Overcoming adversity has played a huge role in molding P.C. grid 'Heart of a Giant' nominee
November 1, 2023 at 10:12 p.m.
Even though the Rams football season ended with the team's one-and-done playoff loss to Tappan Zee last Saturday (10/28), it ain't over for the kid they call Johnny D, the heart and soul of the team, one of its senior tri-captains, the school's homecoming king, the winner of last year's scholar-athlete awards for football and Track & Field and a lot more activities in and out of the classroom that help fill the void of loneliness that was once such a sad part of his life following the divorce of his parents.
There is a lot more to John Delcid than being one of the Rams’ best backs on offense and defense—and that helps explain why Johnny D has been nominated for the Heart of a Giant Award presented by the New York pro football Giants and the Hospital for Special Surgery.
He was nominated by his coaches for his commitment, teamwork, will, character and dedication, words that say a lot but don't say enough about the lessons John learned on the field that have helped him face life's hard knocks off the field.
Praise from coach
"John embodies the perfect example of what we want our program to be," said head football coach Chris Halstead. "He bought into our culture and has spearheaded our message of work ethic, accountability, respect, and character. He is one of the best captains I have had in 30 years, and he is destined for success. He is someone that I would want my own son to aspire to be."
That's high praise indeed.
But there were a lot of lows on the way to John's getting to where he is now, and those lows go well beyond the football Rams coming off a losing 3-5 season.
Asked about whether he encountered any adversity along the way, he answered "a lot."
'A big obstacle'
"A big obstacle that I had to overcome was the divorce of my parents," he said. "It was truly something detrimental in my life considering I thought things were perfect in my household and also the fact that I was still fairly young, I was barely going into the 6th grade at the time. So going into Middle School, I spent a lot of time home alone with my brother in the summers and after school. Since my parents had split up and my mom had to go to work, she wasn’t always there to attend to us. It was then that I had to learn how to grow up and fend for myself in order to be able to survive. This was a sad time in my life as I was no longer close to either one of my parents and I felt like I was truly alone."
Except, that is, for his big brother watching over him and setting a good example.
"I first got involved with football when I was in the 7th grade and I had joined the modified football team," John recalled. "My brother George, who is a year older than me, had joined the year before and would tell me about the fun times he would have at practice. Before football, I had played sports such as soccer and lacrosse, but it wasn’t until my brother started playing football that I decided I would give it a shot. I looked up to my brother a lot and I wanted to be just like him so I did all the things that he would do. My first year is when I fell in love with the sport. I enjoyed going to practices with my brother and with my friends and I also enjoyed the discipline the sport was making me develop."
But it wasn't just about discipline, training, winning and losing, it was also about what you do to win or lose.
What defines you
"In football, what you do when things go bad is what defines you as a football player," Delcid said. "For example, when you’re down a score in a game, what do you do, do you give up and let your team down or do you keep your head up in order to keep pushing? That same lesson that I learned from football carries over to real life. In life, what truly defines you is how you react when things go bad and you face adversity, the same thing in football."
That lesson was underlined after his brother went down with an injury last year that cost him his entire senior year as an athlete. George, a running back and one of the Ram tri-captains, was hit hard on the second play of the second game of the season against Spring Valley. He went down with a knee injury that required surgery and cost him his entire senior football and basketball seasons. But he rehabbed extensively, showed up for every football and basketball season game to support his Ram teammates, and has recovered so well that he is now playing college football for Central Connecticut.
Commitment by example
Besides playing football, John Delcid (left) is one of Port Chester High School’s best sprinters and hurdlers.Courtesy of John Delcid
That kind of commitment really resonates with John who was one of the Ram backs who stepped up to take his brother's place in the backfield, playing for his bro as well as the team, the school and the Port Chester community.
"I feel commitment is one of the most important aspects of my life." John said. "I say this because I like to be a person who is going to be fully involved in any activity that I do with all hands on instead of being someone who is half in and half out. I have carried commitment throughout my life, whether with sports or in the classroom. For example, in school, whenever a class got challenging or stressful, I didn’t take the easy route, which was to drop the class. But instead, I stuck to my commitment to taking that class and pushed myself to make it by seeking extra help to understand the curriculum. I show commitment on the field and have been fully committed to football since the day I started. I say this because, going back to my first year playing football, I missed only a handful of practices. I have been committed to making it to practice every day and ensuring my teammates get to practice as well. I believe part of my commitment to football is making sure my teammates are good, too. Almost every day during summer practices, I would fill my car with all my teammates to give them a ride to practice. Then, I would drop them off and spin back to pick more of them up. That, to me, was part of my commitment and dedication to football, being committed enough to have the responsibility to look out for yourself and your teammates."
