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Saverio Frank "Sam" DeLuca (May 2, 1936 – September 13, 2011) was an American Professional Football
offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...
in the
American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...
(AFL) and later a radio and television football coverage broadcaster. He played six seasons, three for the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and three for the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
. He was a member of the 1969 New York Jet Championship season on IR. After football, he had a long career in sports broadcasting. He was the
color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...
on the Jets’ radio broadcasts on WABC and then WOR before working NFL telecasts for
NBC Sports NBC Sports is an American programming division for NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, that is responsible for sports broadcasts on their broadcast network NBC, the Cable television, cable channels NBC owns, and on Peacock (streaming service) ...
and on the Jets’ pre-season games in the 1970s and 1980s. He went to Lafayette High School (
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
) with
Sandy Koufax Sanford Koufax (; né Braun; born December 30, 1935), nicknamed "the Left Arm of God", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 195 ...
,
Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American TV and radio host presenter, author, and former spokesman. He was a WMBM radio interviewer in the Miami area in the 1950s and 1960s and beginning in ...
and
Fred Wilpon Fred Wilpon (born November 22, 1936) is an American real estate developer and former baseball executive. He was principal owner of the New York Mets from 1987 to 2020. Early life and education Wilpon was raised in a Jewish family in Bensonhurst ...
.Slotnik, Daniel E. "Sam DeLuca, a Former Jet and Broadcaster, Is Dead at 75," ''The New York Times'', Friday, September 16, 2011.
/ref>


Playing career

DeLuca was a three-year
letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...
in football at the
University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...
from 1954 through 1956. As a starting
offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...
, he played for
head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
es Rex Enright in his first two seasons and Warren Giese as a
senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...
.University of South Carolina 2011 Football Media Guide.
/ref> DeLuca graduated with a
Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
in
Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
in 1957.Benjamin, Scott. "Profile of Sam DeLuca," Musicradio77.com.
/ref> He was inducted into the University of South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005. He was also honored by the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame. DeLuca was selected in the second round (23rd overall) by 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 ...
in the 1957 National Football League (NFL) draft. He signed with the Giants for US$7,000 a year with a $500
bonus Bonus commonly means: * Bonus, a Commonwealth term for a distribution of profits to a with-profits insurance policy * Bonus payment, an extra payment received as a reward for doing one's job well or as an incentive Bonus may also refer to: Place ...
. He was to have succeeded starting offensive lineman Bill Austin, who was strongly considering retirement at the time. When Austin decided to play one more year, DeLuca was sent to 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 ...
's
Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...
, where he spent three seasons from 1957 through 1959.


Broadcasting career

DeLuca's first regular sportscasting assignment was hosting the pre- and postgame shows for
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
games on WABC-FM in 1968 and 1969.Madden, Bill. "Sam DeLuca, Jets OL and teammate of Joe Namath turned broadcaster, dead of cancer at age 75," ''Daily News'' (New York City), Thursday, September 15, 2011.
/ref> Phil Pepe, then a baseball writer for the '' Daily News'' who had graduated a year ahead of DeLuca at Lafayette High School, helped him prepare for the assignment.Benjamin, Scott. "Sam DeLuca On The New York Mets On WABC-FM And The 40th Anniversary Of Their 1969 World Championship," Musicradio77.com.
/ref>


Death

DeLuca died at age 75 of
pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...
at his home in
Pelham, New York Pelham is a suburban town in Westchester County, approximately 10 miles northeast of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 13,078, an increase from the 2010 census.United States Census Bureau, 2020 Report, Pelham to ...
on September 13, 2011.


See also

*
List of American Football League players This is a list of players who appeared in at least one regular season or postseason game in the American Football League (AFL). A * Bud Abell * Ray Abruzzese * Ken Adamson * Tom Addison * Ben Agajanian * Harold Akin * Ted Alflen * Bruce Alford ...


References


External links


New York Jets player page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deluca, Sam 1936 births 2011 deaths American Football League announcers American Football League players American football offensive guards American football offensive tackles American people of Italian descent Deaths from pancreatic cancer in New York (state) Lafayette High School (New York City) alumni Los Angeles Chargers players Major League Baseball broadcasters NFL announcers New York Jets announcers New York Jets players New York Mets announcers Sportspeople from Pelham, New York Players of American football from Westchester County, New York San Diego Chargers players South Carolina Gamecocks football players Players of American football from Brooklyn