Super Bowl XLIV Hero Tracy Porter to Be Inducted Into Saints Hall of Fame

Porter, safety Brett Maxie, special teamer Steve Gleason, and sports broadcaster Ed Daniels will all be honored by the team.

Tracy Porter #22 of the New Orleans Saints returns an interception for a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts during Super Bowl XLIV at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Feb. 7, 2010. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Former New Orleans Saints cornerback Tracy Porter will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.

Porter was drafted by the Saints in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft; he had the game-winning pick-six against the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV in 2009. Along with Porter, the Saints will induct safety Brett Maxie and will present awards to special teamer Steve Gleason and broadcaster Ed Daniels.

“It’s a bit overwhelming,” Porter said at a press conference Wednesday. “And you can wonder how that is, with playing in front of 70-plus thousand every week, but to be recognized by your peers, and men and women that you see every single day, and they think the highest of you, you can’t put a value on that.”

Porter recounted how he originally wanted to play basketball growing up. But he only grew to 5'11, so he said that God put him on the football field instead. At the time, receiving a scholarship to play college football after just two seasons of high school was rare, but he found his way to Indiana University.

Porter thanked Saints executive vice president and general manager Mickey Loomis, former head coach Sean Payton, and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen for giving him the opportunity to play in his home state. He thanked former Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma and quarterback Drew Brees for their leadership. He also thanked his wife, daughter, his mother, the community of Port Allen, Louisiana, and the Saints fanbase for their support.

Porter was drafted by the Saints out of Indiana with the 40th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He won the starting job in his rookie season; he had 25 total tackles, a sack, an interception, and five passes defended. He had a breakout season in 2009, with 57 tackles, two forced fumbles, four interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, and 12 passes defended.

He etched himself into Saints history in the 2009-2010 playoffs. In the final seconds of regulation in the 2009 NFC Championship, with the score tied at 28, Vikings quarterback Brett Favre rolled out to his right, throwing a pass across his body to receiver Sidney Rice. Porter jumped the route and intercepted the pass, sending the game to overtime. The Saints won 31-28 to advance to Super Bowl XLIV.

In the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning marched his team down the field, looking to tie the game. But with 3:12 left in the game, Porter intercepted Manning’s pass and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown to put the Saints up 31-17 over the Colts and seal the win. The Saints won their first Super Bowl in franchise history.

Porter played two more seasons in New Orleans. He signed with the Denver Broncos in 2012, just days after Manning signed with the team. Porter had a pick-six in the first game of the season and looked set for another great season, but a medical condition caused him to miss nine games. He returned briefly but missed the remaining two games of the season with a concussion.

He signed with the Oakland Raiders in 2013 and had a career year, with 67 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions, a pick-six, and 12 pass defenses. He signed with the Washington Redskins in 2014 but multiple injuries limited him to just three games that year. He signed with the Chicago Bears in 2015. He played two seasons in Chicago, with his final NFL season being 2016.

Also Being Honored

Former safety Brett Maxie will also be inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame. Maxie was signed by the team as an undrafted free agent in 1985. He played nine seasons for New Orleans, racking up 438 tackles, 15 interceptions with three pick-sixes, three sacks, and five fumble recoveries. Maxie is remembered for a game-winning tackle in Week 11 of the 1987 season that secured the Saints’ first-ever winning season; they went 12-3 that year. He played in the team’s first-ever playoff game that season. Maxie was also a member of the division rival Atlanta Falcons, and notably a member of the Carolina Panthers in their inaugural season in 1995. He played for the Panthers in 1996, then for the San Francisco 49ers in 1997.

Former safety and special teamer Steve Gleason will be honored with the team’s Saints Hall of Fame Courage Award. Gleason signed with the Saints as a UDFA in 2000 and played seven years with the Saints. He is best remembered for a blocked punt returned for a touchdown in the first quarter of the Saints’ return to the Superdome in 2006, after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Gleason has battled amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, since 2011, and founded two charitable organizations to help combat the disease.

The Saints will also present the Joe Gemelli “Fleur de Lis” Award to Ed Daniels, who covered the Saints as sports director for local news station WGNO until his death in 2024. He was also a radio color analyst for the Saints preseason broadcasts from 1995-1999, and a member of the Saints Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

The awards will be presented on Dec. 14.