The New Orleans Saints will unveil a statue depicting the unforgettable moment of Steve Gleason's blocked punt against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football in the Superdome after it re-opened in 2006. The unveiling ceremony is an invitation-only event that will be held in Champions Square on Friday, according to ProFootballTalk. In an interview last year, Coach Sean Payton described what the statue will look like and what it will symbolize. "We're working on, and have a long-term vision of a statue right there in Champions Square of him blocking that punt," Payton said. "And it really represents more than the actual play itself. That play really represents what was the re-opening of the Superdome and the beginning of us kind of picking ourselves back off the mat as a city and getting back to what we know as a normal way of life." Source: The Times-Picayune
On Monday, September 25, 2006, Steve Gleason was responsible for one of the most dramatic moments in New Orleans Saints history. He blocked a punt in the first quarter of the team's return to the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina. That night, the Saints defeated their rival Atlanta Falcons 23-3. It would kick-start an improbable run for a team that would go on to win the NFC South crown and play for the NFC Championship that season. That blocked punt, that season symbolized the "Rebirth" of the city of New Orleans.
One of my personal top 5 moments of all time and honestly classy of the Saints to immortalize it. Perfect in every way.
Great statue. Pretty cool for GLeason...maybe one day PSU will have a "rebirth" statue like that to put in place of the JoePa statue.
Oh god, I had forgotten that Kornheiser actually did MNF until I watched that video clip. :icon_confused:
