There’s no special mask, no face-painting ritual and nothing resembling a black and gold cape, but Larry Rolling
is a Saints Super Fan in every sense of the word—and it’s all because of words. Say hello to die-hard, longtime
fan, The Sign Man.
Rolling bought his Saints season tickets in 1978. Since then, his team’s gone through a lot of challenging times
and some triumphant ones. He definitely prefers the latter, but has been there for them all, translating the mood
with a little paint, a lot of savvy and a few sheets of white paper.
From the 1982 NFL strike, through the “No Mora” period and into Super Bowl excitement and beyond, Rolling’s
signs have succeeded in capturing the Who Dat Nation’s thoughts, wishes and prayers. A huge admirer of the
outspoken Buddy D, Rolling humbly refers to himself as the “voice of the fans,” often relaying their collective
thoughts in a few simple words.
The inspiration for the weekly signs comes from news events, the team’s performance or vibes Rolling gets from
the previous week’s game. In 2010, the Sign Man cheered the Saints on to their first Super Bowl win in Miami as he proudly displayed his “At Last Champions” sign that made headlines nationwide. Each sign is later retired
among other fascinating Saints paraphernalia, including 30 years of newspaper articles, books and magazines
displaying sign photos. The collection takes up the entire second floor of Rolling’s Covington home. There, you’ll
even find the now-famous sign that brought tears of joy when Rolling held it high at the first home game
following Hurricane Katrina: Home Sweet Dome.
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