CANTON, Ohio – You had to feel for the Arizona Cardinal fan in Seat 4 of Row 15 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium Saturday.

His view of the official Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony was partially obstructed by the most unique and unusual of sightline blockers: a Pope’s mitre.

His seat was directly behind Lionel Alphonso Sr. also known as “Da Pope,” the original Saints superfan, who was dressed in his traditional game-day attire: white cassock and mitre, brandishing a black fleur de lis logo and “Bless You Boys” script.n

“I wouldn’t have missed it,” said Alphonso, a Violet native. “We all cried at the Super Bowl, and I think we’re going to cry again today.”

The Who Dat Nation turned Drew Brees’ Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony into a de facto Saints road game. In a show of force to support the legendary quarterback, Saints fans dominated the crowd at the enshrinement ceremony and transformed Canton into a roiling, Who Dat-chanting sea of black and gold for days leading up to the event.

Many turned the trip into a multi-day affair, taking in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and Major League Baseball games in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.

Alphonso wasn’t the only Saints super fan at Tom Benson Stadium Saturday. Also spotted in the Saints-heavy crowd were Mark “Mack the Quack” Cuenca, Leroy “Whistle Monsta” Mitchell and Larry “Sign Man” Rolling.

The fans not festooned in black-and-gold feather boas, hats or sequins were proudly wearing No. 9 Brees jerseys. Among them, Kim Palmer of San Diego and Donna Kern of New Orleans, who made the trip to honor Palmer’s late husband, an ardent Saints fan, who died three years ago.

“Drew has been such an inspiration to so many families, and he did the hard work when it needed to be done (after Katrina),” Kern said.

Added Palmer: “As soon as Drew got (announced as a Hall of Famer), I called (Kerm) and said, ‘Can we go to see Drew get inducted?’ My husband would’ve gone wild. This is our tribute to him.”

It was difficult to go anywhere in Canton or its surrounding environs during enshrinement week without seeing a fan in a No. 9 jersey or Saints gear. That was certainly the case at the traditional Hall of Fame walk on the Hall campus Friday morning, where Sharon and Jay Lonero of Metarie were strategically positioned front row of fans on Hall of Fame Drive . The Loneros have been ardent fans since 2009, when they presciently bought season tickets and followed Brees and the Saints on their magical run to the Super Bowl XLIV title.

“We just love Drew, and he is such an exemplary human being,” Sharon Lonero said. “When the Saints won the Super Bowl I told my friends, enjoy it because it’s never going to happen again. It’s a unicorn.”

Not far away along the route stood the black-and-gold clad mother-and-daughter team of Alyssa and Beth DiMarco, who trekked to Canton from New Orleans and Houston, respectively. Alyssa said she plans to wear her special jersey to the ceremony for the first time since Brees and the Saints won the Super Bowl in 2009.

“I’m so excited,” Alyssa DiMarco said. “It’s like completing the circle.”

Beth DiMarco echoed the sentiments of many fans this week in saying their devotion to Brees extends beyond the playing field.

“Not only did he make our team feel relevant, Drew did so much for the city and so much for the community and the city,” said Beth DiMarco, sporting a pendant of the New Orleans skyline on her necklace. “He changed everything.”

Janet Rodman and her son, Chris Kirchein, were among the first of an army of Saints fans that attended a local promotional event for Brees in suburban Canton on Friday morning. They traveled from New York to show their support.

“Drew was basically my whole life in terms of sports,” said Kirchein, who scrolled through a gallery of photos of his Saints-themed room at home on his phone. “I grew up through high school, college (LSU) and then after I went to college, so Drew’s been part of my life in terms of sports. I think it’s more so my love for the city of New Orleans itself. I think New Orleans, I love New Orleans. We’ve been going down over 20 years. 2003 was our first time going down. So it’s

“I love the fact of what he contributed to the community and how community oriented he is,” said Rodman, decked out in a No. 9 Brees jersey. “It goes beyond football for me with him because again, as a parent, I watch what he does with everybody and he’s all about New Orleans. Even though he doesn’t live there now, he’s still all about New Orleans.”

Trey Swindle was not hard to spot in the crowd. The architect from Dallas sported a large black T-shirt emblazoned with the message “I MISS DREW BREES” and a head shot of the former Saints quarterback across the front.

“I think we all miss him,” said Swindle, a Shreveport native. “I was always a Saints fan and then he came along and I liked his story about he came to New Orleans and of course the whole situation with Katrina and just kind of uplifting. We were spoiled (by Drew).”

“I asked my friend, do you want to go with me and watch me cry at Drew Brees’ Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony?” Swindle added. “She said, ‘Of course, I want to do that.’ So here we are.”