<P> Meanwhile, in about 1981 Cincinnati Bengals fans and players had started with their similar "Who Dey" cheer ("Who Dey think gonna beat them Bengals?"). In a 2006 article, Toni Monkovic, a New York Times writer, speculated that the 1981 popularity of the Bengals' "Who Dey" may have led Saints fans to expand their use of "Who Dat", from the "small number, and possibly a very small number" of Saints fans using it in the late 1970s to the much wider use of the chant in 1983 . She noted that the fan bases of the two teams continue to disagree about this, and that ultimately the evidence is unclear . However, this speculation seems unlikely to be accurate as the "Who Dat" chant was so common at nearby LSU by March of 1981 that a song called "Who Dat" had been written to the tune of "Double Dutch Bus" and played on local radio, in conjunction with the LSU men's basketball team's Final Four run . </P> <P> After the Saints won the NFC Championship Game on January 24, 2010, against the Minnesota Vikings in the Superdome, fans from all across New Orleans, including fans who were exiting the game, started a Mardi Gras - style "Who Dat" on Bourbon Street with modified lyrics, chanting, "Who Dat, Who Dat, Who Dat in the Super Bowl!" in reference to the Saints advancing to the Super Bowl for the first time ever in their 43 - year history . In Super Bowl XLIV, on February 7, 2010, the Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts 31 - 17 . "Drew Dat" has occasionally been used in honor of quarterback Drew Brees . </P> <P> In recent years the phrase "Who Dat Nation" has become a popular term for the entire community of Saints fans . According to Bobby Hebert, formerly a Saints quarterback and currently a sports commentator in New Orleans, the term "Who Dat Nation" originated after a highly anticipated 2006 game between the Saints and the favored Dallas Cowboys, which the Saints won; after the game, listeners from a wide geographic range called into Hebert's radio show on WWL (AM), and Hebert commented, "Man, there's a whole Who Dat Nation out there ." </P> <P> In January 2010, the NFL sent cease and desist letters to several Louisiana T - shirt shop owners ordering them to cease producing T - shirts bearing the phrase "Who dat". According to some recipients of these letters, the NFL was claiming to own the trademark to the term "Who dat", and that unlicensed T - shirts bearing the phrase would cause confusion among fans of the Saints about the official status of the merchandise . On January 27 one company tweeted about their whodat tee shirt cease and desist order from the NFL, and NewOrleans.com and Huffington Post interviewed the Monisteres about the NFL's claims in relation to their company Who Dat?, Inc . The next day, the brothers released a statement claiming rights to the phrase to NewOrleans.com, which they registered in 1983 after recording the version of "When the Saints Go Marching In" that incorporated the chant . The Monistere's record is listed as inactive, meaning that it was not renewed upon expiration . The Saints organization, through their company The New Orleans Louisiana Saints Limited Partnership, also registered the mark "Who Dat" in 1988 when used in conjunction with "fleur - de-lis design", but later the Saints released their claim of ownership to WhoDat, Inc., asserting that they owned the phrase . </P>

When did the saints start saying who dat