Marques Colston didn’t arrive in Louisiana with star billing, but he sure earned it – and more.
Colston was chosen by the New Orleans Saints shortly before the end of the 2006 NFL Draft. He quickly emerged as a standout receiver for Drew Brees, and ultimately became the most productive receiver in Saints history in a 10-year career that finished after the 2015 season.
He and Brees were a dynamic duo as the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV, and many other games. That has earned him election to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Colston is the cornerstone of an 11-member Class of 2021 to be honored next weekend, Aug. 26-28, during the 2021 Induction Celebration in Natchitoches.
Other luminaries include LSU football great Glenn Dorsey, the defensive stalwart for the Tigers’ 2007 national championship team: Rickie Weeks, a 13-year major league infielder who was college baseball’s player of the year at Southern in Baton Rouge; LSU basketball phenom Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (formerly Chris Jackson); and Natchitoches native Bo Dowden, the 1980 Bassmasters Classic champion considered one of the top all-time pro anglers.
For more information and to make reservations for the four ticketed events along with the free Junior Training Camp on Aug. 28, visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-238-4255.
Colston was a seventh-round draft pick in 2006 (252nd overall) out of Hofstra University. Quiet and reserved off the field but competitive on it, he quickly became one of the cornerstones of Sean Payton’s first Saints team.
Colston’s size (6 feet, 4 inches and 225 pounds) and willingness to go over the middle and make the tough catch made him an instant favorite of new quarterback Brees and New Orleans won the NFC South title and reached the NFC championship game as Colston made the all-rookie team.
Three years later, Colston and the Saints won the NFC crown and the franchise’s only championship with a 31-17 victory over Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.
In his 10-year career, Colston played in 146 games with 106 starts and caught 711 passes for 9,759 yards — both club records. An especially inviting target in the red zone because he towered over most defenders and could easily come down with Brees’ patented back-shoulder throws, he also scored 72 touchdowns for another franchise record and tied Joe Horn for the most 100-yard games in club history with 28.
He had 150 yards or more in six of those games, topped by a 10-catch, 169-yard performance vs. Pittsburgh in 2006.
Colston produced six 1,000-yard receiving seasons with a best of 1,202 yards in 2007 when he also had a club single-season 98 receptions and scored 11 TDs. He grabbed another 58 passes for 788 yards and had four scores in 10 postseason contests, catching seven balls for 83 yards in the Super Bowl XLIV win.
He will be the 14th Saints player to join the LSHOF, and the first from the Super Bowl roster. Brees is eligible for the Class of 2024 and they will doubtless be joined by several more teammates in years to come.
To report an issue or typo with this article – CLICK HERE
