NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A local company spent six months preparing the latest tribute to a New Orleans Saints legend inside the Caesars Superdome. <\/p>\n
On Sunday, Drew Brees, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and Saints Super Bowl champion, became the ninth person inducted into the stadium\u2019s Ring of Honor during a special halftime ceremony before an estimated 70,000 fans.<\/p>\n
CCI Productions<\/a>, a graphics, printing and fabrication company based in Elmwood, also created the existing Ring of Honor tributes for Tom Benson, Morten Andersen, Jahri Evans, Rickey Jackson, Archie Manning, Sam Mills, William Roaf and Will Smith.<\/p>\n For CCI founder Arthur Boisfontaine, the work is about more than signs and decor. He said it is art that evokes emotion. When asked whether he ever expected to create lasting tributes to Saints legends when he founded the company in 1996, he said, \u201cNo, it\u2019s funny, because I was cold calling many times to get the Saints. There was another company that did a great job, and then Katrina hits. We were hungry. We were doing a lot of casino work. We had casinos all over that were gone. We were looking for, what was our next thing going to be? So, we pivoted into the sports side. And then, as a result of it, we\u2019ve done Final Fours, Super Bowls, NBA All-Star Games, college football championships. We decorate and make people feel good in the spaces that they\u2019re in.\u201d<\/p>\n DREW BREES HALL OF FAME<\/p>\n But the Ring of Honor project presents significant challenges. The Superdome\u2019s roof spans nearly 10 acres, and its diameter is 680 feet. The Ring of Honor is designed to be visible to fans throughout the stadium\u2019s 70,000 seats.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody knows the building like we do,\u201d Boisfontaine said. \u201cWe also work off the plans of the building. The plans go back a long way, and when you\u2019re up in the top part of that, nothing\u2019s changed … There\u2019s a new roof, but everything below that roof is what was original … When you\u2019re working on such a massive building, you\u2019re looking at sight lines from literally from across the field and, \u2018What\u2019s that going to look like?\u2019 And then there\u2019s showtime, and when it\u2019s showtime, it\u2019s showtime. It needs to go off well,\u201d Boisfontaine said.<\/p>\n Brees thanked the city and its fans during the ceremony.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been one of the greatest honors of my life to be able to represent this city, this community, this fanbase,\u201d Brees said. \u201cI will always love you, New Orleans, and I will always represent you, and I will always love the Who Dat nation.\u201d<\/p>\n Fans inside the Superdome on Sunday said they would never forget the moment.<\/p>\n Rosalind Dunomes said, \u201cThat was a very, very special moment just to watch Drew Brees give his speech. It\u2019s like you could feel the emotions he was feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was everything. I grew up watching Drew Brees,\u201d said Kyriakos Leptos. \u201cGetting to see him in person getting inducted was amazing. He\u2019s the greatest quarterback in our history. One of the best of all time and in NFL history. To see him get inducted after everything he\u2019s done for the city, it\u2019s amazing … Very happy for Drew Brees. Forever a legend in New Orleans.\u201d<\/p>\n For CCI, the tribute adds another lasting mark among the legends honored in the Superdome.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a big to-do, but it was something that has to be well-planned, and came out great,\u201d Boisfontaine said. \u201cEverybody celebrates this every time they go to the Superdome. They see who these superstars were, and the time that they were — the past and the present all wrapped in one.\u201d<\/p>\n See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Click Here<\/a> to report it. Please include the headline.<\/p>\n