Shadows don't come much bigger.
Born the son of a six-time NFL All-Pro lineman, Todd DeLamielleure knows all about growing up just outside the spotlight.
But that may soon be a forgotten feeling.
While most of his grade-school classmates were busy dreaming about their own future days of professional sports glory, Todd was busy watching his father Joe live them. With Joe blocking for grid-iron legends like O.J. Simpson during an illustrious 13-year NFL career, Tom watched patiently, waiting for his chance to live that same dream.
Now, after 19 years as the understudy, as everything from his father's racquetball rival to corner man in a promotional boxing match, the redshirt freshman is busy making his own name as one of Duke's top pass-rushers. And Joe, starting his third year as a Blue Devil assistant coach, couldn't be happier to finally be relinquishing the spotlight.
"Both of us love it," Todd said of working with his father, whose number hangs retired in the Buffalo Bills' Rich Stadium. "He's an offensive coach and I'm a defensive player, so it's not too much direct coaching from him, but he enjoys it.
"Being an offensive coach he can watch me on defense, and he's just like a dad in the stands rather than a coach. I know he loves that part. And I love being able to see him everyday; we're very close."
Growing up, his memories of his father's professional career are a little sketchy, but his memory of their relationship is not.
"When I was real young, like kindergarten, I used to go to practices a lot," DeLamielleure said. "I remember what he did, that he was a football player. I don't think I realized what a big thing it was that he was in the NFL until I got a little older and started to appreciate what he had done."
Recruiting an assistant coach's son out of high school might not have been the world's most difficult task for head coach Fred Goldsmith, but keeping DeLamielleure healthy has been. Playing in just his fourth game of his senior year at local Durham Riverside high school, a separated shoulder nearly ended a promising career before it could take off.
Then, two games into his freshman campaign a year ago, DeLamielleure was lost for the season after suffering a rib injury against Northwestern. Following an injury-free spring practice, the Buffalo native was poised to fill the void left by All-ACC linebacker Chike Egbuniwe. With such little game experience over the last two seasons, however, questions remained about DeLamielleure. But like he's done his whole life, he relied on his father, the one constant in a lifetime of motion.
"[Having my father around] makes it a little easier," DeLamielleure said. "It takes the pressure off of me."
Fitting in with a defensive lineup full of veterans has also worked in his favor.
"I think [playing on a veteran defense] is good because Ryan Stallmeyer, the other inside linebacker, has been playing a lot, so it takes a lot of pressure off of me." DeLamielleure said. "If maybe I mess up on a call in the huddle, he'll know the right call. Not that there's pressure on me, but I don't want to let those guys down because they've been playing at least two to three years, and I just want to do my best to help us win."
Todd DeLamielleure's best this season has often been Duke's best. Leading the team in quarterback pressures and ranking third in tackles, DeLamielleure has been an invaluable part of the at-times stifling Duke defense, filling the huge slot left by Egbuniwe.
"We've played well," DeLamielleure said of the Blue Devil defense. "We've just got to keep teams from hitting big plays on us. We just need to stay pumped up through the fourth quarter and try and play solid 60-minute football."
With this Saturday's assignment for DeLamielleure and company being the containment of Joe Hamilton, the mercurial Georgia Tech quarterback who ripped apart the North Carolina defense a week ago, those 60 minutes aren't going to be getting any shorter.
"He looked like a real good athlete," DeLamielleure said. "He's similar to [Virginia's Aaron] Brooks, he's a little quicker, but a little smaller. We've got to try and put pressure on him, contain him, and try and keep him from making big plays."
That may be easier said than done, but if all else fails, there's always the advice of dear old dad.
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