It totally slipped my mind about the significance of yesterday’s date, June 29th.

Thankfully a wonderful article from Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk jogged my memory.

Yesterday was the 26th anniversary of Joe Delaney’s untimely passing.

For those of you who don’t know or don’t remember Delaney, he was the All-Pro Chiefs running back who died while trying to save 3 drowning boys.

Oh, and Delaney couldn’t swim.

Not that it mattered, Delaney jumped in anyway.  He was able to rescue one of the kids, but he and the other two boys drowned.

In this day and age of the NFL, when guys like Mike Vick and Plaxico Burress and Donte Stallworth permeate the headlines, it’s nice to stop and think about a player who defined the true meaning of the word “hero.”

It’d be even nicer if the NFL came up with a way to honor Delaney’s legacy, so that his ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten. [PFT]