Antoine Delacour

Antoine Delacour

Delacour in August 2017
No. 37 – Baltimore Hawks
Position:	Cornerback
Personal information
Born:	(1993-10-10)October 10, 1993 (aged 67) Lafayette, LA
Height:	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:	186 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school:	Acadiana High School
College:	LSU
ISFL Draft:	2016  / Round: 11 / Pick: 65
Career history
Baltimore Hawks (2016–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
1x NSFL Defensive Player of the Year (2021 (S6)) 1x NSFL Defensive Back of the Year (2021) 7x NSFL Pro Bowl (2017 -2023 ) NSFL All-time leader – passes defended
Career NSFL statistics as of Week 17, 2023
Total tackles: 604 Pass deflections: 136 Interceptions: 31 Forced fumbles: 4 Sacks: 3 Total touchdowns: 10 Punt return yards: 1,815 Kick return yards: 1,017
Player stats at ISFL.net

Antoine Lucius Delacour (born October 10, 1993) is an American football cornerback for the Baltimore Hawks of the National Simulation Football League (NSFL). He played college football for Louisiana State University (LSU). Selected in the eleventh round of the inaugural NSFL Draft by the Baltimore Hawks, Delacour has remained with the team for his entire career to date. In 2021 (S6), he won both the Defensive Back of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards, and is widely considered one of the best defensive backs in the league.

Early years

A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Delacour attended Acadiana High School, where he played wide receiver at first. He was convinced to convert to defensive back in his sophomore year by his coach, Phillipe Hugo, and operated as a two-way player for a while, before completely making the switch in his junior year. In his junior year – taking the majority of his snaps at free safety, where his natural speed and reflexes served him well – Delacour racked up six interceptions and 62 tackles. In his senior year, his game time was more divided between cornerback and safety, though he primarily stood out as a returner, picking up five touchdowns from kick and punt return duties.

Delacour also ran track and field for Acadiana's athletics team, clocking a personal best 100 m time of 10.86 seconds, and winning a state championship as a member of the 4 x 100m relay team. Rivals.com listed Delacour as a three-star football recruit in 2012.

While living in Lafayette, Delacour was raised predominantly by his grandparents. His biological mother was often out-of-state for work, while his father was absent. As a result, he grew close to his maternal grandmother, Lucille, who would later accompany him to the draft. The influence of Lucille, a devout Christian, could be seen in Delacour's avoidance of alcohol and diligent study habits.

College career

Delacour accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Louisiana State University, where he played for coach Les Miles' LSU Tigers football team from 2012 to 2015.

As a true freshman in 2012, Delacour played in all 13 games with just one start, but made a significant impact quickly, filling in for the suspended Tyrann Mathieu. Delacour ended the season with five turnovers, and 39 tackles.

The following season saw improvements in Delacour's game, most notable as he played a key role in holding the rival Florida Gators to just six points in October, as well as picking up a touchdown off a fumble return. By mid-season, Delacour's versatility – evidenced by his snap count in various roles – saw him named LSU's "Most Improved Player" by Fox Sports. He would end the season as a first string player in the Tigers' defence, with a stat line of 50 tackles, three interceptions, two fumble return touchdowns and two punt return touchdowns on the year.

Moving away from safety in his junior year saw Delacour rack up less tackles, but more interceptions and pass deflections over the next two years. He recorded his first interception return touchdown in the fourth week of his junior year, and followed it up with a safety a week later. The year would end with 35 tackles, 5 interceptions, 13 passes defended, and a nomination for the Jim Thorpe Award for Delacour, though the award would eventually go to Gerod Holliman.

In his final year of college, Delacour maintained the same level of performance, picking up another five interceptions (two of which he returned for touchdowns), another 13 pass deflections and 28 tackles. Notably, he relinquished some punt return duties, which were arguably the most dynamic part of his game and the part that garnered him the most praise.

College career statistics

Delacour lined up primarily as a free safety during his first two years of college, proving to be a dangerous playmaker, before moving to permanent cornerback spot for his final two years. He left college with a career total of fifteen interceptions and forty-one passes defended over his four years, as well as thirteen touchdowns from punt, interception and fumble returns.

Career statistics			Tackles		Sacks	Interceptions		Other					Punt returns
Season	Team	Games	Reg	TFL	Sack	Int	IntTD	DefTD	FFum	FRec	PD	Sfty	Ret	Yds	Avg	TD
2012	LSU	13	31	8	3.5	2	0	0	5	3	6	0
2013	LSU	13	42	8	2	3	0	2	6	5	9	0	27	421	15.6	2
2014	LSU	13	33	2	0	5	1	1	2	2	13	1	35	543	15.5	3
2015	LSU	13	27	0	0	5	2	1	1	0	13	0	18	201	11.2	1
Total		52	133	18	5.5	15	3	4	14	10	41	1	80	1165	14.6	6

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	Arm length	Hand size	40‑yd dash	20‑ss	3‑cone	Vert jump	Broad	BP	Wonderlic
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	186 lb (84 kg)	34+5⁄8 in (0.88 m)	9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m)	4.32 s	4.10 s	7.06 s	29.4 in (0.75 m)	11 ft 0.3 in (3.36 m)	7 reps	30
2016 NSFL Draft Combine

Special Edition Delacour S6 DPotY Trading Card
Designed by Fire-Bred

After missing the NSFL prospect games ahead of the inaugural draft, Delacour did not feature on any prominent mock draft boards. The scouting issues that plagued the NSFL Scouting Combine that year did not help his case, either. Without extensive information regarding his measurables, and questions regarding his size, Delacour was not a high profile target heading into the draft. Ultimately, the Baltimore Hawks selected Delacour with the 65th pick of the draft, signing him to a three-year contract worth $6m. The Hawks would struggle that year, but Delacour would establish himself as the standout player in the secondary, being named in the top fifty NSFL players at the end of the season.

