Sports have been there for us in our most trying times, which is why the coronavirus hits so hard for sports fans across the world. With sports at every level and locale grinding to a halt, all fans can do is wait. When that wait finally ends, fans across the world will rejoice, as sports once again picks us up and gets us back to everyday life. NESN.com looks at past times when sports played an enormous role in helping us return to normalcy.Â
Sports aren’t just a form of entertainment. They can help bring communities together during times of hardship, as well.
And that’s just what the Saints did one year after New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.
After the Louisiana Superdome was heavily damaged by the historic storm, the Saints were forced to split home games during the 2005 season between Tiger Stadium at LSU in Baton Rouge and the Alamodome in San Antonio. But the team would eventually return home and did so in epic fashion.
On Sept. 25, 2006, the Saints played their first home game at the Superdome in over a year against NFC South rival the Atlanta Falcons on “Monday Night Football” in front of a sold-out crowd. New Orleans didn’t disappoint either, putting on a show its home crowd won’t soon forget.
It all started two minutes into the game when special teams ace Steve Gleason shot a gap right up the middle of the Falcons’ punt formation and blocked a kick. The Saints fell on the bouncing ball in the end zone for a touchdown, sending the Superdome into a frenzy.
The Saints stunned the Falcons with 20 first-half points, including Devery Henderson’s 11-yard touchdown on a reverse in the first quarter. Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush ran all over the Falcons’ defense, combining for 134 yards on 32 touches. Drew Brees had an unsurprisingly efficient evening, completing 20 of his 28 pass attempts for 191 yards, a performance that ultimately took a backseat to the lead block he threw on Henderson’s touchdown.
And at that moment, the Saints gave their fans more to cheer about than just the score on the board. Fans finally had a glimmer of hope during a time of darkness. The game had such a lasting impact on the franchise and the city that a statue of Gleason’s punt block — titled “The Rebirth” — sits outside the Superdome to this day.
Sometimes, it only takes one game to make a world of a difference in people’s lives.
