Raphael Delacour

Raphael Delacour

Delacour at the DSFL Workout Day
No. 15 – Colorado Yeti
Position:	Wide Receiver
Personal information
Born:	(2018-11-05)November 5, 2018 (aged 42) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:	190 lb (86 kg)
Username:	37thchamber
Career information
High school:	Franklin (Reisterstown)
College:	Harvard
ISFL Draft:	2041  / Round: 2 / Pick: 15
DSFL Draft:	2040  / Round: 3 / Pick: 23
Career history
Norfolk Seawolves (2039 (S24)-2040 (S25)) Chicago Butchers (2041 (S26)) Colorado Yeti (2042 (S27))
Roster status:	Active

Raphael Balinfainte Delacour (/ræfaɪˈɛl dɛlæˌkʊər/; born November 5, 2018) is an American football wide receiver for the Colorado Yeti. He played college football for Harvard University and declared his intent to enter the professional ranks in 2040 (S25). Prior to the 2040 DSFL Draft (S25), Delacour was picked up on waivers by the Norfolk Seawolves, though he did not take a single snap. The Seawolves would go on to select Delacour in the third round of the DSFL draft, with the 23rd overall selection. Despite ending his debut season without a single touchdown, Delacour was selected by the Chicago Butchers in the second round of the 2041 ISFL Draft (S26), with the 15th overall selection.

Early years

Raphael was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Jasmine Delacour (née Carter) and her husband Antoine, a professional football player with the Baltimore Hawks of the National Simulation Football League. The family moved to nearby Reisterstown while Raphael was still an infant.

The youngest of three children, and the only son, Raphael grew up being compared to his older sisters. The eldest, Sophia, was an athletic standout, while Elaine was an academic standout. Raphael also tended toward sport, and at a young age developed the aim of surpassing his recently retired father, starting out with a focus on track athletics. His parents, however, insisted that Raphael achieve high grades in order to continue playing sport, requiring him to achieve a minimum 3.5 GPA (unweighted) at all times, or they would suspend him from all athletic activity.

While at Franklin Middle School, Raphael took up football, primarily operating as a return specialist for the Dragons due to his quickness. Citing his admiration of James Bishop and Errol Maddox – the latter of whom he had the privilege to work out with on a visit to The Aviary with his father one day – as well as his aim of surpassing his father, young Raphael focused on becoming a professional wide receiver, focusing heavily on his already formidable speed. However, he soon realised his relative lack of stature would be a limiting factor, and sought advice from his father -- similarly considered undersized throughout his career -- before adjusting his game to become a more cerebral, technique-based player.

In his sophomore year of high school, Raphael helped the Indians' junior varsity football team win a county championship. The following year, he moved up to varsity and made the slot receiver position his own, amassing over 1,000 yards in each of his two seasons at that level, as well as helping Franklin reach a state championship game in his senior year. The Indians would ultimately fall short, losing in overtime to Linganore.

Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Delacour was ranked as the number 15 wide receiver in the state of Maryland, and the No. 137 nationally by ESPN.com. Of particular note were Delacour's "good hands and crisp routes", according to one scout.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Raphael Delacour WR	Reisterstown, MD	Franklin	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Apr 28, 2036
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 74
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 15 (MD-WR)  ESPN: 137 (WR)
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2036 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

College career

Raphael won a place at Harvard to study film and modern languages, after submitting his application in the form of a short movie and impressing interviewers with his command of multiple languages. He opted to attend Harvard over athletic scholarship offers he received from LSU (his father's alma mater), Georgia Tech, and Notre Dame. At Harvard, he continued his athletic pursuits, earning a place on the football team as a freshman, though he featured very little outside special teams. In his sophomore year, however, he competed for snaps and would win the third receiver spot on the depth chart in the first month of the season. He would go on to amass almost 900 yards and seven touchdowns as the Crimson achieved a 6-1 conference record (9-1 overall), winning the Lambert Cup.

In his junior year, Raphael took some snaps as a running back, owing to his impressive agility and ability to read the field. This enabled him to get into mismatches where he could make sizeable gains. Many of these snaps were fourth down attempts, or third and long, where an additional safe pair of hands was particularly useful. He finished the year with 68 receptions and 30 rush attempts for a total of over 1,100 yards from scrimmage, and eleven touchdowns. The Crimson would once again win the Lambert Cup, with an overall record of 9-1.

After completing his third year at Harvard, Raphael graduated, having declared Advanced Standing in his freshman year. Upon graduation, he confirmed his intention to enter the upcoming 2040 DSFL Draft (S25), and submitted the requisite paperwork to register in the DSFL as early as possible. He would later reveal that his decision to attend Harvard was partly influenced by their abstention from post-season competition, which allowed him the freedom to put in more hours academically and graduate sooner.

College career statistics

Year	Team	Receiving					Rushing					Kick Returns
		Rec	Yards	Avg	TD	Long	Att	Yards	Avg	TD	Long	Ret	Yds	Avg	KR TD
2037	Harvard	5	68	13.6	0	37						17	315	18.5	0
2038	Harvard	66	896	13.6	7	42						30	682	22.7	0
2039	Harvard	68	971	14.3	8	68	30	195	6.5	3	16	6	116	19.3	0

Professional career

After graduating early, Raphael was able to enter the DSFL as a waiver pickup toward the end of the 2039 (S24) season. He was signed to a waiver contract by the Norfolk Seawolves on 18 December, 2039. As a waiver pickup, Raphael did not play a single snap for the Seawolves, before reaching the final of the 2040 (S25) Prospect Bowl tournament with the Banff Bandits.

