Originally Posted by Hammock Parties:
Just went out there myself. Looking good!
Originally Posted by AJKCFAN:
344 days ago, first contact was made with the Missouri Department of Transportation with this idea to have a highway dedication to honor Joe Delaney. There were times when it was understandably tedious and exasperating but this was going to be pursued as long as the obstacles were to be overcome.
The early support came from local Jackson County Missouri State Representative Yolanda Young and her team who supported this project immediately. This required the support of the Delaney family themselves and between his widow Carolyn and daughters (particularly Joanna and Crystal) they gave us their unwavering support and backed it up by providing MODOT with their consent for the project, as well as Joe's death certificate which was also required. They put their faith in me and these efforts and it will never be forgotten.
From there, 2 things remained - cost of project (which one of our own reached into their pocket and doled out more than $3,000 to cover for the ENTIRE cost of the signs). The appropriate word to you is grateful. Grateful for your support and grateful to make this endeavor an easier task to complete. May you appreciate the fruits of your investment for these next 20 years!
Lastly but far from least, to obtain 100 signatures from local Kansas Citians in the midst of a worldwide pandemic was daunting from the get-go but there was Clay - recruiting signatures with his social media clout and going about it with the mindset that he was not going to be denied. I don't know how to ever properly thank him, but this does not result in signs if not for his herculean efforts. Yes, there was considerable help from the Kansas City Star with their ipetitions to also make this happen, but there is no completion of this project if not for Clay being the rock star that he is and absolutely taking care of this - and us obtaining the necessary relevant signatures in just over 1 weeks time.
Those signatures include quite a few Chiefs Planeteers so feel a source of pride every time you pass I-435 between Exits 66 and Exit 63C and you see them signs for the next two decades.
I obviously want to renew these signs when the term expires in 2041, but if I am not around to see that happen - then it is my sincere hope my Kansas Citian friends made throughout this experience will pick up the mantle and keep these signs up.
I'm so humbled and moved that tens of thousands of Chiefs fans will be driving to and from Arrowhead via I-435 and it means the world to see Joe Delaney finally attain long-lasting recognition in Kansas City
37 Forever definitely played a small (yet significant) part in Kansas City Chiefs history
The Joe Delaney Memorial Highway on I-435 will play a small (yet also significant) part in Kansas City history
Originally Posted by AJKCFAN:
It is my humble and distinct honor to inform you that we have received official notification from MODOT and have been advised that the I-435 Joe Delaney Memorial Highway signs have been completed and they have been transferred to a MODOT facility location in Lee’s Summit.
We were told that the installation of these signs can go up as soon as this upcoming Thursday June 17.
However, with the Anniversary date of the Delaney Tragedy (June 29, 1983) occurring a little bit later in the month, I have requested and received permission from MODOT that installation be delayed until Tuesday June 29 so that it can fittingly coincide with commemorating the 38th Anniversary of this somber occasion.
There might even be a ceremony to mark the occasion but we are trying to see if the Delaney family can attend the event. At this point in time, it is unlikely that there will be a ceremony on such short notice. There does not need to really be one. Just if you happen to be in the area, drive by I-435 between Exit 66 (Missouri State Road 350) to Exit 63C (Raytown Road) in either direction come June 29 and you will see the signs installed.
Take pictures if you can!
Otherwise, if you cannot take the drive - I’m sure it will that day be part of the evening news, newspaper, etc.
It’s going up ladies and gentlemen!
Originally Posted by Hammock Parties:
We did it!
CELEBRATE! @MoDOT has OFFICIALLY APPROVED the Memorial Highway honoring @Chiefs RB Joe Delaney.
The location of the memorial: I-435 from State Hwy 350 to Raytown Rd in Jackson County.
One sign will appear at each end of the route. They will be fabricated in 6-9 weeks. pic.twitter.com/X5Rrxl4j3z
— Joe Delaney Memorial Highway Project (@ClayWendler) May 4, 2021
Hi Everyone – Moderators if you would not mind, can I ask of you to place this post as a sticky, please?
Hope this post finds you all healthy and safe (and warm) during these most trying times.
For some of you, my relationship has gone back more than two decades and I am most appreciative of that. Being able to work alongside you for 37 Forever way back when will always be thought of as a worthy endeavor that did achieve a lot of success thanks to all of our efforts.
It is with this same purpose that I come to you today, my fellow Chiefs fans - in need of your help and hopeful assistance.
Over the past 7 months, from here in New York - I have been working on a pair of projects that will achieve lasting recognition for the late Joe Delaney in the Kansas City area. NOTE - There actually was a third project of mine that has already occurred when I had the ear of Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas’ office and he thereafter proclaimed this past October 30 (Joe Delaney’s birth date) to be known in Kansas City as Joe Delaney Day, which was a wonderful thing but its effect was only a temporary measure.
