Angela Austin figures "Big O" pulled off a big orchestration from heaven. "I know he's looking down, smiling," she said.

Oscar "Big O" Austin, who passed away two days after Christmas Day 2023, absolutely would be wearing an ear-to-ear smile on his face upon learning that Angela, his wife, was named New Orleans Saints Fan of the Year for 2025.

The legacy of fandom Big O helped create — the Uptown Tailgaters (UPT) — has been ably extended with help from "Mrs. Big O," a certified surgical technologist at Ochsner Baptist Hospital who met Oscar in 2005 and started tailgating with him that season, in the UPT spot under the Claiborne Ave. bridge, which features a picturesque view of the Caesars Superdome.

"It didn't surprise me (she was named Fan of the Year)," said Jimmie Pierre, Oscar's 'li

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