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Steve Gleason

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Steve Gleason

Stephen Michael Gleason (born March 19, 1977) is an American former professional football player who played as a safety with the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington State Cougars. Originally signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2000, he played for the Saints through the 2006 season. As a free agent in 2008, Gleason retired from the NFL after eight seasons.

Gleason is particularly known for his block of a punt early in a 2006 game, which became a symbol of recovery in New Orleans in the team's first home game after Hurricane Katrina.

In 2011, Gleason revealed that he was battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease). His experiences while living with the disease were captured on video over the course of a five-year period and featured in the 2016 documentary Gleason.

He was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in 2019 and the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in 2024 for his contributions to ALS awareness.

Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, Gleason attended high school at Gonzaga Prep, where he earned consecutive defensive MVP awards as a linebacker in the Greater Spokane League (GSL). He was also a fullback on offense.

Gleason then played college football for the Washington State Cougars. He was a starting linebacker for the 1997 team that lost in the Rose Bowl. He was a four-year starter for the Cougars baseball team in center field and holds the school record for triples.

The Indianapolis Colts signed Gleason as an undrafted free agent in 2000. He was released by the team after the preseason and was signed to the New Orleans Saints' practice squad in November. He was chosen by the Birmingham Thunderbolts with the 191st pick of the 2001 XFL draft.

On September 25, 2006, Gleason was responsible for one of the most dramatic and memorable moments in Saints history when he blocked a punt by Atlanta Falcons punter Michael Koenen early in the first quarter of a game at the Superdome. Curtis Deloatch recovered the ball in the Falcons' end zone for a touchdown. It was the first score in the Saints' first game in New Orleans in nearly 21 months, during which time Hurricane Katrina had devastated the city and the team.

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