When Pro Football Hall of Fame officials notify honorees of their induction, one of the first things they do is ask for private artifacts to be displayed in a cupboard at the museum in Canton, Ohio.
Sam Mills’ family immediately went to work. They searched through boxes of Sam’s personal belongings from his playing days in New Orleans and Carolina to see what they might find. In one of the boxes they found a one-of-a-kind item: black military uniforms with gold lettering. Nameplate on chest: MILLS. Unit: NO SAINTS. Mills’ number 51 was embroidered on one of the front pockets. On the other side was a gold patch of Louisiana.
“When we saw it, we immediately knew what it was,” said Marcus Mills, one of Sam’s three sons. “Who else has a big black onesie?”
Marcus and his brothers, Andre and Sam III, were there that day in 1988 when his father and Saints teammates Rickey Jackson, Vaughan Johnson and Pat Swilling posed in costumes for the iconic “Dome Patrol” poster on the Superdome apron.
The poster immediately became one of the hottest in the collection of Seattle-based Costacos Brothers and vital collector’s item for Saints fans. It stays an everlasting symbol of the famous Dome Patrol teams of the late Nineteen Eighties and early Nineteen Nineties, in addition to a treasured memento of the first great era of Saints football.
Saints linebackers, right to left, Pat Swilling, Vaughan Johnson, Sam Mills and Rickey Jackson, post about the iconic Dome Patrol poster shot outside the Superdome in 1988 (Photo courtesy of Patrick Mansfield).
“We immediately said, ‘Oh, this needs to go (to the Hall of Fame),’” Marcus Mills said.
Today, the uniform is displayed in Mills’ locker in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It hangs next to Mills’ jacket with the All-Madden Team letters, in addition to under the Saints helmet and game ball from his first game with the Philadelphia Stars, a 13-7 victory over the Denver Gold in 1983.
Since its premiere this spring, it has been viewed by 1000’s of soccer fans. Thousands more will see it this weekend when Mills and the rest of the Class of 2022 are immortalized at Saturday’s induction ceremony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
“It’s the coolest thing in the world,” said John Costacos, co-founder of Costacos Brothers. “We consider Dome Patrol one of the best posters we have ever done.”
Costacos’s poster business was still in its infancy at the moment. Founded in 1986 after Costacos graduated from the University of Washington, the company gained momentum after the wildly successful “Mad Mac” poster featuring Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon.
The Dome Patrol outfit that Sam Mills wore in the iconic 1988 poster hangs on display in his locker at the Museum @ProFootballHOF. It is protected to say that that is the only black military fatigue visible in the 8 players, coaches and colleagues who will likely be honored today. #NOLA pic.twitter.com/T6IIMLc11S
— Jeff Duncan (@JeffDuncan_) August 6, 2022
The idea for the Dome Patrol poster got here after Costacos and Mills met at the 1987 Pro Bowl. Saints and Mills were fashionable topics at the time. This 12 months, the Saints went 12-3 and recorded their first winning season in franchise history. Mills was one of a then-record six Saints to earn invitations to the Pro Bowl that winter.
“Without a doubt, if you were going to do something with the Saints at that time, it should have been with the full-backs,” Costacos said. “Everyone was talking about their defenders. Their defenders were very good.”
Costacos and his brother Tock designed the Dome Patrol theme, and Mills, Jackson, Johnson and Swilling signed on to it. He hired Seattle Seahawks photographer Corky Trewin to take the photos, and he entrusted one of his latest employees, Tom Rees, to oversee the project in New Orleans.
Rees was desirous to please. The trip to New Orleans was his first ever task out of the city, and he desperately desired to make impression on his recent bosses, so he made every effort.
He bought these outfits at a neighborhood military supply store in Seattle. His mother sewed patches and nameplates on their clothes. He purchased 4 pairs of trendy sunglasses from Gargoyles and talked Saints owner Tom Benson into donating a sand-colored Jeep from his dealer to make use of as a backdrop for the shoot.
The project took several hours to finish. Rees said Mills was the just one of the 4 to wear black berets, which he brought with him to decorate his outfits. He remembers that there have been several of the players’ children on set, which made it a fun family evening.
“Everyone was just nice and the players were just happy to be there,” Rees said. “Sam was just a regular, mean guy. He was so humble and happy that I called him to make a poster.”
The poster was an enormous success. Demand was so great that the poster went through five printings, which is rare for players from a comparatively small market like New Orleans.
“It turned out amazing,” Costacos said.
Rees, who now works in the mortgage industry, said it was his favorite poster he had produced of the a whole bunch he had worked on during his 12 years at Costacos.
“Sam and these guys were really nice, and the black and gold poster itself really stands out,” Rees said. “It is a visually attractive poster.
“I remember the only advice we got from John was, ‘Make them look like assholes.’ I think we achieved that.”
Dome Patrol, like most of the Costacos Brothers line, is out of print. There is little question that countless examples were destroyed by the floods of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, making it even tougher to search out originals in New Orleans. But because of Mills’ famous jumpsuit, the legend of the Dome Patrol lives on in the hallowed halls of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“I can’t wait to see Rickey and Pat’s faces when they see the locker,” Marcus said with amusing.
