Tag: joe delaney

Remembering Chiefs RB Joe Delaney 40 years after his death

On June 29th we remember and celebrate #Chiefs RB Joe Delaney, who died in an attempt to save three children from drowning 40 years ago.

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Forty years ago today, Kansas City Chiefs RB Joe Delaney made the ultimate sacrifice in an attempt to save three children from drowning in his home state of Louisiana.

A rising star in the Chiefs’ organization, Delaney had a bright future ahead of him after a dominant rookie season with 234 carries for 1,121 yards and three rushing scores. He earned AFC Rookie of the Year honors and a trip to the Pro Bowl, contributing to what was the first winning season for Kansas City in nearly a decade.

Following the 1982 NFL season, the 24-year-old Delaney returned back to his hometown of Haughton, Louisiana for the offseason. On June 29th, 1983, Delaney would travel to Monroe, Louisiana where his selflessness would help save a life, but also cost him his own.

Delaney came upon three children screaming for help in a man-made pond in Chenault Park. Delaney couldn’t swim well himself, but he still rushed to action. He dove into the pond in an attempt to save the three children. He was able to rescue one child, another child was taken to an emergency room where they later perished.

Delaney and a third child would not survive the incident.

Every year on this day, fans throughout the Chiefs Kingdom take some time to remember Delaney’s heroism and selflessness. He didn’t know the children he sought to rescue, but he knew they were in trouble and that he couldn’t stand by without making an attempt to help.

Over the years, Delaney’s legacy has been honored by those in Kansas City and his home state of Louisiana. Most recently, an extension of the Joe Delaney Learn to Swim Program funded by GEHA and the Hunt Family Foundation.

Two years ago a monument was erected in Delaney’s honor at Chenault Park. Those who visit the park will learn of his story and his sacrifice, as the inscription on the monument reads:

Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for another.

Joe Delaney died on June 29, 1983 while attempting to rescue three children from drowning. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal from U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan. He made the ultimate sacrifice by placing the lives of three children above the regard for his own safety. By the supreme example of courage and compassion, this brilliantly gifted young man left a spiritual legacy for all fellow Americans.

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GEHA, Hunt Family Foundation donate to provide swimming lessons in memory of Chiefs RB Joe Delaney

GEHA and the Hunt Family Foundation have joined forces to honor #Chiefs RB Joe Delaney’s memory ahead of the 40th anniversary of his death.

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GEHA and The Hunt Family Foundation announced this week that they will jointly fund swimming lessons for children in Haughton, Louisiana — the hometown of Kansas City Chiefs RB Joe Delaney.

June 29 will mark 40 years since Delaney sacrificed his life in an attempt to save three children from drowning. In remembrance of Delaney, each GEHA and the Hunt Family Foundation will give $5,000 to the Delaney 37 Foundation, which was founded by Delaney’s family members to provide mentorship and education, including programs for water safety, financial literacy and leadership for the children in and around Haughton.

According to the press release, the funds from GEHA and the Hunt Family Foundation will be used to provide swimming lessons and aquatic safety programs to Haughton and the surrounding communities in Louisiana.

“If my dad saw a need, he was going to step in and help,” said Joanna Noel, youngest daughter of Joe Delaney and Delaney 37 Foundation leader. “My father would be proud of the work that is being done in his name by GEHA and The Hunt Family Foundation to make swimming safer for many families.”

This will effectively act as an extension of the Joe Delaney Learn to Swim Program, presented by GEHA, which launched with the YMCA of Greater Kansas City last year. The support from both GEHA and the Hunt Family Foundation allowed 650 additional students to receive swimming lessons and equipment at five Kansas City metro YMCA locations.

“The work that the Joe Delaney Learn to Swim Program, presented by GEHA, has done in our community to address water safety and access is truly inspiring,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said. “To be able to work alongside our partners at GEHA, as well as Joe’s family, to launch the program with the Delaney 37 Foundation in his hometown and the surrounding areas speaks to the commitment of GEHA and the Hunt Family Foundation and further honors Joe’s heroic actions.”

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Remembering Chiefs RB Joe Delaney 39 years after his death

On June 29th we remember and celebrate former #Chiefs RB Joe Delaney.

