Jack Del Rio knew plenty about football, so he knew enough to be impressed after he was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round (No. 68 overall) of the 1985 NFL Draft.
The pick was made by legendary coach Bum Phillips, who'd previously led Houston to four 10-plus win seasons and two AFC Championship Game appearances between 1975-80.
His son, Wade, was defensive coordinator for the Saints and New Orleans' roster was littered with players who already were, or would become, franchise legends – linebacker Rickey Jackson, offensive tackle Stan Brock, tight end Hoby Brenner, the late Hokie Gajan at running back and a certain, talkative quarterback who was born in Galliano.
"Bobby Hebert," the USC product said. "I can't have a story written without talking about my room dog. He's the same now as he was back then; he always talked a lot, he always was funny. He's a great guy."
And even though he was at the end of his career, another teammate – the Tyler Rose – already had laid one of the most acclaimed, bruising paths in NFL history, something that a young linebacker could appreciate.
"I remember being on a team with (Hall of Fame running back) Earl Campbell," Del Rio said. "I'd followed (the Saints) growing up, and I was real proud to be drafted by Bum Phillips and very cool to have Earl Campbell as a teammate. That was pretty special."
The pomp and circumstance that dominates today's draft wasn't present in '85, but that didn't make the phone call from Saints linebackers coach John Paul Young any less exciting.
"Rickey Jackson really took me under his wing and as a fellow linebacker he looked out for me," Del Rio said. "A lot a really good players, a bunch of guys that are good, solid people and great teammates. I've always been proud of starting my career in New Orleans."
Del Rio had two productive years in New Orleans – 88 total tackles, two interceptions, six forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown) in 32 games, with 10 starts. New Orleans improved from 5-11 in his rookie season to 7-9 the next year.
From there, he was traded to Kansas City and played with the Chiefs in '87-'88, the Cowboys from '89-'91 and the Vikings from '92-'95, where he earned a Pro Bowl invite in '94.
But to this day, his professional roots – and some personal ones – are entrenched in New Orleans.
"I didn't know much about New Orleans, I didn't know much about Louisiana," he said. "I ended up meeting my wife that year and we are celebrating our 38th anniversary this year, so I had nothing but a great experience kind of learning the city, learning New Orleans.
"Proud to have played for the Saints and I started as a coach with the Saints. We still keep a home there. My wife is from Lafayette, La., so we have continued to keep a residence there in New Orleans."
Del Rio currently is head coach of the Paris Musketeers of the European League of Football, a 16-team, American pro league based in Europe.
His coaching career began an assistant strength coach with the Saints in '97 and became New Orleans' linebacker coach in '98. During Del Rio's career he twice previously has been an NFL head coach, in Jacksonville from 2003-11 and with the Raiders from 2015-17.
That experience bodes well for his leading the Musketeers.
"I'm excited to be over here in Paris, with my wife and I enjoying the lifestyle over here," he said. "We've got a lot of players that really love football. These guys, many of them work all day and come practice at night. Their desire to play football, to learn football is really unbelievable. It's very refreshing.
"We're just enjoying it. I get to do what I love to do, coach, and be a part of a football team and my wife gets to do what she loves to do with photography and all that here in the city. We're taking full advantage of it.
"This is European professional football. The rules are American football but it is professional level in terms of, they're grown men. These guys have families, wives, kids, most of them have jobs. So to see that kind of commitment, they're still willing to pour into football after having to work a full day and then come to practice, it's just amazing to watch the dedication that they have."
