Dr. Norman C. Francis didn’t just love the New Orleans Saints from the stands. He helped bring them into existence. In the mid-1960s, businessman Dave Dixon pulled together a local group to pitch the NFL on an expansion team. Francis, then a rising higher-ed leader, joined that effort and later became one of the club’s early minority investors. Long before “Who Dat” went national, he was already in the room shaping what pro football could look like in New Orleans.

So when news broke that the 94-year-old civil rights leader had passed away on February 18, the Saints didn’t respond with a generic note. Instead, they went straight to what he meant to the city.

“The New Orleans Saints & Pelicans mourn the loss of Dr. Norman C. Francis, a pivotal leader in New Orleans history 🙏,” the Saints’ official Instagram handle shared.

And while the team publicly tied his name to the city’s story, Saints owner Gayle Benson also made it clear that this news hit on a personal level. In a statement featured in the IG post, Bayle joined countless others in remembering Dr. Francis.

“I was deeply saddened this morning to learn of the passing of Dr. Norman C. Francis,” Bayle said in the statement. “I was not only grateful for his friendship, but I also held tremendous admiration and respect for the leadership and influence he brought to our city, state, and nation for decades.”

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In her statement, Bayle also spelled out exactly how embedded Dr. Francis was in the Saints’ history

“As Owner of the New Orleans Saints, I also want to recognize Dr. Francis’ early role in successfully appealing to the National Football League for an expansion franchise in New Orleans and his involvement as an investor in the team during its formative years,” Bayle noted.

This wasn’t just a courtesy line. Rather, it was a reminder that one of the city’s key civil rights and education leaders was literally at the table when the franchise was born. But Dr. Francis’ wider legacy sits at Xavier University of Louisiana, where he spent seven decades and nearly half a century as president. Naturally, the university also shared a statement of its own.

“For seven decades, including a resounding 47 years as University President, Dr. Francis shaped Xavier into a national model of excellence and access, cementing it as a national leader in education and beyond,” the university’s statement read. “His legacy will live on in every Xavier student and graduate whose life was changed by his belief that education could change the world.”

That’s the school putting its impact into numbers and outcomes: time in the chair, doors opened, and lives changed. For people who came through Xavier, it’s not abstract. U.S. Rep. Troy Carter went straight into what it felt like being one of those students in his tribute.

“Dr. Francis was more than an administrator,” Carter said. “He was an institution builder, a civil rights champion, and a man of quiet generosity. He believed education was the pathway to justice. He believed lifting one student could lift an entire family. In our case, he was right.”

Beyond campus, Dr. Francis’ work also touched civil rights, banking, and post-Katrina recovery. They weren’t always roles that grabbed headlines, but helped shape policy and opportunities.

New Orleans didn’t just lose a former Saints investor or a university president. It lost one of the central connectors between its sports, civic, and spiritual life. That’s why the response quickly stretched past the Superdome and Xavier’s campus.

From the Governor’s office to City Hall and local media, everyone seemed to be saying the same thing in their own way: this loss hits the whole state, not just one corner of it.

Louisiana remembers Dr. Norman Francis

Once the news of Dr. Francis’ passing dropped, the Saints, Xavier University, and former students weren’t the only ones who lined up to honor his legacy. Governor Jeff Landry, for one, painted the picture of a statewide figure, a husband, and a man of faith. After all, that’s how a lot of locals knew him.

“Norman Francis was a tremendous icon in both civil rights and education,” Gov. Landry said. “His courage and vision shaped Xavier University into the institution it is today. He will be deeply missed by all. Sharon and I are praying for the Francis family and trust he is reunited in Heaven with his wife, Blanche.”

Meanwhile, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno brought it down to the city block level. She spoke about Dr. Francis’ everyday impact through words of dignity, opportunity, and mentorship.

“Dr. Francis’ unwavering commitment to civil rights, educational opportunity, and human dignity has an immeasurable impact on our city,” Moreno noted. “I was blessed to call Dr. Francis a friend and to share a close bond with his beloved family. Today, we honor not only a trailblazer and visionary but also a compassionate leader whose life’s work will continue to inspire generations.

Southern University Law Center took to their official X handle to share a tribute of their own, calling him “legendary.” Not casual words in that world.

“SULC mourns the passing of Dr. Norman C. Francis, a legendary educator, civil rights advocate, and one of the most transformative and influential leaders in American higher education,” SULC wrote.

Additionally, FOX 8’s Sabrina Wilson added the media lens with her tribute. Dr. Francis was someone she sat across from repeatedly, not just covered from afar.

“Just got off the air talking about N.O.’s loss of a giant, Dr. #NormanCFrancis, President Emeritus of @XavierUniversity,” Wilson wrote on X. “He was a #CivilRights stalwart, civic leader, husband & father who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I interviewed him many times.”

Deep South Today President and CEO Warwick Sabin, meanwhile, zeroed in on the family and the circle of people who worked alongside Dr. Francis and his son in local journalism.

“The passing of Dr. Norman C. Francis is an incredibly sad moment for all of us who know and admire him,” Sabin wrote on X. “Love and condolences to @vertienewsnola news co-founder David Francis and everyone in the Francis family.”

Scroll through the numerous tributes, and you see the through line. Saints fans, Xavier alums, politicians, journalists, and more, all talking about the same thing in different languages. New Orleans mourns a man who helped bring their team to town, built their school into a national engine, and quietly set a standard the city now tries to live up to.