NEW ORLEANS (June 10, 2015) – The New Orleans Saints and Pelicans, in collaboration with SMG, announced the debut of a re-designed Champions Square today. The venue is dressed in gold – a color that unites the Saints and Pelicans and also represents Louisiana's championship moments. New photos also are featured in the space, celebrating a few of New Orleans' finest sports moments, as well as highlighting some of its most inspiring champions.
"The area where our Saints and Pelicans play their home games is a special place for our fans and we're thrilled to unveil a new backdrop where we hope they will be able to continue making lasting memories while cheering on our teams," said Saints and Pelicans Owner Tom Benson. "We appreciate SMG's hard work in teaming up on this project as we continue to consider all aspects of our fans' game-day experience and work hard to ensure it's the best it can be in every way. New Orleans fans have a lot to be proud of and we hope they love the new look of Champions Square as much as we do."
"Champions Square provides a place for fans to celebrate athletic champions that have graced our venues, particularly the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans," said Doug Thornton, SMG Executive Vice President of Stadiums and Arenas. "The Saints and Pelicans best represent the champions of our city, and the new Champions Square design emphasizes the accomplishments of these teams, among other historical triumphs our city has witnessed. The imagery was carefully selected to commemorate the best athletic achievements of our past. The incorporation of color signifies the vibrant future of our facilities, while the gold theme calls to mind that more champions will continue to be crowned within our walls. As major moments continue to add to New Orleans' rich athletic history, Champions Square must also grow in its life cycle and reflect the best of the best of what New Orleans athletes and our facilities have to offer."
"When we decided to re-design the look of Champions Square, we really wanted our fans to look around and feel very proud of what our teams and community have accomplished and we feel this space, especially the photographs, will bring great memories back for them," said Saints and Pelicans President Dennis Lauscha. "Seeing the finished product and visualizing our fans in Champions Square enjoying our pre-game festivities for Saints home games makes us even more excited about the upcoming football and basketball seasons."
Printed and installed by locally-owned and operated Crystal Clear Imaging, the Saints and Pelicans designed a fresh, gold look to decorate Champions Square. Both teams' logos are featured in the design, as well as the mark for Champions Square.
Several photographs will be featured in Champions Square to celebrate championship moments and heroes who have left their mark on the landscape of Louisiana sports history. The venue will feature images of Drew Brees, Anthony Davis, Les Miles, Rickie Jackson, Willie Roaf, Tracy Porter and Pete Maravich. The photos of Brees are those from the Saints' run to winning Super Bowl XXIV, while Davis is featured in photos with his Gold Medal from the 2012 Olympics in London and from the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship trophy – a title he won with the University of Kentucky in the Smoothie King Center prior to being drafted by New Orleans.
