Stephen Benito DeLuca Jr. (born April 9, 1998) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

for the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). He played

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at Charlotte.

College career

DeLuca was a member of the

Charlotte 49ers The Charlotte 49ers are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina. The 49ers compete at the Nati ...

for five seasons. He suffered a shoulder injury in the second game of his senior season and utilized a medical

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

. DeLuca finished his college career with 313 tackles, nine forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, and 17 passes broken up, all of which are school records, and had four interceptions.

Professional career

Los Angeles Chargers

DeLuca signed with the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

on May 3, 2021. He was waived on August 31, 2021, during final roster cuts and was re-signed to the practice squad the next day. DeLuca was elevated to the active roster on December 12, 2021, for the team's Week 14 game against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Chargers on January 11, 2022. On August 30, 2022, DeLuca was waived by the Chargers.

St. Louis BattleHawks

On November 17, 2022, DeLuca was drafted by the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL. He was placed on the team's reserve list on March 23, 2023. He re-signed with the team on January 29, 2024. He was placed on injured reserve on April 18, 2024. He was activated on May 30.

Calgary Stampeders

On March 19, 2025, DeLuca signed with the

of the

(CFL).

References

External links

Charlotte 49ers bioLos Angeles Chargers bioCalgary Stampeders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:DeLuca, Ben 1998 births Living people Players of American football from Orlando, Florida Players of Canadian football from Orlando, Florida American football safeties Canadian football defensive backs Bishop Moore High School alumni Charlotte 49ers football players Los Angeles Chargers players St. Louis Battlehawks players Calgary Stampeders players