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Working their way out
The DeLamielleures have always had their health, but
not always good luck. The couple had a serious adjustment
to make in life after football, especially when they
were swindled out of their life savings by a business
acquaintance that left them nearly $135,000 in debt
a decade ago.
“He just ripped us off royally,” Gerri
said. “That was an unfortunate set of circumstances.
But at the time, we had six kids to raise, so it’s
not like you can throw in the towel. We just had to
go forward.”
Gerri, who had been a full-time mother to their six
children (who include two Korean orphans), returned
to nursing part time as Joe took any job he could find.
He began a short-lived boxing career at 41. He played
on a fledgling Arena Football League team for a few
hundred dollars a game. He also coached a local prep
school team and served as head of athletic facilities.
And he held each of those occupations simultaneously.
Joe tried college football coaching, landing a few
jobs as an assistant coach that proved to be fleeting
(as most college football coaching jobs are). Needing
stability, Joe found a career as a uniform salesman
for the past decade in Charlotte. It helped the family
regain its financial footing.
“Things are a lot better now,” said Joe,
who recently moved to a new post for a Charlotte investment
and pension planning company. He also is getting back
into football, as he is scheduled to work on pre-game
and post-game telecasts covering the NFL’s Carolina
Panthers this season.
Homecoming
In his induction speech, Joe plans to share a few words
about his wife as he stands in front of thousands at
Canton—and millions on television—in August.
He could go on at length about Gerri, he said, but it
would be too emotional for him.
As Joe’s day of induction into the Hall of Fame
nears, Gerri deflects most of the praise to her husband.
“I think about it as something he’s earned
along the way. I guess I feel like anybody who’s
been married to someone a long time—you either
support them or you don’t support them,”
Gerri said. “I don’t think of it as a reward
for me. I share it with him, but I don’t think
I earned it like he did.”
The joys both are experiencing this summer include
the excitement of renewed attention on Joe’s career
and the warmth of friendships with long-lost acquaintances
rekindled. Former teachers, coaches and teammates are
phoning and coming by for visits.
“You always think you’re forgotten and
then when this happens, it’s just incredible,”
Gerri said. “I see him in functions, and he is
still the same person—a down-to-earth and easygoing,
shirt-off-his-back kind of guy. But people treat him
differently [now].
“He did an autograph show a few weeks back with
Bart Starr,” the legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback
of the 1960s, Gerri said. “Joe’s in awe
of Bart Starr, but Bart tells him, ‘Hey, you’re
one of us. You’re in the family.’ ”
Unfortunately for Gerri, her extended family at Eastover
Pediatrics won’t be able to attend Joe’s
induction ceremonies in person. Charlotte is about 450
miles away from Canton, and there are patients to see
that day, anyway.
“We would love to be there,” Moss said.
“Everybody here is excited for Gerri and for Joe,
and we’re certainly going to be there in spirit.”
Contact Glen Fest at glenf@nurseweek.com.
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