Looking back on past challenges during moments of success is only natural. Remembering the hardships that one must have overcome or navigated in order to reach their highest points is a way to appreciate the work it took to reach such accolades.
Former New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram had a reflective moment of this kind when he was named a member of the team’s 2026 Hall of Fame Class shortly after minicamp practices completed.
Upon receiving the honor, the 2011 first-round rusher recounted a stretch of games from his 2016 season that epitomized his resilience as a player and is one that he looked back on from his Saints Hall of Fame selection that made the nomination feel all the more sweet.
“I remember the stretch we had [the Kansas City Chiefs],” he said. “I ended up fumbling twice, and defense got on, defense bailed me out. Then the next game, first quarter, we’re over in Seattle, I get the ball, freaking, they rip it. Ball’s up in the air, Earl Thomas runs under it, runs for a touchdown. I get benched. We end up winning that game. And then the next week we go to San Francisco, we play. I’m on the bench that game.”
Being on the bench wasn’t the usual rhythm for Ingram, who by then had claimed the role as the team’s lead back. Especially after an arrival season in 2014 wherein the back received his first Pro Bowl nod.
But it was a challenge from an NFL legend that put Ingram back on track and re-established him as the team’s bellcow back.
“I remember Marcus Allen talked to us the night before the game, and he challenged me in front of everybody,” Ingram said. “That next day, had a big game. I had a receiving touchdown, I had a 75-yard touchdown, and I think that moment kind of signifies a lot of my career. There are some successes, there are some failures, but overcoming adversity, overcoming tough situations, and being triumphant over things that could have possibly derailed you. There’s different moments throughout my career that signify that, but that one in particular stands out to me.”
A big game indeed. In that 49ers matchup, Ingram ran 15 times for 158 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown while reeling in a pair of catches for 13 receiving yards and a touchdown reception.
A perfect example of the perseverance that shaped Ingram’s career as the Saints’ second all-time leader in rushing yards (6,500) and rushing touchdowns (52).
That relentless nature now culminates in his selection as a deserved member of the Saints Hall of Fame Class, which will be inducted during a ceremony held during the season.
It’s an honor made even more momentous with the memory of what he overcame in the process.