2017 saw a coaching and management change in Baltimore, and with it, noticeable improvement in the team's play. Delacour would make the 2017 ISFL Pro Bowl (S2), as well as setting two NSFL records (longest kick return and most kick return yards in a season). His efforts would help the Hawks to Ultimus Bowl II, where they fell to the Arizona Outlaws. At the end of the season, Delacour was again named in the top fifty NSFL players of the year, this time ranking as the top cornerback.

The Hawks – and Delacour – continued their high-level play in 2018, and reached another Ultimus Bowl, where they would again fall short, losing to the Arizona Outlaws for the second consecutive year. That season, Delacour set personal best tallies for both interceptions and passes defended, while being nominated for the Defensive Back of the Year award. In addition, he set three franchise records, and one NSFL record; most punt return yards, most interceptions, and most interception return yards in a season for Baltimore, as well as the longest punt return touchdown in the NSFL. In addition to these records, Delacour was a unanimous 2018 ISFL Pro Bowl (S3) selection, and ranked fifteenth in the top fifty NSFL players of the year; the highest rated cornerback, and highest rated player on the Hawks roster. The revelations that would follow, regarding the Arizona Outlaws multi scandal led to some suggesting that the Hawks may well have won the Ultimus that season, though it is impossible to know for certain. Delacour himself would shrug off the speculation during interviews some years later while conceding that making back-to-back Ultimus Bowls was the greatest moment of his career.

A regression of sorts followed in 2019, as the Hawks failed to make the playoffs, and Delacour declined in every statistical category. He was still a unanimous 2019 ISFL Pro Bowl (S4) selection, however. In 2020, Delacour saw further regression, stats-wise, as Delacour's tackle count increased, owing to his allowing more completions. He would once again make the 2020 ISFL Pro Bowl (S5), but fell down the top fifty players list, to number twenty-seven; his lowest ranking since season one.

2021 was a return to form for Delacour, even though the Hawks did not make the playoffs. His performances saw him unanimously named to the 2021 ISFL Pro Bowl (S6) – a fifth consecutive appearance – and pick up both the Defensive Back of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards. The death of Gordon Gekko in 2022 affected Delacour noticeably, as he became involved in a public spat with Mayran Jackson, and shortly after, effectively stopped engaging with fans on social media. He would still make the 2022 ISFL Pro Bowl (S7), but the Hawks would again fall short of the playoffs. 2023 did not see things improve significantly, as Delacour's elite speed and agility had noticeably begun to decline, and after three straight wins to open the season, the Hawks slumped to seven losses from their next eight games. The Hawks would make the playoffs, but lost the 2023 NSFC Championship (S8) to the Wraiths, after blowing a twenty-one point lead.

Professional career statistics

Career statistics			Tackles			Sacks	Interceptions		Other					Kick Returns				Punt Returns
Season	Team	Games	Reg	TFL	Total	Sack	Int	IntTD	DefTD	FFum	FRec	PD	Safety	Ret	Yds	Avg	KR TD	Ret	Yds	Avg	PR TD
2016 (S1)	BAL	14	77	0	77	1	1	0	0	2	0	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2017 (S2)	BAL	14	65	0	65	1	5	2	0	2	0	13	0	38	823	21.7	1	0	0	0	0
2018 (S3)	BAL	14	67	0	67	0	6	1	0	0	0	24	0	8	194	24.2	0	45	429	9.5	1
2019 (S4)	BAL	14	69	0	69	1	2	0	0	0	0	18	0	0	0	0	0	35	290	8.3	1
2020 (S5)	BAL	14	74	0	74	0	1	0	0	0	0	16	0	0	0	0	0	30	236	7.9	0
2021 (S6)	BAL	14	83	0	83	0	5	2	0	0	0	26	0	0	0	0	0	24	184	7.7	0
2022 (S7)	BAL	14	88	0	88	0	5	0	0	0	0	18	0	0	0	0	0	29	343	11.8	1
2023 (S8)	BAL	14	80	1	81	0	6	0	0	0	0	14	0	0	0	0	0	31	333	10.7	1
Total		112	603	1	604	3	31	5	0	4	0	136	0	46	1017	22.1	1	194	1815	9.4	4

Achievements and Records

Awards

Team

• NSFC Champion (2): 2017 (S2), 2018 (S3)

Individual

• NSFL Defensive Player of the Year: 2021
• NSFL Defensive Back of the Year: 2021
• NSFL Pro Bowl Selection (6): 2017 , 2018 , 2019 , 2020 , 2021 , 2022

NSFL records

• 2017; Broke NSFL record for longest kick return (101 yards)
• 2017; Set new NSFL record for most kick return yards in a season (823 yards)
• 2018; Set new NSFL record for longest punt return touchdown (88 yards)
• 2021; Became first player to record 100 passes defended

Baltimore Hawks franchise records

• 2018; Set BAL franchise record for most punt return yards in a season (429 yards)
• 2018; Set BAL franchise record for most interceptions in a season (6)
• 2018; Set BAL franchise record for most interception return yards in a season (94 yards)
• 2021; Broke BAL franchise record for most interception return yards in a season (101 yards)
• 2022; Broke BAL franchise record for most punt return yards in a game (95 yards)
• 2023; Broke BAL franchise record for most punt return yards in a game (104 yards)