On Sept. 25, 2006, the New Orleans Saints played a Monday night game against Atlanta to mark the reopening of the Caesars Superdome following Hurricane Katrina. Early in the first quarter, the Saints' first touchdown came in history-making fashion: Steve Gleason blocked a punt by Atlanta’s Michael Koenen, Saints cornerback Curtis Deloatch scooped up the ball and fell into the end zone for a touchdown.

It was the highest point of a high-point reopening, an early lightning bolt in what became a 23-3 victory.

Exactly five years to the date after that game, Gleason publicly announced that he had been diagnosed with ALS, a degenerative neuromuscular disease that has gradually robbed him of his ability to walk and speak. He continues to be a powerful symbol of the city, with that famous moment forever captured in bronze in Champions Square outside of the Superdome.

Now, on the 20th anniversary of that game, eight of his teammates recall what it was like to be on the field with Gleason during the most meaningful play in franchise history.

A cast of characters

• Bryan Scott was a defensive back for the Saints in 2006. The Penn State alum was selected in the second round of the 2003 draft by the Atlanta Falcons, where he played two seasons before being traded to New Orleans.
• Terrance Copper was an undrafted free agent signed by the Dallas Cowboys in 2004 before being released and then claimed by New Orleans in 2006. The receiver caught 38 passes for 511 yards and five touchdowns in 35 games as a Saint.
• A North Carolina native, Curtis Deloatch was a high school basketball player before redshirting for North Carolina A&T's football team as a reserve free safety in 2000. After college, he was acquired by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent, where he spent 2004-2005 before being waived and then claimed by the Saints in September 2006, just three weeks before the re-opening game.
• Lance Moore grew up and attended college in Ohio. His hometown team, the Cleveland Browns, picked him up as an undrafted free agent in 2005 before releasing him after the preseason. The Saints signed him to the practice squad that year, before ultimately elevating him to the active roster. The receiver caught 346 passes for 4,281 yards and 38 touchdowns in eight seasons with the Saints, and was well known in New Orleans for his creative touchdown celebrations. He is a member of the Saints Hall of Fame.
• Tight end Nate Lawrie grew up as a high school track and field star in his hometown of Indianapolis. He played football at Yale and was selected in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played five seasons in the NFL, of which, one was spent in New Orleans. He played in seven games that season, registering more than one-fourth of his 26 career games.
• Defensive end Rob Ninkovich was selected by the Saints in the fifth round of the 2006 draft. Ninkovich played three games as a Saint; two knee injuries derailed his development, but allowed him to forge a close bond with Steve Gleason, who he says was vital in encouraging him during his ACL recovery. Ninkovich ultimately carved out an 11-year career, including eight seasons with the Patriots, where he helped the franchise win two Super Bowls.
• Omar Stoutmire, a former defensive back, played the 10^th and only one of his 11 seasons with the Saints in '06, and finished the year with two interceptions and seven pass breakups in 13 games, with nine starts. Prior to his time in New Orleans, he played in Super Bowl XXXV for the New York Giants, who lost 34-7 to the Baltimore Ravens.
• Terrence Melton is a Miami native and Rice alum who played 33 of his 34 career NFL games as a linebacker with the Saints. Before his NFL career, he played multiple seasons in the AFL and CFL, and finished his career in the UFL for the Florida Tuskers and Virginia Destroyers.

After Hurricane Katrina powered through New Orleans on Aug, 29, 2005, the Saints were unable to play any true home games that season. For many NFL players, New Orleans didn't register as a team on the upswing in 2006.

Curtis Deloatch: I was with the Giants when Hurricane Katrina happened. There were a lot of guys on my team at the time that were from Louisiana, but I still didn't realize what was actually going on. And it just so happened, I get traded down to New Orleans. I won't lie to you, I was like, 'Man, I don't want to be here. I don't know what's going on. I don't know anything about Louisiana.'

Rob Ninkovich: New Orleans is the one place I didn't want to go (in the draft), honestly. My mom asked me on draft day, what's the one team you don't want to go to. And I said, 'I don't want to go to New Orleans, they don't even have a city.' And that's who drafted me.

New Orleans won its first two games of the 2006 season, on the road against Cleveland and Green Bay. The week 3 match-up against the Falcons would mark the first game back in the Superdome after Katrina. The Saints were determined to meet the moment.

Terrance Copper: It wasn't really just a regular game. That was our first game coming back to the Superdome.

Bryan Scott: I had that game circled on my calendar because I was traded from the Falcons to the Saints. That was my first year in New Orleans, and I didn't like the way that the trade went down. So, I said, 'This is the game that I know I'm going to make a play,' for personal reasons. So I was so hyped for that game.

