Is Steve Gleason Still Alive, Where Is He Today And Who Is His Wife?

Steve Gleason is a celebrated security player for the New Orleans Saints, where he spent most of his playing career. He is best known for his blocked punt in a game against arch-rival Atlanta Falcons, which he will use to honor the city that witnessed Hurricane Katrina in 2006.

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Steve Gleason Biography

Former NFL player Steve Gleason was born on March 19, 1977, and is an American citizen. He grew up with his brother Kyle Gleason in Spokane, Washington with his parents Mike and Gail Gleason. He attended the Gonzaga Preparatory School in Washington. In high school, he played soccer and played for the G-Prep. Gleason, who played exceptionally, was successively awarded the Defensive MVP Award as a linebacker in the Greater Spokane League.

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He once held the record for the GLS home run, which he broke in his senior year. While in high school, he received a scholarship to play football at Washington State University. After graduating high school in 1995, he honored the scholarship he received from Washington State University to play football for the school team at Capital Base University. While at Washington State University, Gleason was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity.

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During the 2000 draft, Gleason was not drafted, which made him a free agent. The same year he was enlisted as a free agent by the Indianapolis Colts. However, Gleason moved to New Orleans Saints in 2000 after being released from the Colts.

On September 25, 2006, during an NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and their archrival Atlanta Falcons, he made a gesture that would be forever remembered in NFL history when he blocked a punt in the first quarter of the game. It was the Saints’ first home game in over a year, shortly after the city had seen the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. In the same year, he won the Saints’ Player of the Year award for special teams.

In 2008, he ended his eight-year career after playing 53 times in the NFL, 59 solo tackles and 6 assisted tackles. During his playing career, he was known for wearing the number 37 jersey and playing in the safety position. Over the course of his career, he earned just over $500,000 a year and was worth an estimated $2 million.

After giving up football, he went to Tulane University, where he received his master’s degree in business administration.

Steve Gleason owns a foundation called One Sweet World Foundation, a charitable organization created to protect the environment from the impact of human activities. After the terrible destruction wreaked by Hurricane Katrina, his charity, along with other foundation groups, donated backpacks of hope to help hurricane victims. Currently, his foundation is dedicated to helping people with ALS, a disease that Gleason also suffers from.

In 2011 Steve Gleason revealed that he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The disease confined him to a wheelchair.

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The cause of ALS is still unknown, but its symptoms and diagnosis are well known, but a cure for ALS is not known. The most significant symptom of this disease is muscle weakness. Other symptoms include tense and stiff muscles, difficulty chewing or swallowing. The disease is neither age-sensitive nor gender-specific. The life expectancy of a person suffering from ALS is on average about 5 years from the time of diagnosis.

Gleason has a son named Rivers Gleason. Rivers was born the same year Gleason was diagnosed with ALS.

Who is His Wife?

The year he retired from football, Steve Gleason married New Orleans native Michel Rae Varisco.

Michel Varisco was born on 13 July 1967 in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is a contemporary artist. Michel received her bachelor’s degree in art from Loyola University, New Orleans. She also received a master’s degree in fine arts from the same university where her husband earned his master’s degree, Tulane University.