Twenty years ago, Steve Gleason delivered one of the most unforgettable moments in the New Orleans Saints‘ history. The significance of his famous play, however, has only grown with time. It began as a blocked punt return during the Superdome’s emotional reopening after Hurricane Katrina. But it eventually became intertwined with Gleason’s identity, his connection to New Orleans, and the extraordinary journey that followed his ALS diagnosis.

The moment came during a period when New Orleans was still trying to recover from the devastation of Katrina. The Saints had spent the previous season displaced from the Superdome, and their return on September 25, 2006, represented something much bigger than a regular-season game. Gleason’s block came just 83 seconds into the matchup with Atlanta, turning an already emotional night into a defining moment for the franchise and the city.

Two decades later, Steve Gleason believes those few seconds ultimately changed the trajectory of his own life, especially amid his ALS diagnosis.

“Michel, Rivers, Gray, our family, our friends, our caregivers, this city- they are my life,” said Gleason recently. “I won’t try to tell you what this anniversary means to each of them. For me, it is a reminder that I am still here with them, still a father, still loving and being loved.

“I say this in my book, A Life Impossible: if I don’t block that punt, I’d be dead. That moment connected my life to New Orleans in a way I never could have planned. When ALS came, this community showed up for us. Twenty years later, I feel the love. And I’m grateful to be here for whatever comes next.”

The play itself came just over a minute into the Saints’ first game back inside the Superdome following Katrina. Atlanta’s Michael Koenen attempted the first punt of the night, but Gleason broke through the Falcons‘ protection and blocked the kick with his left hand.

Saints cornerback Curtis Deloatch recovered the loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown, giving New Orleans a 7-0 lead. The Saints eventually won 23-3, and the play immediately became the defining image of the night.

“My responsibility was pretty simple: get to the punter’s foot,” Gleason recalled. “When the ball was snapped, their protection slid away from me and the big gap opened. When I saw that opening, I knew I had a chance. Then suddenly it felt like the world slowed down and everything became clear. I blocked the punt with my left hand as I was getting up, I saw Curtis ( recovered the ball in the end zone. this was the moment, our moment.

At the same time, the emotional significance of the play was amplified by everything surrounding it. The Superdome had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The Saints, meanwhile, had spent the 2005 season playing home games away from New Orleans. Their return came just 13 months after the storm, at a time when many residents were still rebuilding their homes and lives.

Saints players later recalled hearing the crowd explode immediately after the block, while former teammates described the play as something that eventually came to represent the rebirth of both the franchise and the city.

Steve Gleason has since explained that he did not understand in 2006 how profoundly the play would affect the rest of his life. In his own account, the Saints had specifically prepared for Atlanta’s punt protection, and when the Falcons’ blocking scheme shifted, Gleason saw the opening and attacked it. Years later, however, he came to understand that the play had given him an enduring platform in New Orleans.

In a 2024 interview about his memoir, Gleason recalled being asked by fellow ALS patient Brian Jeansonne whether his reach in the ALS community would have been the same without the blocked punt. His answer was stark:

“If I don’t block the punt, I am probably not alive.”

That statement was not simply about the possibility of returning to football after retirement. Gleason explained that without the moment that made him synonymous with New Orleans, he might have become just another has-been football player and eventually faded from public view.

Instead, the connection created by the punt gave him a platform that he later used after being diagnosed with ALS. Exactly five years after blocking the punt in 2011, Gleason publicly announced that he had been diagnosed with ALS. The disease has progressively affected his ability to walk and speak.

However, Gleason and his wife, Michel, subsequently established Team Gleason with a mission centered on helping people with ALS and other neuromuscular conditions access technology, equipment, and services.

Since then, Team Gleason has helped provide technology, equipment, and care services to people living with ALS, while Gleason has pushed for innovations designed to give people with severe physical limitations greater independence.

Meanwhile, the original play has remained attached to New Orleans. A statue titled “Rebirth,” depicting Steve Gleason’s blocked punt, stands outside the Superdome.

It ensures that the moment remains physically embedded in the city where it happened. But twenty years after the play, whenever Gleason recalls that play, it reminds him that if he hadn’t blocked that punt, he wouldn’t be alive today.