Last year at this time, we considered plenty of former NFL players for the award that we’ll give each year to the running back we regard as the best in the game.Walter Payton was the first guy that came to mind, but he already has a pretty big award named after him. Barry Sanders got serious consideration, too. As did Jim Brown and Gale Sayers and Chuck Foreman and John Riggins and O.J. Simpson (we’re just making sure you’re paying attention). The more we thought about this one, the easier this one got. The award is named for Chiefs running back Joe Delaney. Delaney rushed for only 1,501 yards in two NFL seasons — 1,121 of which came in a rookie campaign that resulted in a Pro Bowl berth. In June 1983, Delaney tried to rescue three boys who were drowning in a hole full of rain water at a construction site. He saved one of them. The other two boys died. And so did Delaney. Ricky Reilly, now at ESPN and formerly with Sports Illustrated, penned this item about Delaney in 2003. Joe Delaney left behind a young wife and three daughters. His story deserves to be known, and his selfless courage needs to be remembered. We’ll do our part here, by honoring a running back every season in Delaney’s name. This year’s recipient was a no brainer. Despite having no passing game to pull the strong safety away from the line of scrimmage, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson had a stellar season in his second NFL campaign. He rushed for a league-leading 1,760 yards and 363 carries, creating an average of 4.8 yards per carry. And, more importantly, Peterson has achieved a high degree of performance without causing trouble, on or off the field. The only knock on Peterson is that he loses the grip on the ball more often than he should. But 31 other franchises would love to have him, and if the Vikings can ever find a quarterback who’ll keep the defenses honest, Peterson could shatter the single-season rushing record. Before Thanksgiving.
