Driven by her faith and inspired by her city, Gayle Benson has proven a natural fit to lead the Saints

NFL’s return to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX was made possible by Gayle’s vision and action

Feb 10, 2025 at 09:13 AM

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*By Chris Bynum
This story was first published in the Official Super Bowl LIX Game Program. The complete 288-page program can be purchased at superbowlprogram.us.
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How did an interior designer with no knowledge of football become the owner of a Super Bowl-winning NFL team?

What sounds like shades of "Ted Lasso" reads more like a romance novel. Or perhaps, in a city known for its faith-based traditions, a manifestation of how God works in mysterious ways.

Gayle Benson, 77, is a devout Catholic who regularly serves as a lector at St. Louis Cathedral, the historic church on the French Quarter's Jackson Square. It was here in 2004 that she caught the eye of Tom Benson, owner of the NFL's Saints. The monsignor mentioned to Gayle Marie LaJaunie that the widower wanted to take her to a VooDoo game, the local Arena Football League team Tom Benson also owned at the time.

"I don't do football," was her reply.

Today Gayle Marie LaJaunie is Gayle Benson, the first woman to own both an NFL and an NBA team: the Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans.

On Oct. 29, 2004, four months after Tom Benson convinced LaJaunie to go with him to a football game, the two were married during the Saints' bye week. As his fiancée, LaJaunie learned the rules and regulations of football when Benson met daily with Saints general manager Mickey Loomis.

"Mickey would turn on games with the sound off and explain everything to me," she says.

Soon Gayle Benson was all about football, taking to the sidelines during home games to slip her hand through her husband's arm as he did the "Benson Boogie" while twirling a black and gold second-line umbrella. This was his boisterous dance when his team was winning.

"Tom, it looks like we are bragging," she told him. Humility was more her style. A few years later, the Benson Boogie was no more.

"Gayle is gentle and always gracious," says close friend Msgr. Kenneth Hedrick, describing her as "a person whose deep faith guides her in everything she does in business and how she treats others."

Benson was credited with bringing out her husband's softer side, helping him channel his generosity into philanthropic projects to benefit their hometown and the Gulf South region.

Both Gayle and Tom Benson had humble beginnings, each gravitating toward the independence of owning a business. Gayle Benson oversaw a staff of 40 as a manager for a New York-based jewelry business, opened her own design business, and renovated Uptown New Orleans properties. Tom Benson was a hard-working car salesman who became a self-made billionaire with the acquisition of auto dealerships, banks, and real estate.

In 1985, he purchased the New Orleans Saints, so named because the NFL awarded its 16th franchise to New Orleans on Nov. 1, 1966 — All-Saints Day. Benson purchased the NBA's Hornets basketball team in 2012, renaming the team the Pelicans after Louisiana's state bird.

When Tom Benson died on March 15, 2018, at the age of 90, his wife of 14 years stood in line for days to shake the hand of each person who came to pay respects — from close friends, political officials, and business associates to Saints fans. That personal touch is how Gayle Benson does business and how she lives life. She still sends handwritten notes daily to acknowledge the achievements of others in the community.

Though one of 10 female owners in the NFL, Benson still sees herself in partnership with her husband.

"I never speak of him in the past tense," says Gayle, whose office at the state-of-the-art Ochsner Sports Performance Center is filled with awards, photographs, and mementos of Tom Benson.

"Gayle was born to do what she is doing — business. Whether running her own interior design company or an NFL team, she is most happy being productive," says Angela Hill, a local TV anchor for 38 years and friend of Benson since 1977. "She and Tom were perfect for each other because 'business' was always their fun."

They shared in many of the Saints' golden moments, none bigger than winning Super Bowl XLIV, and that success has carried on following Tom's death. In Gayle's first six seasons of ownership, the team posted five winning campaigns, won three consecutive NFC South titles (2018-20), and reached the 2018 conference championship game.

"Gayle Benson has changed the image and perception of the Saints organization," says Jeff Duncan, a sports reporter who has covered the team for 25 years. "During her tenure, the organization has become much more community oriented and civic minded. Thanks to her dedication to her hometown, the Saints are viewed as a local business rather than an NFL operation, and that's hugely important in New Orleans."

Football as an international sport is also on her radar. Last year, the Saints were the first club to be granted international marketing rights in France as part of the NFL's Global Markets Program. Gayle sees that opportunity as another avenue not only to promote NFL football, but also New Orleans and Louisiana.

"Gayle Benson's commitment to her faith, family, staff, players, and the people of New Orleans and the Gulf South region is second to none," says NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "In business, philanthropy, and football, Gayle is a leader, always advocating for the Saints and her native city.

"The NFL's return to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX was made possible by Gayle's vision and action — from a beautifully renovated Caesars Superdome to a city that is embarking on a new era of economic growth and stability."

That five-year, $560 million makeover of the Superdome, of which Benson contributed $180 million, is fan-friendly, moving ticket-holders more efficiently to their seats, providing concessions with wider corridors, adding strategically placed escalators, and even giving those with corner seats a better view of the field.

"With this year's game, New Orleans shares the distinction of hosting the Super Bowl more often than any other city — the Benson effect — a tribute to Gayle and her husband, Tom, and the resilience of the Big Easy," adds Goodell, marking the city's 11th Super Bowl, tied with Miami for the most all time.

The last Super Bowl played in New Orleans, in 2013, generated $480 million in economic impact. The financial success of both the Saints and the Pelicans results in millions of dollars going toward the city's financial aid with in-kind donations, appearances for various charities, and donations of goods and services. That generosity was on full display when New Orleans faced major challenges back-to-back with the COVID pandemic and Hurricane Ida. Benson donated over $2 million, partnering with the Greater New Orleans Foundation, to lessen the burden on citizens.

Photos: Gayle Benson, Saints legends attend Pro Football Hall of Fame luncheon | Super Bowl LIX

New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson, legend Morten Andersen, and new inductee Eric Allen attended the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame luncheon at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager Jeff Ireland accepted a painting on behalf of the Saints.