The Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints "Championship Tour" will continue with stops in Houma (July 20: Houma/Terrebonne Parish Civic Center) and Baton Rouge (July 22: Baton Rouge River Center) before concluding with stops in . The region-wide tour features the Lombardi Trophy and numerous exhibits and interactive elements and is free of charge to the public. The "Championship Tour", which is being presented by The United States Marine Corp., The National Guard and The Louisiana Lottery, celebrates the Saints' 31-17 Super Bowl XLIV victory over the Indianapolis Colts on February 7, 2010. Each stop throughout the Gulf South allows fans the opportunity to view special display elements commemorating the team's championship season.
The Championship Tour began in northern Louisiana with stops Monroe (July 7) and Shreveport (July 8) then continued with stops in Lake Charles (July 13), Alexandria (July 14) and Lafayette (July 15). Following the visits to Houma and Baton Rouge, "The Championship Tour" will resume with visits to Jackson, MS (July 26: Jackson Convention Center), Pensacola, FL (July 27: Pensacola Civic Center), Mobile, AL (July 28: Mobile Convention Center) and the Biloxi/Gulfport area (July 29: Mississippi Coast Coliseum).
"Our fans are the inspiration and foundation of our success, it is important to me and our organization to share these symbols of our Championship with as many of our fans throughout the Gulf South as possible," said Saints Owner Tom Benson.
"We are excited to share the Vince Lombardi Trophy and our World Championship with the most deserving fans in all of sports," said Saints Owner/Executive Vice-President Rita Benson LeBlanc. "Nowhere is the bond between a team and its fans stronger than with the Saints and our fans in the entire Gulf South region. We are very proud of the positive attention this Championship has brought our city, state and region and encourage all of our fans to come celebrate their Championship with us."
Among the notable displays are included on the tour include: The Vince Lombardi Trophy, a Super Bowl display featuring Saints' MVP QB Drew Brees' Super Bowl helmet and jersey as well as other memorabilia from Super Bowl XLIV, a highlight video, the Halas Trophy (won in the team's 31-28 NFC Championship against the Minnesota Vikings) and photos taken by official team photographer Michael C. Hebert. There will also be displays featuring the official Super Bowl ring, an area to view memorabilia celebrating the playing career of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee LB Rickey Jackson. In addition there will be exhibition areas including the presence of the official cheerleading squad of the Saints, the Saintsations, and an interactive element featuring Saints Experience games, as well as displays by the Marines and officially licensed Saints memorabilia and ticket information.