Therefore, I have been trying to make things happen to attain something more far reaching and permanent.
With that in mind, I am here to reveal these ideas and ask for your support and what you might be able to do to bring this to reality.
I’ll start with the one closest to happening:
1. The Joe Delaney Memorial Highway
The Joe Delaney Memorial Highway will be dedicated on I-435 between Exit 66 (Missouri State Road 350) and Exit 63C (Raytown Road). Originally, it was intended to have the dedication cover a 3.7 mile stretch which would include the Arrowhead exits themselves, but further research led to the discovery that there was already a dedication to Lamar Hunt, so this became the next option, as it is the nearest area available to dedicate and for those traveling on I-435 on your way to Arrowhead, you’d be able to see this sign once this is completed.
Brief background. There were 5 requirements which must be met in this process, as per the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT, for short). 3 of the 5 have already occurred behind the scenes, leaving us with these 2 remaining requirements, which are the following:
One is to pay for the cost of the signs but that is already being taken care of by one of our very own Chiefs Planet members who plans to cover for the entire cost (which is four figures). This Chief Planet member will remain anonymous. To that end, I have established an account at a local Kansas City bank specifically geared for funds towards this endeavor (as well as looking into a separate account for the other project that is being worked on) which will establish a local presence.
The final requirement is what I need your collective help in and likely the biggest reason why this is being posted.
As per the Missouri Department of Transportation, this project needs 100 original signatures from residents of the following Missouri six counties:
Jackson County
Johnson County
Ray County
Clay County
Cass County
Lafayette County
Each individual who supports Mr. Delaney’s route designation can then forward an email stating his/her support which shall include the individual’s name, address, and county along with his/her typed signature. These emails may be sent directly to me at AJKCFAN@yahoo.com. The supporting signatures would then be complied and attached to the application that will ultimately be submitted to MODOT.
All I am doing with these signatures is compiling them and once I hit the magic number of 100, it gets sent to the Missouri Department of Transportation, with the funds and this project will be completed.
I will definitely NOT be using your signatures or address or name for any other purpose besides meeting this requirement. It goes without saying that your privacy would be fully respected.
My presumption is that MODOT would confirm the addresses as being authentic (so a Chiefs fan from out of the area cannot send their information to be added to the count – otherwise, I’d be gathering signatures form here in New York – it needs to be from these locations.
Once completed, The Joe Delaney Memorial Highway signs will last on I-435 in this designated area for a twenty (20) year period beginning on the date of dedication.
That’s the first project. It is the more realistic project of the two.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally Posted by AJKCFAN:
Changing gears. Here is the latest in terms of the BBQ Contest. Attacking this hard these past several weeks. Really not to exaggerate, some 150 companies were reached out. Basically, there is some level of interest that need to be explored further and if work wasn't killing me, there would be a quicker follow-up so now that I-435 is out of the way, my efforts will be focused solely on this. Recently, there was a pretty significant company who has showed interest and they wanted to Zoom conference with me sometime this week. Observant of today's significance, intentionally I chose to have the conference today on the Anniversary. It did happen today and the takeaway from the meeting is that there appears to be a potential sponsor of the contest as they were very impressed with this idea and also helpful is that they have considerable experience working with The Kansas City Barbeque Society so that works in our favor. Likely, a second Zoom Conference call is scheduled to occur next Thursday morning (July 8) and if all can somehow go well with this, we might just be able to pull this off.....
(oh yes, there is a secret code embedded in here with the above paragraph, so good luck finding it.....)
(No code for rest of message)
If it doesn't come to pass, I'll keep trying. There is some interest that I need to follow up with nine other companies, but this one I spoke with today can make this Joe Delaney BBQ Contest at Worlds of Fun a reality.
If it cannot be possible, I would still like to have a BBQ Contest but we are probably looking to scale it down further and seek to have it at a local BBQ restaurant, but I want to exhaust this option and this potential sponsor (and other interested parties) first before we need to cross this bridge.
To be continued
The other project is an even more exciting idea and although that too is realistic, there will need to be more “heavy lifting”.
If there are two things Kansas City is currently most well known for, what would it be?
I would say (and you would likely say also) it would be the Chiefs and BBQ.
Yes, the best tailgating in the NFL by far can be found at Arrowhead and there’s some incredible BBQ every home game there but how often has Arrowhead Stadium been a venue for an actual competitive BBQ Contest?
Not that often, which is somewhat shocking given Arrowhead’s reputation.
So I am attempting to “marry the two”.