Deloatch: The build up to the game – I didn't know, because I wasn't a part of Hurricane Katrina – but you could feel the energy during the build up to the game.

Lance Moore: Honestly, going into the game I didn't feel like there was any way that we were going to lose. Call it confidence, call it maybe even delusional confidence.

We started on the road — two tough games, two wins — but (Atlanta quarterback) Michael Vick was a freak of nature. (And) I don't feel like we felt, up until that point, that we'd played great offense yet. We played OK offense and maybe even good offense, but I don't think we'd played great offense up until that point. So we put in the work and the time to prepare.

But I would imagine to a man, you could ask and they would say there was no way that we were losing that game. And we truly believed that.

There was too much on the line, too much work had been put in, and the significance of that game – what it meant not just to us and the organization, but to the city, the state, the whole Gulf South region – we knew the responsibility that we had to go out there and not just take care of business, but to give everybody a show.

Terrence Melton: The mind-set was, we've got to do anything and everything possible to make this a great home opening. That was our role at the time. We had (seen) a couple of things that (Atlanta) did scheme-wise that we thought we could exploit. It just happened to be that play.

On third-and-four on the Falcons' first drive, Vick faked a handoff and ran a bootleg play. Saints linebacker Scott Fujita tracked him down for a strip sack.

Scott: On third down – the play before the punt, I was on the field and Michael Vick fumbled the ball (on Fujita's sack). I reached down to pick it up, and I kicked the ball out of bounds, pulling my hamstring.

Scott remained on the field on fourth down – tweaked hammy and all – with the assignment to block a gunner on the forthcoming punt. Copper, Melton, Moore, Deloatch, tight end Nate Lawrie, and safety Omar Stoutmire would join him on the play.

Deloatch: I wasn't even supposed to be out there on the field. There were only 10 men on the field at the time and I just happened to be standing right there by the special teams coach (John Bonamego), and they just threw me out there.

Copper: I was one of the hold-up guys on the interior line. I guess you could say I was the linebacker on that play. We had a blitz set up for the left side and the right side. I was right beside Curtis.

Melton: I was the right guard on the D-line. Basically on the right side, working back to the left.

Lawrie: (I was) trying to set up a return if we didn't actually get the block.

Omar Stoutmire: Steve (Gleason) and I were on the same side coming off the edge.

Nate Lawrie: When (the call) comes in, you hope it (works). But you're just kind of focused on whatever your task is and role is. That's what I was doing, I was trying to figure out who I was lined up against and what I needed to do to be effective on the play. You're hopeful that you get a block, but it's hard to expect that.

Melton: The crowd was going crazy, so the energy just had us kind of geeked up. It was just one of those things where you're like, 'Ay, let's go get it.'

83 seconds into the game, the Saints called "Pistol" — the punt-block play. Gleason blocked the kick that Deloatch recovered for a touchdown and a 7-0 Saints lead. Ninkovich and Deloatch, who had reservations about a career in New Orleans, suddenly became a part of Saints lore.

Ninkovich: Gleason is on (my) left side and (the Saints) twisted. They did a twist. So, Steve (ends up) on the right side (of the twist), I'm the right side (of Gleason) on the tackle and the wing. He twists across and (the Falcons) screw up the count. I was on the right side just going straight and the guy kind of grabs me and as I'm pushing forward, I really just kind of see the ball taken off the foot and I react to it.

Stoutmire: I think one guy blocked me and he (Gleason) ended up coming free. He came free and he got through there.

Deloatch: I kind of hesitated – one, I didn't want to drop — and two, I didn't know what the hell I was out there doing. All I knew was just rush. I didn't block nobody, I didn't touch nobody, I just ran off the edge.

Scott: (The) gunner ran away from me because I couldn't open up (due to the hamstring injury), but Steve blocked it. I heard the crowd. The crowd went crazy. In my career, the loudest crowd noise I have ever heard.

Melton: I did my job. That was what I did. I helped open the gap; sometimes you've got to sacrifice for others to get the job done.

Deloatch: Once the ball was snapped, I just heard a loud thump and the ball was literally right there in my face, so the only thing I could think about was, 'Don't miss the ball.'

The players that weren't at the line of scrimmage didn't need to see Gleason diving forward to block the punt to know something seismic had happened. The information superhighway in a New Orleans metro area that still was largely without power, in the Saints' first game in the Caesars Superdome following Hurricane Katrina, was the Superdome crowd.

Moore: I heard the thud first, then the crowd.

Lawrie: I was blocking my guy, I was probably about 10 yards downfield when I heard the stadium explode.