The band of brothers
That, in turn, has led to close ties with his teammates so that they have almost become a band of brothers.
Delcid mentioned the emotional bond that comes from sharing the ups and downs that are part of the ebb and flow of playing the game together, citing the brotherhood of which he became a part, a brotherhood that developed as a result of Rams football. "At many times in my life I have felt very alone in this world and felt as if I have been left to fend for myself," he said. "Football has allowed me to make friendships with people I would consider brothers and it has shown me the brotherhood aspect of having each other’s back. Those people I met in football have helped show me that I truly am not alone and that there are people around me who care for me that will have my back if I need it."
That led to Delcid’s discussing the role leadership plays in what it takes to be a Ram captain.
"A big way I like to demonstrate leadership in football is through being vocal," he said. "In practice and in games, I like to set the energy and always be vocal. That way if I am able to set an enthusiastic tone for practice and for the game, my teammates are able to keep it going. Sometimes it just takes one person to be the outcast and take leadership in order to get others encouraged as well. I also show leadership off the field by doing a good deed whenever I am able to. For example, in the locker room after practice I try to stay sometimes to clean the locker room in order to leave less work for the janitors. Or if I see trash in general on the ground, I pick it up and throw it out even if it’s not mine. I do this because in order to be a good leader, I have to do the right thing hoping that my teammates will follow my example."
Community and classroom link
That viewpoint extends to the leadership role as it plays out in the community and classroom. "I show leadership in the community by setting a good example that it is not hard to do the right thing all the time. For example, whenever I see someone in need, I’ll do my best to give a helping hand in order to make someone’s day. I feel as if there’s nothing better than when a random person is kind enough to help you despite the fact that they don’t even know who you are. That way if someone sees that good deed, that might inspire them to go out and do something similar in order to make someone’s day.”
That carries over into his behavior in the classroom.
"In the classroom, I show leadership by simply being a good student and role model," he said. "Simply being a good student and doing your work and participating in class can go a long way in inspiring others to do the same. Many times I’ll tell my teammates to be hard workers and role models in the classroom as well. But the best way for me to get them to do that is if I set an example and let them follow. Doing my work and showing up to class every day and on time is something that others will notice and hopefully take the initiative to do the same."
Various achievements
That attitude has led to various academic achievements including making the High Honor Roll and the National English Honor Society. As for athletic achievements, he doesn't mention his breakaway football runs, TDs or spectacular catches, but instead focuses on being in on the tackle that stopped the two-point conversion that would have tied the game in the Rams’ win over Ramapo and being part of the team that beat Poughkeepsie to make the playoffs in the regular season finale. He also won the "best newcomer" award in Track & Field as a sophomore and has developed into one of the school's best sprinters and hurdlers in a sport he intends to continue indoors and outdoors throughout the rest of the year.
"But the accomplishment I’m most proud of is my scholar-athlete awards I received throughout my junior year," he said. "Maintaining a 93 average and above for football, spring and winter track was a difficult task that took a lot of balance and time management."
Up for Heart of a Giant
And then, of course, there is the way he feels about his being nominated for the 2023 USA Football Heart of a Giant Award that is now celebrating the program’s 10th year. He is proud to be among the outstanding Tri-State area high school football players, mascots and team managers who have been nominated for the award by their coaches for their commitment, teamwork, will, character, and dedication.
Six finalists and five wild card finalists will be named, for a total of 11 finalist honorees. Each finalist will receive a $1,000 grant for their high school’s football program, with the grand prize winner’s school getting an additional $9,000 equipment grant. The grand prize winner and his coach will be honored on the field at a future New York Giants game this season. The grand prize winner will be selected based on video submissions stating why they have the Heart of a Giant.
But win or lose, Johnny D is already a Port Chester winner. And while he hasn't yet decided on a college, and even though his high school football career is over, he thinks he may well end up playing football alongside his brother at Central Connecticut. So football ain't over until it's over for Johnny D because he is still very much looking forward to playing college ball with a new band of brothers—including the flesh-and-blood bro who has played such an important role in his life.
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