Steve Gleason Blocks Falcons Punt and New Orleans is Born Again (VIDEO)

13 years ago today, September 25th of 2006, a virtually unknown NFL player became a real-life mythical figure. Steve Gleason had earned a spot on the New Orleans Saints roster with good special teams play. To say his was not a household name among fans of the NFL would be an understatement. That changed forever in an instant.

It was the year after Katrina. The vagabond Saints had played through the most difficult circumstances in 2005. That season, the Superdome was being renovated after the storm and was in no shape to host NFL games. Neither was the city of New Orleans. So the Saints played their ’05  “home” games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge and the Alamodome in San Antonio.  The season was a disaster. Three wins. Thirteen losses. When the season ended, Head Coach Jim Haslett was replaced. Looking back, there really wasn’t much he could have done. But a change was needed.

Enter Sean Payton, Drew Brees and a host of new players and coaches. It was different. There was renewed optimism. The team got out of the gate with two road wins over Cleveland and Green Bay. The rookie head coach and his troops would play the first game at the Superdome in over a year on Monday Night Football in week three. If that wasn’t enough to create excitement in the Big Easy, the opponent sealed the deal. The hated Atlanta Falcons came to town, led by Michael Vick. They wanted nothing more than to spoil the Saints’ homecoming. After all, that’s what rivalries are all about.

Exactly one minute and twenty-five seconds into the game, a hero for the ages emerged. Steve Gleason had been with the Saints since 2000. He had made plays in previous seasons. But nothing extraordinary. Less than a minute and a half after kickoff in game three of 2006, Gleason was responsible not only for a play that got his team an early lead, he had produced what is arguably the greatest football play in the history of the Saints and the city they call home. Watch:

September 25th, 2006 should be considered the “Rebirth Day” of New Orleans. It was like an exorcism for “the city that care forgot”. The roar of the crowd says it all. Tens of thousands of fans in the Dome cheered and embraced. Hundreds of thousands of fans screamed and wept while watching the broadcast. And millions of people around the country cheered as well. Of course they did. Almost exactly one year earlier, most people were calling for the demolition of the Superdome and some wondered if it was worth rebuilding the city itself.  Steve Gleason put those thoughts to bed once and for all.

Steve Gleason’s story is still being written, but it hasn’t been the fairy tale you might have expected. Not long after the 2006 season, Gleason was diagnosed with ALS. His battle has been courageous, and his willingness to share his story with the world has brought attention to a horrific disease. Gleason will tell you that blocking the punt was just his small part of a play that involved ten of his teammates. Saints fans would argue with him. No one can argue that Steve Gleason is a real hero. The punt block was magical, but it’s Gleason’s life after the game which is truly heroic.