DSFL career

Delacour was selected in the third round of the 2040 DSFL Draft (S25) with the 23rd overall selection, by the Norfolk Seawolves. His first appearance for the Seawolves came in a preseason defeat against Myrtle Beach Buccaneers, in which he managed eight receptions for eighty yards, acting as something of a safety blanket for quarterback and fellow rookie Emi Rune. The first game of the season proper was a far less encouraging experience, however, with Delacour recording only one reception for seven yards, in a 21-0 blowout defeat.

With Norfolk running a rush-heavy offense in 2040 (S25), and Emi Rune still finding her feet, the passing game was not a strong focus for the Seawolves. This could be seen in Delacour's lacklustre numbers for the season – just 656 yards from 58 receptions – though he made several crucial drops, going quite contrary to early scouting notes on his ability. It was also noted, however, that Delacour's status as the Seawolves primary receiver would have made things more difficult for him than he was used to, given his experience being mostly in the slot. With that in mind, along with the context of the passing game in Norfolk, some considered his output to be good enough to make DSFL Pro Bowl lists for the season. Notably, Delacour entered the 2041 ISFL Draft (S26) having played an entire season and preseason without scoring a single touchdown in any capacity.

ISFL career

Selected 15th overall in the 2041 ISFL Draft (S26), Delacour landed in Chicago. Projected to split time at WR3 and WR4, he signed a three-year contract worth $3m.

Chicago Butchers

Delacour played his debut ISFL season with the Butchers, appearing in fifteen of their sixteen regular season games. He ended the season with just five catches – from nine targets – for 120 yards, and still no touchdowns. Frustrated with being listed lower on the depth chart and being less involved than he had expecting to be, Delacour declined to pick up the player option on the second year of his Butchers contract, entering free agency. He was quick to stress that he felt no ill-will toward the Butchers organisation, however, citing only that he felt a change of scenery would benefit him. After speaking with six ISFL teams that offseason – including the Butchers, who were keen to bring him back – and consulting with his family, Delacour opted to sign a two year deal with the Colorado Yeti.

Colorado Yeti

Unveiled as the newest Yeti signing on the same day as the 2042 ISFL Draft (S27), Delacour put pen to paper on a two-year deal worth $4m. Once again, he requested a player option on the second year, while also negotiating a no-movement clause into the contract.

His time in Colorado started slowly, but gradually built a rapport with quarterback Mattathias Caliban. In week nine, he finally scored his first career touchdown, hauling in a pass from Caliban to score a 27-yarder against the New York Silverbacks. He would pick up a second touchdown later in that game, and take his total yardage for the season to 549 through nine games, leading to speculation on whether he could break 1,000 yards in his sophomore year – the goal he had outlined for himself when choosing to join the Yeti in free agency that summer. Another two-touchdown game followed, this time against his former team, the Butchers, with a fifth coming in the next game against Baltimore to make it a touchdown scored in three straight games. Delacour would end the season with five touchdowns and 1,040 yards from 113 receptions – notably, Caliban targeted him 158 times, making him the seventh most targeted receiver in the league that year, despite lining up as a WR2/WR3 – and won the ISFL Offensive Breakout Player of the Year award. Colorado defeated the Butchers again in the wildcard round of the playoffs, making it to the NSFC Championship Game, where Raphael picked up 92 yards and a touchdown (a career-long, at 54 yards) in the 27-47 defeat against the Sarasota Sailfish.

Professional career statistics

Career statistics			Receiving
Season	Team	Games	Rec	Yards	Avg	Lg	TD
2040 (S25)	Seawolves	14	58	656	11.3	43	0
DSFL Totals		14	58	656	11.3	43	0
2041 (S26)	Butchers	15	5	120	24.0	40	0
2042 (S27)	Yeti	16	113	1040	9.2	50	5
2043 (S28)	Yeti	16	110	1207	11.0	45	10
2044 (S29)	Yeti	0	0	0	0	0	0
ISFL Totals		47	228	2267	10.4	50	15

Personal life

Raphael's father, Antoine, is an ISFL Hall of Famer and his oldest sister, Sophia, is a professional soccer player. Raphael is closest, however, to his other sister, Elaine, whose affinity for statistics helped him determine an optimal approach to football. The two also attended the same university.

His great-great-grandfather, Clinton Balinfainte, was a highly regarded musician from Jamaica, and something of an aspirational role model for Raphael in his middle school years. He has since claimed that this was a major factor in his decision to focus on the arts, rather than a more traditionally academic career path, as his parents would have preferred. He shared a close relationship with his great-grandmother, Lucille, before she passed away in his freshman year of high school, listening to her stories of Balinfainte (her father). Those stories would later form the basis of a short film he produced in his senior year.

Outside football

In his senior year of high school, Raphael interned at 187 Pictures – by then a subdivision of Flying Thunder Studios – where he had a hand in the production of two short films. One was his Harvard application (Rafaello), and the other, entitled An Étude in Ebony, was a brief look at the life and career of his great-great-grandfather Clinton Balinfainte. The latter was featured at the Maryland Film Festival in 2037, garnering praise from critics. While in his senior year at Harvard, Raphael contributed to Tobias Akinbobo's Faster Faster Angry Angry 3 as a writer, also appearing in a small role as Yvan the Mechanic. In 2043, he signed on to appear in Akinbobo's newest franchise, The Abominables, and also act as co-producer. He also made several appearances as a guest judge on the cookery show Culinary Combat.

Film credits

Year	Movie	Role	Notes
2036	An Étude in Ebony	—	Short film; writer, director and producer
2039	Faster Faster Angry Angry 3: Palaver in Kampala	Yvan the Mechanic	Also contributed as a writer
2043	The Abominables	Balin	Pre-production

Achievements and Records

Awards

• ISFL Breakout Player of the Year: 2042 (S27)
• DSFL Pro Bowl selection: 2041