The Kansas City Chiefs and the Hunt Family Foundation are partnering with GEHA and the YMCA of Greater Kansas City to host a Joe Delaney Learn to Swim celebration at Parkwood Pool. The free community event, set for Monday, June 29, will provide swim lessons to local children and families while honoring the legacy of former Chiefs running back Joe Delaney, who died 43 years ago attempting to rescue three children from drowning despite not knowing how to swim himself.

Delaney’s story remains one of the most powerful in Chiefs franchise history and in all of professional sports. The partnership between GEHA and the Hunt Family Foundation, launched in 2022, has positively impacted more than 3,500 students by expanding access to aquatic activities and addressing health equity barriers, with a 100% reported improvement in water safety and swimming ability.

Who was Chiefs RB Joe Delaney?

Delaney played college football at Northwestern State University in Louisiana. There, he recorded 3,047 rushing yards and 31 rushing touchdowns across four seasons with the Demons. His performance caught the attention of NFL scouts. Kansas City would go on to select him with the 41st pick in the 1981 NFL Draft.

Delaney posted a dominant rookie campaign 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. His impact on the culture was even more substantial. He contributed to the first winning season in Kansas City in nearly a decade. It was important for an organization that had struggled to find its way after its earliest NFL success.

Delaney had a bright NFL future ahead of him. Unfortunately, that future was cut short by a harrowing sacrifice that is still remembered today.

The sacrifice at Chenault Park

Following the 1982 NFL season, the 24-year-old Delaney returned to his hometown of Haughton, Louisiana, for the offseason. On June 29, 1983, Delaney traveled to Monroe, Louisiana, where he joined friends at Chenault Park. As he made his way through the park, he came upon three children crying for help. They had waded into a shallow man-made pond and were in distress.

Without thinking twice about the fact that he couldn’t swim himself, Delaney rushed to take action. He dove into the pond in an attempt to save the three children. He rescued one child. Another child was taken to an emergency room, but did not survive the incident. Delaney and the third victim perished at the pond.

On July 13, 1983, Delaney was posthumously awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Ronald Reagan. The inscription on that award reads in part: “He made the ultimate sacrifice by placing the lives of three children above 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.”

How Delaney’s legacy lives on in Kansas City and beyond

Delaney’s legacy has been honored by those in Kansas City throughout the years. He has also been honored in his home state of Louisiana. In 2020, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas proclaimed Oct. 30, Delaney’s birthday, as Joe Delaney Day in Kansas City. Three years ago, a monument was erected in Delaney’s honor at Chenault Park in Monroe. Those who visit the park 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.”

The Chiefs have unofficially retired his No. 37 jersey, which hasn’t been worn since he last suited up for the club in January of 1983.

Banners advertising Joe Delaney Learn to Swim will be on display at each of the YMCA of Greater Kansas City’s six locations, including Parkwood Pool, Linwood, Cleaver, North Kansas City, Providence, and Kirk.

The Joe Delaney Learn to Swim program, which GEHA and the Hunt Family Foundation continue to fund, has been saving lives for decades after Delaney’s death. Had such a program existed in Delaney’s hometown when he was growing up, he might still be with us today. Now, kids in his hometown and across the country are learning to swim thanks to Delaney and those who continue to celebrate his life and sacrifice.