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Following a dismal 3-11 season in 1978 under the guidance of Hank Stram, the New Orleans Saints decided it was time to part ways and hired former San Francisco 49ers coach Dick Nolan as the clubs sixth head coach.
Nolan had little success in his three years with New Orleans, but did guide the Saints to their first non-losing season in 1979 with an 8-8 record. It was short-lived, however, when the Saints returned to their losing ways with a dismal 0-12 start the following year in 1980. Nolan was fired before the season ended and replaced in the interim by Dick Stanfel for the final four games.
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | G | W | L | T | W-L% | G plyf | W plyf | L plyf | W-L% | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 46 | New Orleans Saints | NFL | 16 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3 | ||||
| 1979 | 47 | New Orleans Saints | NFL | 16 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2 | ||||
| 1980 | 48 | New Orleans Saints | NFL | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0 | .000 | 4 | ||||
| 3 yrs | NOR | 44 | 15 | 29 | 0 | .341 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 |
Nolan's final overall record with the Saints was a paltry 15-29. He was the father of future 49ers head coach Mike Nolan. He died in 2007 at the age of 75.
