Steve Gleason’s name will be immortal for as long as the city of New Orleans stands tall.
There has never been a single football play to make the Superdome louder than the one Gleason made 20 years ago. It might be the most famous blocked punt in the history of the sport.
Gleason was an unlikely source of this beautiful city’s magical night, but it was he who set the tone when the Saints played their first home game in 21 months after Hurricane Katrina had devastated the city of New Orleans.
The game still had no score on Sept. 25, 2006, when the Falcons lined up to punt. The ball hardly got off Michael Koenen’s foot.
Gleason had stormed up the field, dove headfirst and blocked Koenen’s punt.
The ball bounded to the side, where Curtis Deloatch picked it up in the end zone for a Saints touchdown.
It was one of the most cathartic moments sports has ever seen.
THE SAINTS BLOCK THE PUNT!!
Steve Gleason came flying in for a perfect block leading to Curtis DeLoatch falling on it in the end zone.
The Superdome is as loud as it’s ever been right now. What a moment for the city of New Orleans! https://t.co/V0tiSO7D1k
— 20 Years Ago Sports (@20YearsAgoSport) September 25, 2026
Gleason’s journey since his NFL career has brought with it plenty of challenges, but he’s going to be a key part of Monday night in New Orleans, when the Saints host the Falcons — like they did 20 years ago — and recall that famous night.
What Happened to Steve Gleason?
Gleason, 49, was diagnosed in 2011 with ALS, which is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It’s also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, for the Yankees legend that first brought it to public awareness.
According to ABC, ALS “is a progressive nervous system disease that destroys nerve cells and causes motor function and muscle control loss.”
ALS takes away motor functions over time, and there is no known cure that can stop or reverse the affects of ALS.
Gleason lost his voice and speaks through a technology that cloned his voice.
“I cannot move, talk, or breathe on my own. Some days are brutal,” Gleason told ABC’s Robin Roberts in an interview that aired on Monday. “And still, this is a miraculous, wonderful life… I wake up, I watch the sunrise, I am with [my wife] Michel, [kids] Rivers and Gray. I get to love this life and the people in it.”
Gleason’s eyes are what he is able to use to communicate via a special tablet that is set up to gauge his eye movements for what they mean.
His breathing is now controlled by a ventilator.
“I live on a ventilator,” Gleason told Roberts. “I live knowing this breath is given to me by a machine, and this sentence is built letter by letter, and this moment with those I love is the whole point.”
Gleason also told Roberts how important that punt block has been to the rest of his life.
“If I do not block that punt, I am another former special teams player, a has-been football guy,” Gleason said. “When the ALS came I probably fade away quietly and die anonymously.”
Steve Gleason’s NFL Career
Gleason was always a great athlete. He was a star linebacker in Spokane, Washington at Gonzaga Prep, and then he went to Washington State, where he started at linebacker in the Rose Bowl.
While at WSU, Gleason also started four years in center field for the baseball team, and he set the school record for triples.
Gleason was undrafted into the NFL and signed with the Indianapolis Colts in 2000. He didn’t make their team, and he signed with the Saints’ practice squad.
Before his famous blocked punt, Gleason even had a stint with the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe.
He eventually turned himself into a special teams contributor for the Saints. He played all 83 of his NFL games for New Orleans and made 71 tackles total.
After that fateful night in 2006, though, it never mattered what numbers Gleason put up.
From that moment onward, Gleason would always be, and will always be, a legend.
What Happened to Steve Gleason? What to Know About Saints Legend’s ALS Diagnosis