New Orleans • Tom Benson, a successful auto dealer and longtime owner of the New Orleans Saints who brought the franchise its only winning seasons and the "Benson Boogie," has died.
Benson bought the Saints in 1985 when it appeared the club would be sold to out-of-state interests and perhaps moved out. He paid $70 million for the team, which is now worth close to $2 billion.
"Tom Benson's contributions to New Orleans and the National Football League were legendary. He purchased a team that had never had a winning season; by the third year of his ownership, the Saints were in the playoffs," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said.