their skills, win big and take their game to the next level. This year's champion will receive $25,000 in cash… This competition supports Why Not You Foundation in its mission to equip today's youth with the skills and opportunities to become tomorrow's leaders. Now let's make a big impact together." Advertisement View the original article to see embedded media. Upon the release of the announcement, some fans took to social media to share their thoughts on Russell Wilson's partnership. "Let's go find an incredible winner and do good for the greater community at the same time," commented the Why Not You Foundation. "❤️❤️❤️🔥🔥," posted one fan. "#nodayzoff 📚🏈🏀⚾️," said one fan. "🔥🔥🔥 @kyrie_rivera2 #Mile," said another fan. "🙌🙌🙌🙌," commented one fan. "👏👏👏" posted another fan. NFL star Russell Wilson and his wife CiaraKirby Lee-Imagn Images Last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Russell Wilson posted 16 touchdowns and 2,482 yards, completing 63.7% of his pass attempts. Advertisement He's now entering his 14th season in the NFL, having already been named a Super Bowl champion and a 10-time Pro Bowler. Related: Brittany Mahomes Sends Message to Patrick Mahomes After Career Move Related: LeBron James Makes Personal Decision Amid Lakers Offseason This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
11 minutes ago
- New York Times
Club World Cup Briefing: What's drawing fans? Can Auckland mismatches be avoided? Is heat a problem?
The opening two days and five games of the Club World Cup have witnessed a 10-goal thumping, a dominant performance from Europe's champions, struggles for the best from the U.S., passionate fans on the streets and reasonable attendances in the stadiums. What the tournament becomes over the next few weeks (and years) remains to be seen but despite justified criticisms and concerns in the build-up, it has not lacked for talking points so far. Here The Athletic's James Horncastle explains what (or who) is drawing in the crowds, whether mismatches like Bayern Munich's demolition of Auckland City can be avoided and whether playing games in the midday heat is a problem for this summer and next. The magnetism of Lionel Messi continues to draw people in. As your correspondent entered the Hard Rock stadium for the opening game of the Club World Cup, he passed a line of fans all dressed in pink, all with the same name and number on the back of their jerseys. It made you feel bad for Messi's teammates, even the illustrious ones like Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets and raised the question: how many of the 60,927 supporters were in Miami gardens to see Messi first and Inter Miami second? That it was the opening night of a new competition didn't seem to matter to those in attendance. It was a chance to catch Messi on a Saturday night. Everything else, from the opening ceremony to French Montana's appearance and the cross-bar challenge won by Alessandro Del Piero at half-time served as warm-up act for Messi's 90 minutes on stage. Advertisement Think of it like a residency in Las Vegas. Ordinary punters considered it as such. They were more interested in that than the legitimacy of the competition and the ego of its inventor, FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Even the Al Ahly fans, who were in greater numbers than the Inter Miami ones, were more curious about how their team would cope against the greatest player of all-time. The issue for FIFA is that, without man of the match Oscar Ustari in goal, Inter Miami could have been 3-0 down at half-time against Al Ahly. Getting out of the group is going to be tough for Javier Mascherano's Flamingos and if they are eliminated at the first hurdle, the Club World Cup will not be able to count on Messi and his ability to boost interest and attention. Auckland City billed themselves as the 'working class team of the Club World Cup'. Bayern Munich, by comparison, are an example of the 1 per cent and the equality gap was brutally exposed in Cincinnati. That the German champions won handsomely came as no surprise. One of the pundits in DAZN's studio, Luis Garcia, predicted a 5-0 win. But it was 6-0 at half-time and the lack of competitiveness showed the problem in widening this competition to 32 teams. Auckland City, for what it's worth, earned their spot here. They have won the OFC Champions League 13 times since 2006 and were regulars in the old format of the Club World Cup. This scoreline, however, gave oxygen to those who wanted to see extreme dis-proof of concept. And yet the irony is that even if humble Auckland City lose all their games at the Club World Cup, the money they will earn from their participation could distort the competitive balance back home in New Zealand, It would, domestically, make them the 1 per cent, although there has been some wrangling with the New Zealand FA over how that cash should be divided. Advertisement