Before kickoff of Saints-Falcons, fans lined up to pay tribute to Steve Gleason’s iconic block
Two hours before kickoff Monday, Frank Crawford was making sure his grandson understood why the spot near Gate D mattered.
Cooper Landry, 13, had never seen the play that the bronze statue in front of him represents. So Crawford, 89, took the time to explain it before Landry attended his first New Orleans Saints game. Around them, plenty of other fans were doing the same thing - waiting in line for a photo with the “Rebirth” statue, the larger-than-life tribute to Steve Gleason’s famous blocked punt.
For Crawford, the stop was nonnegotiable on a night built around memory.
“When I think of football, and I think of things that have happened to this team,” said Crawford, who has been a season-ticket holder for 53 years, “that moment is No. 1.”
Monday’s Saints-Falcons game carried plenty of energy inside and outside the Caesars Superdome. The day also marked the 20th anniversary of the Saints’ return to the Dome after Hurricane Katrina, and that milestone was recognized in a few different ways: a second line parade for Gleason in Lafayette Square, and a loud reaction from the crowd when Drew Brees appeared on the Jumbotron during the national anthem.
Still, for many fans, the celebration wasn’t complete until they stopped at Gleason’s statue.
David McClain, a 36-year-old Saints fan from Chalmette, said the play has never left him.
“It’s a moment frozen in my mind,” McClain said. “I’ll never forget it.
I’ll be on my deathbed, I’ll remember. Being able to celebrate tonight being the homecoming game and have my children here with me and my family, it's one I'll hopefully never forget.”
A lot of the people in the building Monday had been there 20 years ago, too. Lance St. LeBlanc wore the same jersey he had on then - Scott Fujita’s No. 55 - but this time he was surrounded by a different group, sitting with his two sons and two of their best friends instead of his close friend in Section 618.
Others came from far away to be part of the night. Lavarus Henderson and his wife flew in from Davenport, Iowa. Nick and Amanda Graziano and their two children made the eight-hour trip by plane from Hawaii.
The Grazianos made sure Gleason’s statue was on their list.
“It was definitely a priority for me,” Nick Graziano said. “My kids aren't as die-hard as I am, having grown up in Hawaii. You know, they don't quite fully understand the seriousness of the Saints and what it means to this region.
“But I think, hopefully, when they get in the Dome, they'll get it.”
Even years later, the play can still hit hard. Andrew Krosp said he started to cry as he remembered watching Gleason’s block from his couch.
“I ran outside, I opened the garage and I screamed, ‘The Saints are back!’ ” Krosp said.
The line at the statue moved quickly Monday. Crawford and Landry waited about five minutes, though Crawford said he would have stayed much longer if needed.
For some families, the stop was as much about teaching as it was remembering. Justin Adams was there with his family and spent time explaining Gleason’s block to his 17-year-old son - what happened after Hurricane Katrina, why the Saints’ presence mattered, and how Gleason and the team gave people hope. After seeing Gleason on stage in Champions Square, where the former safety’s second line parade ended, Adams and his family walked over near Gate D.
“We (said), ‘Let’s go say hi to Steve,’ ” Adams said.
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