Short answers, pulled from the story.
NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle announced that the city of New Orleans had been awarded an expansion franchise on the 1st of November 1966. John W. Mecom Jr., a young oilman from Houston, became the team's first majority stockholder.
The scheduled home opener against the New York Giants was moved to Giants Stadium due to damage inflicted on the Superdome. The remainder of their home games were split between the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, and LSU's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.
The team started 13, 0 in the following year before losing their final three regular-season games but still reached Super Bowl XLIV against the Indianapolis Colts. The victory marked the franchise's first league championship win.
Head coach Sean Payton received a one-year suspension while defensive coordinator Gregg Williams faced a lifetime ban from the league for an illegal program designed to reward players for injuring opponents. The investigation revealed that the team finished with a 7, 9 record after starting four straight losses under interim offensive line coach Aaron Kromer.
Black helmets were not introduced until 2022 after the NFL repealed its one-helmet rule because the league barred them during the 1969 preseason. Black and gold have always been the team colors since 1967, though John Mecom Jr. initially preferred blue.