Joe Delaney

Joe Delaney, We Hardly Knew You

Joe Delaney's athletic career, indeed his life, ended far too soon. On a summer evening in 1983 while at Chennault Park in Monroe, he drowned in a heroic attempt to save three young boys who could not swim but had fallen into deep water during an outing. Joe wasn't a strong swimmer, but that didn't stop him from taking action to help. Joe was 24 years old.

Touched by the story, President Ronald Reagan recognized Delaney's heroism by awarding him the Presidential Citizen's Medal posthumously.

Joe's athletic career was marked by a willingness to take action. He earned All State honors in track and football at Haughton High School. He posted a 9.4 time in the 100 yard dash, tying the state record twice. In football, he made the all-state team as a wide receiver, although his team threw few passes.

Northwestern State University recruited him as a wide receiver, but when the Demons needed a running back he made the switch and his career took off like a rocket. He averaged 5.0-yards per run for a career at NSU, setting the school rushing record with 3,047 career yards. In track, Joe ran the second leg of Northwestern State's NCAA champion 4X100 relay in 1981. He also set school records in the 100-meter (10.26) and 200-meter (20.6) dashes.

Drafted by the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs in 1981, Joe responded by earning the American Football Conference Rookie of the Year award. He became the first Chiefs running back to make the Pro Bowl. The electrifying runner gained 101 yards in his very first NFL game and set four club records for rookies, his 1,121 rushing yards in his first year ranking among the top five all-time marks for rookies. After a 193-yard rushing total against Houston, Oilers defensive end Elvin Bethea paid Joe a high compliment, ranking him with other great backs he had faced-Gale Sayers, Walter Payton and O.J. Simpson. That Houston game total remains the third highest single game performance in Chiefs history.

In 1996, he was posthumously inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and in 1997 he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2004, Joe Delaney's name was placed in the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Honor, celebrating a brilliant but all-too-short career.