New Orleans Voodoo
The New Orleans VooDoo began play in the Arena Football League in 2004. New Orleans Saints Owner Tom Benson became the first NFL owner to commit to a purchase of an AFL franchise in 1998 and was chiefly responsible for changing league rules to allow NFL owners to also own AFL teams. The AFL officially awarded the Saints' owner an expansion franchise on March 7, 2002 and fans voted in an online poll to name the new team the VooDoo later that year. The VooDoo selected Mike Neu to be the first head coach of the franchise in June 2003.