What if there was a competitive BBQ contest to be held at Arrowhead Stadium, during Chiefs football season – all in the memory of Joe Delaney, who is easily among the most distinguished and revered Kansas City Chiefs players in its illustrious history?
2. The Joe Delaney Master Series Barbeque Contest
Here, during this past Chiefs football season, I have had not one, not two, not three, not four, but five Zoom Call conferences with the Chiefs organization and in conjunction with The Kansas City Barbeque Society, which is a not for profit BBQ contest organization which sponsors a tremendous amount of BBQ contests throughout the year not just in Kansas City, but throughout America.
Very late in the season, we received a proposal from the Chiefs to have the debut of this event to be held at Arrowhead (with options to continue the contest at Arrowhead for both the 2022 and 2023 seasons), with the target being in late October of this year (hopefully to coincide with Joe Delaney’s birth date) and them being flexible with the date to allow for it to coincide with a Chiefs home game as well (particularly if the Chiefs were playing a home game in Arrowhead on a Sunday Night or a Monday Night that weekend).
The issue with it right now is the cost of the contest to hold the debut of this event in Arrowhead Stadium is a staggering amount. In essence, sponsors are vital to have this contest occur – whether it is at Arrowhead or at a smaller venue to kick things off for this year. I do at least commend the Chiefs for being willing to hear out this idea and staying in contact with me over the football season and still maintaining close ties with me to this day.
Guess I will throw this out there:
Does anyone here have any connections or tie-ins with any potential sponsors because that is what would yield the best results to this event occurring.
It would be really awesome to have this dream event occur. I mean, a BBQ Contest to be held in Arrowhead Stadium during the football season, in a weekend where we can finish the festivities off with enjoying watching Mahomes and the Chiefs kicking somebody’s ass on national TV – and this contest being held to memorialize a heroic great late Chief like Joe Delaney, it doesn’t get any better than that.
That’s why I am coming to you today. I am going to need some help.
Football analogy. We have driven the ball down the field two times and we are in the Red Zone for both projects. Joe Delaney Memorial Highway is definitely in First & Goal status – we just need 100 signatures and we got this TD. Joe Delaney BBQ Contest, it feels like it is 2nd and makeable distance from inside the Red Zone. Maybe we will need to settle for a field goal with that and debut the contest at a smaller venue or maybe there is still reason to hope this can still find its way into the end zone too and we make the contest occur at Arrowhead this fall on a Saturday.
I’ll be happy to either discuss on this thread or privately any direct questions you may have.
More to say later (busy at work) but I am aware that KMBC-9 (ABC affiliate in Kansas City) plans to run with the installation of the signs on tonight's telecasts if you wished to tune in.... [Reply]
Originally Posted by AJKCFAN:
More to say later (busy at work) but I am aware that KMBC-9 (ABC affiliate in Kansas City) plans to run with the installation of the signs on tonight's telecasts if you wished to tune in....
Originally Posted by AJKCFAN:
More to say later (busy at work) but I am aware that KMBC-9 (ABC affiliate in Kansas City) plans to run with the installation of the signs on tonight's telecasts if you wished to tune in....
You're the Chiefs Fan of The Year for your outstanding work
It took like 80 years to get him a nice park in his hometown, you got him a highway in KC in what seems like 10 days :-) [Reply]
Originally Posted by Hammock Parties:
Just went out there myself. Looking good!
344 days ago, first contact was made with the Missouri Department of Transportation with this idea to have a highway dedication to honor Joe Delaney. There were times when it was understandably tedious and exasperating but this was going to be pursued as long as the obstacles were to be overcome.
The early support came from local Jackson County Missouri State Representative Yolanda Young and her team who supported this project immediately. This required the support of the Delaney family themselves and between his widow Carolyn and daughters (particularly Joanna and Crystal) they gave us their unwavering support and backed it up by providing MODOT with their consent for the project, as well as Joe's death certificate which was also required. They put their faith in me and these efforts and it will never be forgotten.
From there, 2 things remained - cost of project (which one of our own reached into their pocket and doled out more than $3,000 to cover for the ENTIRE cost of the signs). The appropriate word to you is grateful. Grateful for your support and grateful to make this endeavor an easier task to complete. May you appreciate the fruits of your investment for these next 20 years!
Lastly but far from least, to obtain 100 signatures from local Kansas Citians in the midst of a worldwide pandemic was daunting from the get-go but there was Clay - recruiting signatures with his social media clout and going about it with the mindset that he was not going to be denied. I don't know how to ever properly thank him, but this does not result in signs if not for his herculean efforts. Yes, there was considerable help from the Kansas City Star with their ipetitions to also make this happen, but there is no completion of this project if not for Clay being the rock star that he is and absolutely taking care of this - and us obtaining the necessary relevant signatures in just over 1 weeks time.
