Steve Gleason
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| Safety | |
| Personal information | |
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| Date of birth: March 19, 1977 | |
| Place of birth: Spokane, Washington, U.S. | |
| Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | Weight: 212 lb (96 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Washington State | |
| Undrafted in 2000 | |
| Debuted in 2000 for the New Orleans Saints | |
| Last played in 2007 for the New Orleans Saints | |
| Career history | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Games played | 83 |
| Solo tackles | 59 |
| Assisted tackles | 6 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Stephen Michael "Steve" Gleason (born March 19, 1977) is a former professional football player, a safety with the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. Originally signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2000, he played for the Saints through the 2007 season. As a free agent in 2008, Gleason retired from the NFL after eight seasons. In 2011, he revealed that he was battling ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.[1][2]
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[edit] Early years
Raised in Spokane, Gleason attended Gonzaga Prep, where he earned consecutive defensive MVP awards as a linebacker in the Greater Spokane League. Following graduation in 1995, he accepted a scholarship to play college football at Washington State in Pullman.[3][4] While at WSU, he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.
[edit] Professional career
Gleason was signed by the Indianapolis Colts 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.
Gleason was chosen by the Birmingham Thunderbolts with the 191st pick of the 2001 XFL Draft.[5]
On September 25, 2006, Gleason was responsible for one of the most dramatic moments in Saints history, when he blocked a punt in the first quarter against the Atlanta Falcons. Curtis Deloatch recovered the ball in the Falcons' end zone for a touchdown. It was the first score in the Saints' first home game in nearly 21 months, during which time Hurricane Katrina had devastated the city. While Gleason did not play for the Saints' team that won Super Bowl XLIV, he was awarded a Super Bowl ring by the Saints in September 2011. At the same ceremony he was awarded the key to the city of New Orleans by mayor Mitch Landrieu.[6]
[edit] Personal
In September 2003, Gleason formed the One Sweet World Foundation, a charitable foundation that focuses on literacy and environmentalism. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Gleason's foundation led a group of foundations and institutions in launching "Backpacks for Hope", an initiative to provide relief to young hurricane victims in the form of backpacks and school supplies. More than 7,000 backpacks were donated from across the country, together with cash donations and other assistance. The initiative provided roughly $500,000 of relief to young students and families in the New Orleans and Gulf Coast areas. Backpacks for Hope Recap
After retiring from football, Gleason attended Tulane University to receive his master of business administration degree. In January 2011, while studying at Tulane, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).[1]
In 2011, Steve formed Team Gleason to allow others to join him in his mission to continue living a full and adventurous life and inspiring others to do the same. One part of Team Gleason is The Gleason Initiative Foundation which is a non-profit with a specific mission to: 1. Help provide individuals with muscular diseases or injuries with leading edge technology, equipment and services; 2. Raise public awareness toward amyotrophic lateral sclerosis “ALS” by providing and documenting extraordinary life adventures for individuals with muscular diseases or injuries. Team Gleason has also created the Gleason Family Trust. In addition to helping offset the incremental costs of living with ALS, contributions to the Gleason Family Trust go towards Steve’s participation in advanced and experimental technology, equipment and treatments. http://www.teamgleason.org
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Steve Gleason diagnosed with ALS". Associated Press. ESPN. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7018525/steve-gleason-formerly-new-orleans-saints-lou-gehrig-disease. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
- ^ NOLA.com - New Orleans Saints cult hero Steve Gleason battling ALS - 2011-09-25
- ^ Seattle Times - Gleason Grows Into Role At WSU - 1999-10-21
- ^ Seattle Times - Ex-Cougars star Steve Gleason, suffering from ALS, gives some inspiring words - 2011-11-12
- ^ http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=2707770
- ^ Seattle Times - New Orleans Saints present ex-WSU player Steve Gleason with a Super Bowl ring - Associated Press - 2011-09-27
[edit] External links
- TeamGleason.org
- New Orleans Saints bio
- WSU Cougars.com - official site - football - Steve Gleason
