It was a disastrous hire from the beginning.
Mike Ditka, who was 60-years-old when the Saints fired him on January 5, 2000, had a 15-33 record in his three years with the team. General manager Bill Kuharich was also fired in the housecleaning by Saints owner Tom Benson.
In a statement, Benson said, “It became necessary to clear the slate.”
Indeed.
Here’s a story from the day Ditka got the pink slip.