It has been 39 years since Kansas City Chiefs RB Joe Delaney sacrificed his life in an attempt to save three drowning children.

Delaney was a rising star in the Chiefs’ organization with a bright future ahead of him. A former second-round draft pick out of Northwestern State in 1981, Delaney made an immediate impact as a rookie in the NFL. He started just 10 games, but he finished the season with 234 carries for 1,121 yards and three rushing scores, supplanting Mike Garrett’s franchise records for a rookie. He even had the longest play from scrimmage in the NFL that season, with an 82-yard touchdown scamper against the Denver Broncos. The performance earned Delaney AFC Rookie of the Year honors and a trip to the Pro Bowl, it also contributed to the first winning season for Kansas City in nearly a decade.

Delaney is hardly remembered for what he did on the football field nowadays. He is instead remembered for the sacrifice that he made off of the football field. Following the 1982 NFL season, Delaney had returned to his hometown of Monroe, Louisiana for some rest and relaxation during the offseason. On June 29th, 1983, Delaney’s selfless actions would help save a life.

While visiting a local fair with friends, Delaney came across three children screaming for help in a pond at Chenault Park. Delaney himself couldn’t swim well, but he didn’t hesitate. He dove into the pond in an attempt to save the children. While he was able to rescue one child, another child was taken to an emergency room where he later perished. Delaney and a third child would not survive.

Every year on this day, Chiefs fans take some time to remember Delaney’s heroism and selflessness. He didn’t know these children, but he knew they were in trouble and that he couldn’t stand idly by despite his own circumstance.

He was the very best of us.

Delaney has been honored in many ways in recent years by those in Kansas City and those in his home state of Louisiana. The Missouri Department of Transportation approved plans for a two-mile stretch of I-435 in the Kansas City area to be renamed the Joe Delaney Memorial Highway. Two years ago, after a multi-year effort to secure funding, a monument was erected in Delaney’s honor at Chenault Park. Those who visit the park will learn his story, as the inscription on the monument reads:

“Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for another.

Joe Delaney died on June 29, 1983 while attempting to rescue three children from drowning. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal from U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan. He made the ultimate sacrifice by placing the lives of three children above the regard for his own safety. By the supreme example of courage and compassion, this brilliantly gifted young man left a spiritual legacy for all fellow Americans.”

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LSU’s Terrace Marshall Jr. inspired by his late great-uncle, former Chiefs RB Joe Delaney

A Kansas City Chiefs legend has influenced the career and life of LSU’s Terrace Marshall Jr.

Every year, on June 29, Chiefs Kingdom recalls the heroism, life and sacrifice of former Kansas City Chiefs RB Joe Delaney. A second-round draft pick and rising star in the Chiefs’ organization, Delaney had earned AFC Rookie of the Year honors following the 1981 season. The 1982 season was shortened by strike and injury for Delaney, and tragically it’d be his last.

On June 29, 1983, Delaney was visiting an amusement park in his hometown of Monroe, Louisiana at Chennault Park. Delaney heard three children in distress at a nearby pond and knew he had to do something. The issue was that Delaney didn’t know how to swim, but he dove into the pond anyway in an attempt to rescue the children. He was able to help save one child, while another later died at the hospital. Delaney and a third child had drowned.

Chiefs running back Joe Delaney (37) by Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY NETWORK

The Chiefs lost a great player and a greater person that day, but soon-to-be NFL draft pick LSU WR Terrace Marshall Jr. lost his great-uncle. Marshall never got a chance to meet Delaney, but the story of his sacrifice has made a huge impact on his life.

In a story from The Advocate’s Brooks Kubena, it’s revealed that Marshall wears a constant reminder of his great-uncle on the chain around his neck.

“Marshall’s father knew his son needed a sturdy base, a model to live by. He sat his son down as a kid and told him the story of Delaney’s life, how he sacrificed his life to give three young boys a chance to live. Marshall Sr. tied it together by creating a family motto: ‘M2B.’

Meant To Be.

Marshall still wears the acronym on a chain necklace.

‘Everything I do every day is built up on character,’ Marshall told reporters Tuesday, the necklace sparkling in the light. ‘Just setting a good example for the people who are watching me and the kids that’s coming up.'”