Those signatures include quite a few Chiefs Planeteers so feel a source of pride every time you pass I-435 between Exits 66 and Exit 63C and you see them signs for the next two decades.
I obviously want to renew these signs when the term expires in 2041, but if I am not around to see that happen - then it is my sincere hope my Kansas Citian friends made throughout this experience will pick up the mantle and keep these signs up.
I'm so humbled and moved that tens of thousands of Chiefs fans will be driving to and from Arrowhead via I-435 and it means the world to see Joe Delaney finally attain long-lasting recognition in Kansas City
37 Forever definitely played a small (yet significant) part in Kansas City Chiefs history
The Joe Delaney Memorial Highway on I-435 will play a small (yet also significant) part in Kansas City history
Changing gears. Here is the latest in terms of the BBQ Contest. Attacking this hard these past several weeks. Really not to exaggerate, some 150 companies were reached out. Basically, there is some level of interest that need to be explored further and if work wasn't killing me, there would be a quicker follow-up so now that I-435 is out of the way, my efforts will be focused solely on this. Recently, there was a pretty significant company who has showed interest and they wanted to Zoom conference with me sometime this week. Observant of today's significance, intentionally I chose to have the conference today on the Anniversary. It did happen today and the takeaway from the meeting is that there appears to be a potential sponsor of the contest as they were very impressed with this idea and also helpful is that they have considerable experience working with The Kansas City Barbeque Society so that works in our favor. Likely, a second Zoom Conference call is scheduled to occur next Thursday morning (July 8) and if all can somehow go well with this, we might just be able to pull this off.....
(oh yes, there is a secret code embedded in here with the above paragraph, so good luck finding it.....)
(No code for rest of message)
If it doesn't come to pass, I'll keep trying. There is some interest that I need to follow up with nine other companies, but this one I spoke with today can make this Joe Delaney BBQ Contest at Worlds of Fun a reality.
If it cannot be possible, I would still like to have a BBQ Contest but we are probably looking to scale it down further and seek to have it at a local BBQ restaurant, but I want to exhaust this option and this potential sponsor (and other interested parties) first before we need to cross this bridge.
Originally Posted by :
For decades you could drive all over the Kansas City region and never see any specific reference to Joe Delaney, who rushed for 1,121 yards in 1981 to be named AFC rookie of the year and had all the earmarks of future stardom.
But that changed on Tuesday, when the Missouri Department of Transportation installed signage for the Joe Delaney Memorial Highway along Interstate 435 near the Truman Sports Complex.
The development was driven by Adam Jassey, a native New Yorker who became a lifelong Chiefs and Royals fan because his father went to medical school here at the Kansas City College of Osteopathic Medicine (now Kansas City University) from 1966-1970.
That’s why the attorney has a son named Brett (after George) and knows off the top of his head that he attended his first Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium (Sept. 17, 1995) the day Patrick Mahomes was born. It’s also why he came to feel a deep personal connection to what he calls the “Delaney Tragedy” when the budding star suddenly died when Jassey was 9 years old.
Over time, he became consumed with finding ways to pay homage to and keep alive the spirit of a man he told me last year “clearly made the world a better place during his life.”
Years ago, he invested that energy in The 37 Forever Foundation, so-named for the number Delaney wore (and that has not been worn since by a Chief, though is not officially retired).
While the group had a voice in Delaney being named to the Chiefs Ring of Honor, it gradually broke up for a variety of reasons.
But Jassey was re-energized by seeing news in The Star last year about plans to build and dedicate a memorial at the site of Delaney’s death on the 37th anniversary of the death of No. 37.
Ignited by what he called “the altruism” of the donation and installation of that memorial, he offered up a number of ideas of ways to call attention to Delaney and his legacy in Kansas City.
And about ever since, he’s set about making them happen, including the proclamation of Joe Delaney Day in Kansas City last October, ongoing efforts to create an annual BBQ contest in his name and, now, the realization of the highway that required hours and hours of work with multiple entities and required donations and a signature drive.
It’s a subtle memorial, to be sure. And we’re all for more and deeper and broader ways to make sure people never forget his story and hope this paves the way to yet more thoughts about ways to do that.
But the signs also are a tangible reminder now that will be seen by tens of thousands of people, if not millions, in the years to come before the dedication is subject to a renewal process in 20 years.
And anyone who either recognizes the name or becomes curious about it will be prompted to think about a man whose life was lived not in vain but as an inspiring example of love, an example that should be visible and enshrined around here as much as anywhere.
