It was made official on April 29 that the NFL’s New Orleans Saints would be returning to Nicholls for their 2002 summer training camp.Under the initiative of Louisiana senator Joel Chaisson of Destrehan, the Saints and Nicholls agreed to a contract that would bring the Saints to Nicholls until 2004.

The Saints would then be given a chance to renew the contract which could keep Nicholls as the official training camp site for the team until 2010.

The annual economic impact has grown to $2.6 million because of the camp.

With a national spotlight on the campus and many Saints fans visiting Thibodaux, this number is expected to increase.

Along with the money that the University will recieve from this, the Saints recently contributed $15,000 to the Nicholls football team.

The donation will go towards facility and equiptment enhancement for the Colonels program.

The Saints will begin their summer training camp in late July. More information on dates and times of practices, special events and the Black and Gold scrimmage will be announced on a later date.