A decade ago, we met in the lobby of a Canton, Ohio hotel ahead of the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions. I’ll never forget Joe DeLamielleure — NFL great — offering this total stranger a seat. Before we knew it, an hour passed by.

That’s “Joe D.”

He’s 74 years old now, which is easily 90+ in Football Years for a man who absorbed endless head slaps as an NFL lineman in the lawless 1970s. Yet, you’d never tell. His mind is extremely sharp… and there’s good reason for that. DeLamielleure’s day-to-day life supplies real hope to all former players worried about their concussions leading to dark days.

Loved catching up again with the man who made six Pro Bowls through a 13-year career with the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns.

Audio of our chat is above, and available on Apple, Spotify, everywhere you pod.

Here’s the written transcript:

Topics discussed…

* Joe DeLamielleure and Joe Ferguson were the first two players to ever walk into Rich Stadium. This 2025 season will mark the Bills’ final season in this bowl.

* What kind of teammate was O.J. Simpson?

* Remarkably, O.J. wasn’t Joe D’s only friend who killed somebody.

* How his “Electric Company” offensive line followed Vince Lombardi’s Packers blueprint with the help of Jim Ringo.

* A pair of Tom Dempsey stories — DeLamielleure’s comedic timing was spot on.

* In 2013, a doctor told him he’s living with CTE. Unlike fellow NFL lineman Mike Webster — whose life took a very haunting turn due to head trauma — DeLamielleure feels strong as ever in 2025. Both mentally and physically. How is this possible?

* Why Joe D believes current Bills quarterback Josh Allen is “one in a million.”

* Don’t forget about those Browns days. DeLamielleure helped me out with the Ozzie Newsome chapter in “Blood and Guts” and again looks back to his crushing Red Right 88 playoff loss against the Oakland Raiders. (Damn those scuba gloves!)

* A story about his father you will not want to miss.

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