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Section: Feature
By Angelo Coniglio
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Riding for a cause: Eljay Brown, John Shinsky, and Joe DeLamielleure; photo courtesy of JRC Promotions.
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There is more — much more — to Joe DeLamielleure than his gridiron past. But what a past it was. In the 1970s, he and his Buffalo Bills offensive linemates were dubbed the “Electric Company,” because they “turned the Juice loose” — the “Juice,” of course, referring to National Football League Hall of Fame running back O. J. Simpson. An All-American and three-time All-Big Ten performer at Michigan State, “Joe D.” as he is known, was selected in the first round of the 1973 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills.
He went on to become the most honored lineman of the 1970s Bills’ highly-respected front line. Since 1970, only two Hall of Fame guards were named All-Pro more often. In 1975, he was the NFLPA Offensive Lineman of the Year, and he was later named to the NFL’s 1970s All-Decade Team.
DeLamielleure was durable and dependable, playing in 185 consecutive games during his 13 seasons in professional football with the Bills and later the Cleveland Browns. He started in the the first game of his 1973 rookie season, and in every game for eight seasons in Buffalo, before being traded to Cleveland in 1980.
During his career, DeLamielleure was best known for his run blocking. In retirement, it can be said that he is still “running interference” for causes important to him. He has been an outspoken advocate for the retired professional football players of yesteryear, so much so that at one point, the late president of the NFL Players Association threatened to “break his neck.”
Uncowed by threats, Joe D. has continued to champion the right of retirees to receive non-trivial pensions and to be assisted with the disabilties endemic to their brotherhood: failed knees and hips, arthritic joints, and perhaps saddest of all, Alzheimer’s and dementia brought on by repeated concussions.
In addition to his retiree advocacy, Joe’s current fight involves raising funds for the orphanage the City of the Children in Matamoros, Mexico. He played an active role in a bicycle ride supported by the Buffalo Bills Alumni Association to benefit the orphanage, and from April 15 through May 18, the cycling team pedaled 2,000 miles from East Lansing, Michigan, to Matamoros.
DeLamielleure was joined by John Shinsky, an English teacher for 35 years, and Eljay Brown, a former police officer who also served as director of the U.S. Secret Service for six different presidents.
I caught up with Joe D. in September at a gala dinner honoring the Buffalo Bills’ “Fiftieth Anniversary Team,” of which he is a member.
Joe, firstly, congratulations on being selected to the All-Time Bills team. How does it feel to be among the likes of Billy Shaw, George Saimes, Jim Kelly, Kent Hull and other Bills legends?
I feel very honored, and I want to thank the Bills organization, the Buffalo Bills Alumni, and the fans of Buffalo and Western New York.
You have many causes, including advocacy for retired professional football players. Why are you so passionate about that?
The NFL throws away players who helped build the sport of pro football into the most popular, multi-million-dollar game that it is today. Today’s players have huge salaries, but over 300 retired players, from my era and earlier, get a pittance of $172 a month in retirement. Many of these guys are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame — $172 a month — from a league that’s richer than some small countries! Most print and electronic media won’t publicize this disgrace, because they’re afraid the NFL will punish them by withholding broadcast rights, stories and so on.
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Joe DeLamielleure with his wife, Gerri, and his NFL Hall of Fame bust; photo courtesy of JRC Promotions.
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What would you like to see done?
I’d like the media to inform the public better about how their former heroes are being treated, and I’d like to see the league start a fund for destitute Hall of Famers. I’d like the current millionaire players to set aside a tiny percentage of their salaries to go toward giving a decent, livable, retirement amount to all retired players who need it. The richest, most popular sport has the poorest retirement policy.
Another cause near and dear to your heart is the plight of the world’s orphans. Why did you undertake this campaign?
John Shinsky, my college roommate at Michigan State, was an orphan. I learned from him how hard it was being one. Our friendship with John was one of the factors that led my wife Gerri and I to adopt two Korean orphans, my sons Andy and Matt. Having them grow up in our family with our four natural kids, and realizing how orphans can accomplish so much, made me want to do what I can to help other orphans. John and his wife Cindy are now project managers of a fundraiser for the City of the Children, and they have a website at www.shinskyorphanage.com. Their goal is to give a safe, secure, healthy and nurturing environment to kids who have been abandoned and don’t have food, shelter or enough clothing to survive in their community. The City of the Children also provides education and training to give these kids a chance to become independent and productive citizens who’ll eventually give back and support others in need.
You bicycled 2,000 miles to Matamoros last spring. Talk about how fans can join you in helping the orphanage.
The bike ride was very special to me because, as I said, two of my six children are adopted and I know the poor conditions and terrible life they may have had if we weren’t blessed to become a family. I’m asking Bills fans and Western New Yorkers to support our efforts in trying to give abandoned and abused children a better life, just like my children. We’re asking that donors contribute even a penny a mile to the City of the Children, a $20 donation. Five cents a mile would be $100. The Bills Alumni Association has generously agreed to pick three donors of $100 or more to receive sets of Super Bowl tickets, or a “personal cookout” hosted by me at the winner’s home. One winner was announced in June, and the other two will be announced in the weeks to come.
How can donations be made?
Tax-deductible donations to the City of the Children can be made at www.orphanagefundraiser.com, or they can be sent to the Capital Region Community Foundation (CRCF) at 6035 Executive Drive, Suite 104, Lansing, MI 48911.
How has the response been to date?
Wonderful! We want to thank those who’ve already contributed, and ask others to visit the websites I mentioned. And you can see stories about the orphanage and the fundraiser that will be carried on CBS-TV. They’ll show a feature on their football coverage on Thanksgiving Day, and then in February on Super Bowl Sunday.
Angelo Coniglio writes Forever Young’s monthly genealogy column, and runs the website www.remembertheafl.com. He was recently interviewed for the Showtime series Full Color Football: The History of the American Football League.
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