14 years ago today, Deuce McAllister (@dmcallister26) broke the then Saints career touchdown record against the Packers ⚜️
DEEUUCCEE!
📺: This Sunday at the 49ers (3:25 pm CT • FOX) pic.twitter.com/mTtKMQAIzy
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 24, 2022
There are 54 days to go until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2024 regular season, and our pick for the Saints Play of the Day countdown is something special. The play itself isn’t what stands out so much as what it represents: Deuce McAllister’s record-breaking touchdown run back in 2008.
He’s had flashier plays, including a 54-yard touchdown run against the Atlanta Falcons as a rookie in 2001. But this one capped a career full of hard work and adversity. McAllister followed his blockers left and crashed into the end zone for six points. It was the 54th touchdown McAllister scored in his career, breaking the record set by his predecessor Dalton Hilliard. McAllister would find the end zone one more time before hanging up his cleats, extending his record to 55 touchdowns scored in a Saints uniform.
Of course he himself was later surpassed by other great players — first Mark Ingram II (57) and Marques Colston (72), and now Alvin Kamara (78 and counting). Jimmy Graham returned to the Saints and tied McAllister’s total in 2023. But that doesn’t diminish what McAllister accomplished. That he put so many points on the board without playing with a future Hall of Famer at quarterback for so many years speaks volumes.
He gave fans someone to root for during a tough time in franchise history before passing off the torch to the next generation of star talents. He’s one of the greatest players to ever suit up for the black and gold, and fans who got to see him go to work in his prime were lucky to do so.
