Saverio Frank "Sam" DeLuca (May 2, 1936 – September 13, 2011) was an American

Professional Football In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...

offensive lineman in the American Football League 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 ...

on the Jets’ radio broadcasts on WABC and then WOR before working NFL telecasts for NBC Sports 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. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

) 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 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

.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 coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

es Rex Enright in his first two seasons and Warren Giese as a senior.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 The South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame is an athletics hall of fame in the U.S. state of South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Min ...

. DeLuca was selected in the second round (23rd overall) by the New York Giants 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: Plac ...

. 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 ci ...

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 league ...

games on

WABC-FM WPLJ (95.5 FM) is a non-commercial Christian adult contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. It is owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and broadcasts EMF's flagship programming service, K-Love. WPLJ's transmitte ...

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 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