Super Bowl-winning coach Sean Payton returns to alma mater, says life has been a blur

Sean Payton tells alma mater life a blur

CHARLESTON, Ill. — Life has been a blur for New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton since winning the Super Bowl a few weeks ago.

Payton was back at his college alma mater on Wednesday, wearing a tuxedo to the athletic director’s gala at Eastern Illinois. He says the game, the victory parade and Mardi Gras have made February speed by.

Payton was a star quarterback for the Panthers in the 1980s. The school has other famous NFL alumni, including coaches Mike Shanahan and Brad Childress, and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

Payton says he was glad to be back in central Illinois: “I’m from Naperville, my wife’s from Indiana, and every time the plane lands (in the Midwest) it always feels like home.”