Former Saints wide receiver Bob Newland dead at 72

Former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Bob Newland passed away today following a lengthy illness in his home state of Oregon at the age of 72.

Newland played for the Oregon Ducks from 1968-70 catching 125 passes for 1,941 yards and 12 touchdowns. He earned All American honors in 1970, recording 67 receptions for 1,123 yards and seven scores.

Along with teammates Dan Fouts (quarterback) and Bobby Moore, later known as Ahmad Rashad (wide receiver), the Ducks paced the PAC-10 in passing offense and were second in the country.

Newland was selected in the seventh round by the New Orleans Saints in the 1971 NFL draft, 170 picks after New Orleans selected Archie Manning in the same draft.

Newland played four seasons in the NFL, all for the Saints, from 1971-74.

In 56 games with the Saints, Newland caught 124 passes for 1,877 yards and eight touchdowns. His best season was 1972 when he led the Saints in receiving, catching 47 passes for 579 yards and two touchdowns. In 1973, Newland was second on the team with 29 catches for 489 yards and four touchdowns.

Newland was part of a receiving corps in New Orleans with the likes of Danny Abramowicz, Al Dodd, Dave Parks, Joel Parker and Jubilee Dunbar.

Newland came back to New Orleans for Saints Hall of Fame alumni events recently and enjoyed his time reminiscing with his former teammates.

“I played in the Hula Bowl with Bob,” Manning said. “We were in the same draft class. He played a lot for us in the first few years. He was a really good person. His father was a track coach in Oregon. He was a good friend whom I stayed in touch with through the years. It was a pleasure to know Bob and play with him. He was my friend.”
Newland is survived by his wife, Christie, son Bill, and daughter Annie.