Chiefs

SportsBeat KC: Could more be done to memorialize former Chiefs running back Delaney?

The Kansas City Chiefs’s Joe Delaney drowned 37 years ago trying to rescue children.
The Kansas City Chiefs’s Joe Delaney drowned 37 years ago trying to rescue children.

Last Saturday marked 37 years since the tragic death of former Chiefs running back Joe Delaney, who drowned trying to save kids who had gone under in a Louisiana pond. Delaney had completed two NFL seasons and had been named the 1981 AFC offensive player of the year. He was bound for stardom.

On the anniversary of Delaney’s death, a memorial was erected in his honor in Monroe, the city where he died in his home state of Louisiana. Sports columnist Vahe Gregorian attended the ceremony and recounts the weekend’s activities on this episode of The Star’s daily SportsBeat KC podcast with host Blair Kerkhoff.

Story links:

Chiefs’ Joe Delaney properly memorialized in Louisiana. Chiefs should follow suit in KC

Push to memorialize Chiefs hero Joe Delaney prompts national outpouring of generosity.

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Blair Kerkhoff
The Kansas City Star
Blair Kerkhoff has covered sports for The Kansas City Star since 1989. He was elected to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
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