Tony DeLellis

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1916–2003)}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Tony DeLellis

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1916|8|1}}

| birth_place =

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2003|9|6|1916|8|1}}

| death_place =

| alma_mater =

| player_years1 = 1937–1939

| player_team1 = Loyola (CA)

| player_positions = Halfback, quarterback

| coach_years1 = 1946

| coach_team1 = Loyola (CA)

| admin_years1 = 1946

| admin_team1 = Loyola (CA)

| overall_record = 5–4

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships =

| awards =

| coaching_records =

}}

Anthony R. DeLellis (August 1, 1916 – September 6, 2003) was an American college football coach. He served as the head coach at Loyola Marymount University in 1946.

Biography

DeLellis played as a halfback and quarterback at Loyola Marymount.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KnYoAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GAYGAAAAIBAJ&pg=4923,2710978&dq=tony-delellis&hl=en Gaels Overwhelm Loyola, 40 to 7], Berkeley Daily Gazette, December 2, 1939. Because of his diminutive stature, he was once described as "the iron mite of 155 pounds".[https://web.archive.org/web/20121106235410/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/413223861.html?dids=413223861:413223861&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Oct+31,+1939&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Phil+Cook+Latest+Quarterback+Hope+at+Loyola+Grid+Camp&pqatl=google Phil Cook Latest Quarterback Hope at Loyola Grid Camp], Los Angeles Times, October 31, 1939. In 1939, Mike Pecarovich took over as head coach from Tom Lieb and demoted DeLellis to the third string early in the season. However, he worked his way back to the top of the roster.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=faRaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8U8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4156,1678787&dq=delellis+loyola&hl=en 'Cats Slow In Game Prepping], Prescott Evening Courier, December 9, 1939. In November, The Los Angeles Times wrote, "on the Loyola side, it became increasingly apparent that just about the best football player, pound for pound, in these parts is little Tony DeLellis."[https://web.archive.org/web/20121106235426/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/413312861.html?dids=413312861:413312861&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Nov+28,+1939&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Lion-Gael+Game+Still+Planned+for+Coliseum&pqatl=google Lion-Gael Game Still Planned for Coliseum], The Los Angeles Times, November 28, 1939.

In 1943, DeLellis was hired as football coach at Loyola Marymount,[https://web.archive.org/web/20121106235454/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/419172911.html?dids=419172911:419172911&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Mar+22,+1943&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Loyola+Grids+Drill+Today&pqatl=google Loyola Grids Drill Today; Coach De Lellis Has Hopes for Squad of Thirty-five Players], The Los Angeles Times, March 22, 1943. but the football program did not compete during World War II.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RFI1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=xeQFAAAAIBAJ&pg=892,4247552&dq=loyola+los+angeles+football&hl=en 30 Gaels Out For Football], Berkeley Daily Gazette, September 2, 1943. In 1946, football resumed at Loyola, and DeLellis coached the team to a 5–4 record in his only season there.[http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach_year_by_year.php?coachid=4988 Tony DeLellis Records by Year] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100214162334/http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach_year_by_year.php?coachid=4988 |date=2010-02-14 }}, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved June 6, 2011. He also served as the school's athletic director.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=044tAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tp0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=3200,1563756&dq=delellis+loyola&hl=en New Loyola Line Coach], Reading Eagle, March 8, 1946.

His son,[https://web.archive.org/web/20121107011015/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/484329452.html?dids=484329452:484329452&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+22,+1962&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=But+Indians+Lack+Speed&pqatl=google But Indians Lack Speed], The Los Angeles Times, July 22, 1962. also named Anthony R. DeLellis, played at Stanford as a fullback from 1961 to 1963."All-Time Letterwinners", 2010 Stanford Football Media Guide, p. 185, Stanford University, 2010.