Moore: I was far enough away that I did not see the punt block – 45, 50 yards away from where the punter was at that time. But I remember hearing it. And then in my mind, I'm like, 'Well, let me just try to get down there as close as possible to see what's going on.'

For the others, time slowed down as they saw opportunity flash before their eyes.

Copper: Once it got blocked, I see me and Curtis sprinting for the ball. I'm trying to outrun him to get to it, but he ended up getting to it before I did.

Stoutmire: I was trying to chase the ball for the touchdown. Once you heard the block, everybody was trying to get on it, trying to get that touchdown.

Deloatch: I wanted to scoop it but at the same time I said, 'Man, just fall on it.' And didn't even realize I fell into the end zone.

As a former high school basketball player, Deloatch knew he had hops. He didn't plan to need them again, but once inspiration hit, adrenaline triggered the Jordan in him. His touchdown celebration — a double-pump, reverse dunk over the field goal crossbar — became likely the most memorable dunk in the history of New Orleans professional sports.

Deloatch: I knew I could jump. I didn't know I was going to get up that high and double pump it like that. I don't think people realize how high that crossbar is if you actually stand on the field and look up at it.

I didn't even think about it, it just happened. It wasn't something I practiced, it wasn't something I always thought about. It was just in the moment, I just felt that was something to do. It just came.

Melton: When Curtis picked it up, I didn't even know what to do. I just went crazy. If you go back and look at the video, I'm in the end zone just going nuts.

Stoutmire: I was right behind (Deloatch). We ended up celebrating. Like, 'Ayyy, good job!' But I wish I would have had it. It's good for the whole team but it's one of those ones where, everybody wants to get the sack, everybody wants to be the one to recover that for the touchdown.

Moore: It felt like it was louder than any crowd that I had ever heard before up until that point.

Copper: You have people crying – people on the team crying, people in the stands crying. It was one of the most emotional, amazing experiences I've ever been a part of.

Ninkovich: It was basically like the craziest, wildest moment in my career.

Melton: I think the best part about that is we all executed our jobs to perfection, which opened up just like we drew it up. That's the best part about it is, it opened up almost identical to how they said it would. It was great, man.

Lawrie: It just felt kind of fated. It was what the city needed and we were on such a roll at that time that it just felt right and good. I don't think we were going to lose that game no matter what, but definitely after that with the momentum and the support we had from the crowd – how loud the fans were and how behind us the city of New Orleans was – nobody could have beat us that night.

Melton: We played a hell of a game all the way through. (The Falcons) couldn't do anything between the energy in the building, the crowd, the musicians, the team – they were just basically in a lose-lose situation when they came in there.

Moore: To see what transpired after that, I just remember getting goosebumps. And as I'm speaking about it, I have goosebumps right now. Because of all the build-up that happened that led to that game and that particular moment, I almost feel like it was a sigh of relief that we did something great in the Dome in that moment. And it was the start – in my opinion – the start of something really, really special.

New Orleans went on to win the NFC South Division and advance to its first NFC Championship Game. That game, and Gleason's blocked punt, became a symbol of the rebirth of not just the Saints, but the city itself.

Melton: I could not see these guys for five, 10 years, and as soon as I see (Aaron) Stecker, Gleason, Curtis, Nink (Rob Ninkovich), all the guys — it's like we never left. It's just one of those things where you're like, man, we're locked in forever.

I don't care how much time goes by, we're forged in this thing forever, especially now that they've got the statue out there. You never know what moments will be etched into history. But to be a part of one, that every fan remembers, every single person and any time you talk about that (game), that's what is brought up — it's gotten to that point where it's almost like folklore. It's unreal to think about now, but there's nobody that's a Saints fan that hasn't seen that play.

Scott: For the longest, I was like, (the Vick fumble on third down) was my play, to pick up the ball and scoop and score a touchdown. But I kicked it out of bounds. (But) Glease got in there and blocked the punt, and that was the rebirth of the city. So, understanding that 20 years ago, that was not my play to make because Gleason deserved all of that. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. When I look at what that next play meant to the city, and to Steve, I would not want it any other way.

Deloatch: After that play happened, nobody knew the significance of that play, that it was going to be what it is today. Over the years it seems like it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger every single year.

Copper: When you're in the moment, you have no idea that a play like that would be so historical. To see what that play has done – not just for the people that were actually in it and on the field, but what it has done for the entire community and the Saints organization – it was a blessing just to be able to be a part of that.

Moore: Looking back, it was deeper than just a football game on that day. To turn around and basically allow people in that region to smile and to give them something positive in a situation that was so, so traumatic — it meant the world.