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, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

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, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

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. 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 phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and th ...

on the Jets’ radio broadcasts on WABC and then WOR before working NFL telecasts for

NBC Sports NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and it ...

and on the Jets’ pre-season games in the 1970s and 1980s. He went to Lafayette High School (

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

) with

Sandy Koufax Sanford Koufax (; born Sanford Braun; December 30, 1935) is an American former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his entire career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. He has been hailed as one of t ...

Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American television and radio host, whose awards included 2 Peabodys, an Emmy and 10 Cable ACE Awards. Over his career, he hosted over 50,000 interviews. ...

and Fred Wilpon.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 in football at the University of South Carolina from 1954 through 1956. As a starting offensive tackle, he played for

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other Coach (sport), coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manage ...

Rex Enright Rex Edward Enright (March 19, 1901 – April 6, 1960) was an American football and basketball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football and college basketball at the University of Notre Dame in the 1920s. Aft ...

in his first two seasons and

Warren Giese Warren E. Giese (July 14, 1924 – September 12, 2013) was an American state legislator in South Carolina and a college football coach. He served as the head football coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks for five years at the University of So ...

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 Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. ...

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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

in the 1957 National Football League (NFL) Draft. He signed with the Giants for US $7,000 a year with a $500 bonus. 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; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ...

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

, 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 New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major leagu ...

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 cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. A number of types of panc ...

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. Historically, Pelham was composed of five villages ...

on September 13, 2011.

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 sportspeople of Italian descent Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Deaths from pancreatic cancer Lafayette High School (New York City) alumni Los Angeles Chargers players Major League Baseball broadcasters National Football League announcers New York Jets announcers New York Jets players New York Mets announcers People from Pelham, New York San Diego Chargers players South Carolina Gamecocks football players Sportspeople from Brooklyn Players of American football from New York City

Playing career

Broadcasting career

Death

See also

References

External links