Steelers RB Jack ‘Hydroplane’ Deloplaine Dies at 68

Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jack “Hydroplane” Deloplaine died at the age of 68 on Monday.

Deloplaine, born April 21, 1954 in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, was the Steelers’ sixth-round draft pick in 1976 and the first player ever to ben drafted out of then-NAIA Salem College in West Virginia. He won two Super Bowls with the Steelers in 1978 and 1979.

“We are saddened by the news and send the best to his family and friends,” Salem athletic director Alexander Joseph said in a press release.

Deloplaine endeared himself to fans and earned his nickname with a strong rookie preseason, including several games running in wet conditions. He was unable to build off a strong rookies season in 1976 after a knee injury slowed him down.

But Deloplaine stuck around as a special teamer and was part of the team’s Super Bowl winning squads in 1978 and 1979. In total, Deloplaine played in 40 NFL games and rushed 37 times for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

After his career, Deloplaine stayed in Pittsburgh, working as a prison guard. He also coached at North Catholic high school.

In 1988, Deloplaine was inducted into the Salem University Hall of Fame and is the namesake of the school’s Jack Deloplaine Leadership Award, given annually to an athlete to represents his spirit and leadership. In 1995, he was named to the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

He spent his final years living in South Carolina. A cause of death and funeral arrangements were not immediately made public.