June 29, 1983: Three young lads found joy floundering in a man-made pond at Chenault Park, Monroe, Louisiana. The water hole left behind by some construction workers covered about two acres and was dangerously deep. And the young fellows who were creeping too far in had received a warning call from a 24-year-old Chiefs running back, Joe Delaney, who was sitting alone nearby. He hollered at them to be careful. But just moments later, the boys stepped into deep water, completely unaware that the bottom dropped off precipitously.

“I can’t swim good, but I’ve got to save those kids,” Joe Delaney said as he jumped into the water fully clothed. “If I don’t come up, get somebody.” While one of the boys struggled and found his way back to a shallow end, the other two couldn’t. And neither could Delaney. When the authorities reached the spot, it took two police divers six minutes to locate Delaney, after which he was immediately taken to the emergency room and administered cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. It failed.

Delaney had left behind his wife, Carolyn, three daughters, and dreams of a successful NFL career. He had played just two seasons in the league with the Chiefs, and before his professional career started, he was a record-setting National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-AA All-America in both football and track at Northwestern State University at Natchitoches, La. But destiny chose football as his future in 1980 when he got drafted by the Kansas team as a rookie starter. He rushed 234 times in 15 games for 1,121 yards and had 246 yards in pass receiving during his first NFL year.

But even today, 42 years later, no one has forgotten the sacrifice of Joe Delaney and the difficult times his family went through. And so, Patrick Mahomes‘ Chiefs took to social media to remember him once again. “42 years ago today, Joe Delaney tragically passed away a hero, attempting to save three children from drowning. We’ll never forget his sacrifice,” they captioned their post.

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On June 29, 1983, as Delaney took his last breath at Chenault Park, JoAnn Delaney had a terrible pain come over her. She later realized the pain had come when Delaney passed away. JoAnn was his twin. When they were born in Henderson, Texas, on Oct. 30, 1958, JoAnn’s birth was almost uneventful, but her brother was blue and had some kind of bubble over his face, which made breathing difficult. The midwife called it a ‘veil’, and told Eunice, little Joe’s mother, that as per folklore, any child born with the veil will die of drowning.

And so when a young Joe finally learned how to swim, the whole family was proud. “We were mighty glad when he learned to swim,” Lucille, one of Delaney’s five sisters, had shared back in the day, though the NFL player was only a rudimentary swimmer and afraid of water bodies that went past his waist.

Joe Delaney’s legacy still echoes through the Chiefsdom

As the Chiefs paused to remember Joe Delaney, emotions flooded the timelines. Fans filled the comments with heartfelt tributes and childhood memories. “I remember learning about him in this Chiefs legends DVD when I was a kid. Rest in Peace, Joe 🕊” one wrote. Another added, “A true hero, gone way too soon.”

In 2020, the diver who tried to rescue Delaney from the pond rallied to build a memorial for the NFL player. “Basically, he died in my arms, and it’s something I’ve never forgotten,” he had said. And so, Delaney’s courage has been remembered and celebrated for decades. But he was also a simple person at heart. His wife, Carolyn, once shared how the man would say, “As long as I got a little change in my pocket to get me a Coke or a honey bun, I’m good.” That’s how he lived—with his heart in the right place. “He did it for me and the girls,” Carolyn said.

Understandably, fans see Delaney as more than just a football figure. “😢🥺 A hero. RIP 🙏❤,” one user wrote. Another recalled being inspired as a kid: “Nick Russo subbed a class in the 4th-5th grade at St.Agnes. He told us the story of how he drown trying to save them boys when he himself couldn’t swim. True courage.”

The community has not forgotten his action. This week, kids in Kansas City received free swim lessons through the Joe Delaney Learn to Swim Program—funded by GEHA and the Hunt Family Foundation—to promote water safety. And yes, the Chiefs are still carrying Delaney’s spirit forward.

Even without an official jersey retirement, no one has worn the No. 37 in over 40 years. Coach Andy Reid made it clear: No one, not even Mahomes or Kelce, will wear it again. As journalist Pete Sweeney put it best, “Head coach Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs have made sure no player will ever wear No. 37 again, even if it’s not officially retired.”