That sturdy base instilled in Marshall has led to a college career filled with successes on and off the football field. He’s played in two bowl games with the LSU Tigers and won the 2020 National Championship Game alongside current Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire. In three seasons with the Tigers, he’s caught over 100 passes for nearly 1,600 yards and 23 touchdowns. He’s also known as a leader by his coaches and his teammates.

Beyond the football and the quality of his character, the physical resemblance between Marshall and Delaney is uncanny. Marshall’s great-aunt and Delaney’s sister notices it. Even Marshall’s head coach at LSU, Ed Orgeron, who played with Delaney at Northwestern State, often noticed the physical and intangible similarities between Marshall and Delaney.

“Terrace is almost a replica of Joe D,” Orgeron said, via The Advocate, “and that is about one of the biggest compliments I can ever give anybody.”

If by fate Marshall somehow ended up in Kansas City in the 2021 NFL draft, as we projected in our latest 7-round mock draft, perhaps they’d allow him to wear Delaney’s No. 37 jersey. It has been unofficially retired since Delaney’s death. Under the Chiefs’ newly proposed rules change related to jersey numbers, wide receivers would be able to wear the No. 37. I could think of no better way to honor Delaney’s legacy than to allow Marshall to take up that mantle in Kansas City.

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Chiefs legend Joe Delaney receives monument honoring his legacy of heroism

Remembering the courageous act of Kansas City Chiefs RB Joe Delaney, 37 years later.

37 years following the death of Kansas City Chiefs RB Joe Delaney, his heroic legacy is still being honored by those who know his story. Now, everyone who visits Chennault Park in Monroe, Louisiana will have an opportunity to learn of his courage and sacrifice. On Saturday, a monument was unveiled and dedicated to Delaney, close to the pond where he drowned trying to rescue three children in June 29, 1983.

Delaney was a rising star in the Chiefs organization. He’d been selected out of Northwestern State in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft. He rushed for 1,121 yards and three touchdowns during his rookie season, earning a Pro Bowl nod and AFC Rookie of the Year honors. His hard work and perseverance proved that he’d be more than a situational running back in Kansas City. His second season was cut short due to a labor strike and an injury, but it was clear that he was the future for the Chiefs.

During the offseason of 1983, Delaney came across three children trying to beat the Summer heat in a pond, but soon realized they were in distress. Despite being unable to swim himself, Delaney jumped into the pond, saving the life of one boy but perishing along with the two other children.

Marvin Dearman, a police officer and diver, was the first to arrive on the scene. Unfortunately, he arrived too late to save Delaney and one boy. One child was rescued but later died at the hospital. Dearman has long been an advocate for celebrating the life of Delaney and was the man behind the push to get the funding for this monument.

“When I had this vision, Kansas City won the Super Bowl,” Dearman said at the monument dedication, via the Monroe News-Star. “I watched it on TV that night. The next morning I worked up and I said ‘You know what? Joe Delaney drowned 37 years ago. Kansas City just won the Super Bowl on the 37th anniversary of his death, and his jersey number was 37.”

According to the Monroe News-Star, Delaney’s monument was ultimately donated by a number of different contributors. The funds raised by Dearman and others were presented to Delaney’s family at the unveiling. The money will go to the Delaney37Foundation, which helps teach children to swim.

At the unveiling, Delaney’s family members were joined by Dearman, former teammates and coaches from Northwestern State, and members of the Chiefs organization. Hall of Fame defensive back and Louisiana native Johnny Robinson was there. Chiefs strength and conditioning coach, Barry Rubin, who also played with Delaney at Northwestern State, was among those in attendance.

“The people in Kansas City have not forgotten Joe,” Rubin said, via the Monroe News-Star. “They love him and still talk about him, and all his teammates have not forgotten about him. We all love and miss Joe Delaney, and I know God has a special place for Joe in heaven.”

As football players continue to be characterized as un-American for their peaceful protest of racial injustice, it’s more important than ever to remember Delaney’s courageous action on that fateful day. The monument to Delaney reads as follows:

“Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for another.

“Joe Delaney died on June 29, 1983 while attempting to rescue three children from drowning. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal from U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan. He made the ultimate sacrifice by placing the lives of three children above the regard for his own safety. By the supreme example of courage and compassion, this brilliantly gifted young man left a spiritual legacy for all fellow Americans.“

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