A quirk is that neighbouring Auckland FC, owned by Bournemouth owner Billy Foley, play not in New Zealand but in the A-League in Australia where they are currently top. This means they fall under the Asian Football Confederation rather than the Oceanic equivalent and compete against teams from Saudi and Japan for a chance to make the Club World Cup. Having a team from the OFC is an essential part of Infantino's vision for a truly global competition. He believes it will inspire 'so many people back in their countries.' But one imagines scorelines like Sunday's 10-0 will continue to be a feature of it as long as clubs from Fiji, New Caledonia and Tahiti qualify for future editions. At the World Cup in 1994 players complained about the kick-offs in the afternoon sun. Soaring temperatures made it impossible to play at high intensity and the spectacle suffered as fatigue built over the course of the tournament with the final, a 0-0 between Brazil and Italy in Pasadena, becoming the first to ever come down to a shootout. The Club World Cup is only a weekend old and players and coaches are already talking about the challenge of playing in the heat. Auckland City's 10-0 defeat to Bayern couldn't be blamed on it, but, as simple as it looked for the German champions, Michael Olise told DAZN: 'The conditions weren't easy.' PSG's Vitinha said the same after the Champions League winners racked up another dominant win against Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl. His manager Luis Enrique was surprised by his team's performance given it was 85 degrees and warmer still pitchside. He explained: 'It is the best scheduled time for (TV in) the European countries but it is difficult to play in these conditions.' Perhaps there should be more clamor for the US to hold a winter World Cup… Chelsea v LAFC — group D, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, 3pm ET, 8pm BST Boca Juniors v Benfica — group C, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, 6pm ET, 11pm BST Flamengo v ES Tunis — group D, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, 9pm ET, 2am BST You can sign up to DAZN to watch every FIFA Club World Cup game for free (Top image: Getty Images)
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bills' Keon Calls Out ‘Trash' But WR's Talking About Himself
Bills' Keon Calls Out 'Trash' But WR's Talking About Himself originally appeared on Athlon Sports. How many NFL players coming off their rookie season can see their flaws? How many can admit to them? We just found one. Advertisement The Buffalo Bills selected Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman with the 33rd pick in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. … with expectations as high as he was colorful. But despite his lovable public persona. he did not have the year many thought that he would. But … that sets him up for a breakout season in his sophomore year - as long as he's serious about his look-in-the-mirror review. In a recent article by PFF's Bradley Locker, he puts together a team of players that he thinks could step up in a big way in 2025. And one of the players he picks is the Bills' young wideout. "Assuming Coleman can clean up his catch rate — his 13.5% drop rate was the eighth-highest among receivers with 50-plus targets — then his play should only improve," Locker wrote. "His abilities as a deep threat and with the ball in his hands should render him one of Josh Allen's top targets." Advertisement We're pretty sure Keon agrees. 'You want to know exactly what I see? When that (expletive is) trash, you got to be better, simple as that," Coleman said. "You gotta be more efficient here. You gotta get out of this break. You got to stack your DB. You got to give Josh more room to throw the ball. You gotta catch that. You gotta make that block. You got to get that extra effort on the touchdown block so if Jimbo (James Cook) breaks it, he's up the sideline. 'Just different things like that. Calling out everything that you're doing wrong to make it right." That's all true … but it's also wildly insightful. Advertisement Maybe Keon is being too hard on himself. But last year, the reigning AFC East champions acquired veteran receiver Amari Cooper at the trade deadline and maybe that took some targets away from Coleman and served as a progress blocker. But now? The 22-year-old receiver could see his number of opportunities go up. Coleman finished his rookie season with 556 yards and four touchdowns in the 13 games he appeared in. Thats not the 'failure' some see it as. But … As the Bills will be looking to redeem themselves in 2025 after a loss in the playoffs to the Kansas City Chiefs, Coleman can be motivated by the same goal … Advertisement An effort to take out the trash. Related: Hailee Steinfeld Wedding Photos With Josh Allen of Bills Emerge And Go Viral This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
