Steve Gleason
No. 37 | |||||
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Position: | Safety | ||||
Personal information | |||||
Born: | Spokane, Washington, U.S. | March 19, 1977||||
Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||
Weight: | 212 lb (96 kg) | ||||
Career information | |||||
High school: | Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Washington) | ||||
College: | Washington State | ||||
Undrafted: | 2000 | ||||
Career history | |||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Stephen Michael Gleason (born March 19, 1977) is an American former professional
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
In 2019, he was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal for his contributions to ALS awareness.
Early years
Born and raised in
College
Following graduation in 1995, he accepted a scholarship to play college football at Washington State in Pullman.[5][6] Gleason was a starting linebacker for the 1997 team that advanced to the Rose Bowl. He was a four-year starter for the WSU baseball team in center field and holds the school record for triples.
Professional career
Gleason was signed by the
On September 25, 2006, Gleason was responsible for one of the most dramatic and memorable moments in Saints history when he blocked a
The Saints won the game and went on to have
In September 2011, Gleason was awarded a
NFL career statistics
Legend | |
---|---|
Bold | Career high |
Regular season
Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
2000 | NO | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2001 | NO | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2002 | NO | 14 | 0 | 16 | 15 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2003 | NO | 16 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2004 | NO | 15 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2005 | NO | 13 | 1 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2006 | NO | 15 | 0 | 18 | 17 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
83 | 1 | 71 | 64 | 7 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Playoffs
Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
2000 | NO | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2006 | NO | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Personal life
Gleason and his wife, Michel Rae Varisco, have a son, Rivers,[14] and a daughter, Gray.[15] Six weeks after receiving a diagnosis of ALS, the couple discovered they were expecting their first child.
Gleason collaborated with filmmaker Sean Pamphilon to produce a documentary on his battle with ALS that would double as a video journal for his infant son, Rivers. The documentary included a 12-minute clip of Saints defensive coach Gregg Williams openly encouraging his players to injure opponents prior to a January 2012 playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers. Pamphilon released the audio recording on April 4, 2012, in the wake of the Bountygate scandal. Gleason criticized the decision, saying that he did not authorize its release.[16]
Gleason, who had lost his voice to ALS, had his voice cloned by CereProc, a Scottish speech synthesis company.[17]
Gleason was featured in an episode of the documentary series A Football Life that detailed his career in the NFL and battle with ALS. NFL Network aired the episode in late November 2013.[18][19]
In 2015, Gleason was chosen to receive the 2015
The documentary film Gleason was shown during the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.[23] In 2019, Gleason was awarded with a Congressional Gold Medal for his contributions to ALS awareness,[24][25] and became the first NFL player to ever receive the award.[26] Gleason was presented with the award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on January 15, 2020.[27]
In the Netflix original movie Project Power, actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt wears a Gleason jersey in several scenes.
In April 2024, Knopf released Gleason's memoir A Life Impossible: Living with ALS: Finding Peace and Wisdom Within a Fragile Existence.
References
- ^ "Steve Gleason diagnosed with ALS". ESPN. Associated Press. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
- ^ NOLA.com – New Orleans Saints cult hero Steve Gleason battling ALS – September 25, 2011
- ^ Trimmer, Dave (January 26, 1995). "Bullpup becomes a Cougar". The Spokesman-Review. p. C5. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- ^ McCarthy, Jane (July 23, 2015). "Steve Gleason returns home for Gonzaga Prep reunion". usatodayhss.com. USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- ^ Seattle Times – Gleason Grows Into Role At WSU – October 21, 1999
- ^ Seattle Times – Ex-Cougars star Steve Gleason, suffering from ALS, gives some inspiring words – November 12, 2011
- ^ Inaugural XFL Draft, oursportscentral.com, October 31, 2000.
- ^ Triplett, Mike (April 6, 2020). "Steve Gleason's 2006 blocked punt symbolized the 'rebirth' of the Saints, New Orleans". ESPN. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ Thompson, Wright Beyond the Breach ESPN. August 25, 2015.
- ^ Grantham, Zayne (November 5, 2011). "New Orleans Saints: The 5 Best Teams in Franchise History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ "Gleason gets Super Bowl ring at surprise party in New Orleans". NFL. September 27, 2011.
- ^ Seattle Times – New Orleans Saints present ex-WSU player Steve Gleason with a Super Bowl ring – Associated Press – September 27, 2011
- ^ "Steve Gleason statue unveiled", Associated Press at ESPN.com, July 28, 2012.
- ^ "Steve Gleason's Son Rivers Fuels His Motivation to Continue to Fight ALS". neworleanssaints.com. June 16, 2013.
- ^ "Team Gleason". www.facebook.com.
- ^ Howard, Johnette (April 13, 2012). "Right, wrong and the bounty tape". ESPN. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
- The Times-Picayune. September 13, 2013.
- ^ "NFL Network's A Football Life Series Profiles the Inspirational Steve Gleason". NFL Communications. November 21, 2013. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014.
- ^ Erickson, Joel A. (June 15, 2015). "Steve Gleason named PFWA's George Halas Award winner". The Advocate. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
- ^ Schilken, Chuck (October 16, 2015). "Saints' Steve Gleason and Michael Mauti were there for each other's blocked punts". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
- The Times-Picayune. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
- ^ "Sundance Film Review: 'Gleason'". Variety. January 30, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
- ^ Thomas, Rachael (December 20, 2018). "President signs legislation to award Steve Gleason with Congressional Gold Medal". wlbt.com. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints legend Steve Gleason to receive Congressional Gold Medal". neworleanssaints.com. December 20, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
- ^ "Steve Gleason officially awarded Congressional Gold Medal". ESPN.com. January 3, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
Gleason is the first NFL player to receive a Congressional Gold Medal.
- ^ "Spokane native Steve Gleason to receive Congressional Gold Medal on Jan. 15". KING 5 News. Retrieved January 4, 2020.