Two of the best defensive backs in club history, Brett Maxie and Tracy Porter, are the newest inductees to the Saints Hall of Fame, officials announced Wednesday.
Officials also announced that former Saints special teams standout Steve Gleason will receive the Hall’s inaugural courage award and former WGNO sports director Ed Daniels is the 2025 recipient of the Joe Gemelli “Fleur de Lis” award.
The new inductees were introduced at a press conference at the Saints facility on Wednesday. The induction ceremony will be held during the Dec. 13-14 weekend, when the Saints play host to the Carolina Panthers at the Superdome.
Porter is the 13th member of the Saints 2009 Super Bowl championship team to earn induction. He joins Jabari Greer (2023) and Roman Harper (2021) as members of the 2009 secondary to earn black jackets.
Porter’s fourth-quarter interceptions against Brett Favre and Peyton Manning in the 2009 NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl are widely regarded as two of the most memorable and important plays in Saints history. His 74-yard interception return for a touchdown sealed the Saints’ 31-17 victory against the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. He intercepted Farve to thwart a last-second scoring threat by the Minnesota Vikings and force overtime in the NFC Championship Game, which the Saints eventually won 31-28.
In four seasons with the Saints, Porter started 39 games and recorded seven interceptions, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 37 pass breakups, while making 227 tackles (178 solo).
Maxie is the eighth member and the second defensive back from the famed Dome Patrol defense to be inducted (Dave Waymer was the first). He started 72 games in nine seasons from 1985 to 1993 and recorded 438 tackles, 15 interceptions and five fumble recoveries. He returned three of his interceptions for touchdowns. His fourth-down, goal-line tackle sealed a 20-16 victory against the Steelers in 1987 and helped secure the first winning season in franchise history.
Porter and Maxie are the seventh and eighth defensive backs inducted in team history. They join Greer, Harper, Sammy Knight (2011), Dave Whitsell (1996), Dave Waymer (1996) and Tommy Myers (1989).
Gleason was a special teams standout with the Saints from 2000 to 2007. He is believed to be the club’s all-time leader in blocked punts with four and was a team captain for most of his career. He remains one of the club’s career leaders in special teams tackles with 98. His iconic blocked punt against the Atlanta Falcons in the 2006 re-opening of the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina remains one of the most iconic plays in franchise history.
Since his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis in 2011, Gleason has led global efforts to raise awareness of the disease and support people living with ALS through Team Gleason, the nonprofit organization he founded in 2011, and Answer ALS, another locally based nonprofit focused on finding a cure. Team Gleason has provided more than $55 million in technology, equipment, adventure and care services to people living with ALS, while Answer ALS has raised over $45 million towards the scientific quest for a cure. Collectively, he and the staff at Team Gleason and Answer ALS have helped raise more than $100 million to benefit those living with ALS.
Gleason’s efforts have been recognized worldwide. He was the first professional football player to receive the Congressional Gold Medal and also was honored with ESPN’s Arthur Ashe Award for Courage and the George Halas Award (Pro Football Writers of America) for his perseverance and dedication.
Daniels served as the sports director at WGNO-TV from 1992-2024 and was the longest tenured sports broadcaster in New Orleans for much of his time in the city. A New Orleans native who graduated from Rummel High School and Loyola University New Orleans, Daniels created and hosted WGNO’s popular “Friday Night Football” program, which was dedicated to high school sports. He also served as a radio color analyst for the Saints preseason radio broadcasts from 1995-99 and was an original member of the Saints Hall of Fame Selection Committee since its inception in 1988.
Daniels was recognized for his work by receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Press Club of New Orleans in 2014 and was three times named the Louisiana Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He died in 2024 after suffering a heart attack, while in Los Angeles to cover Saints training camp at Cal-Irvine University. He was 67.