Grinnell College Athletics

Paul M. DeLaney '77-served the scarlet and black with distinction, winning 11 varsity letters in football, basketball, and baseball. DeLaney played in an era when sports were much maligned at Grinnell, but he was a star among the shadows. In football the tight end from Keokuk was Grinnell's top receiving threat. He set school marks for touchdown receptions in a season with 10, and TDs in a career, 17. The highlight of his four years came in a 31-14 victory over Beloit on his birthday, when he grabbed seven passes for a school-record 147 yards. DeLaney went on to set a Grinnell season yardage mark of 727 in '75. A three-year letterwinner in basketball, the shooting guard made an immediate impact as a rookie with 11.8 points per game. After sitting out his sophomore season due to an illness, Paul scored nine points a game as a junior. During his senior campaign he captained the squad and tallied a team-high 19.5 points per game. A two-time most valuable player as a centerfielder and pitcher, DeLaney capped his baseball career during his senior season by hitting a two-run homer that gave the Pioneers a 2-1, extra-inning victory over Cornell. After graduation DeLaney played a year of professional basketball in Perth, Australia, leading the team with an 18-point average. In 1984 he graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law with distinction and in 1995 obtained a master of laws at the National Law Center of George Washington University. Since 1984 Paul, who holds the officer rank of commander in the navy, has served as an attorney in the United State Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps.