Retired NFL Star Delhomme to Lead Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders
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Current New Orleans Saints quarterback Brew Brees with Jake Delhomme, former quarterback of the Carolina Panthers, after a game. (Photo courtesy of the Caolina Panthers)
Retired National Football League quarterback Jake Delhomme was elected as the president of the Board of Directors for the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association at the annual election of officers.
The meeting was held at Harrah’s Louisiana Downs as part of Louisiana Cup day, one of the four state-bred championship race days.
Dexter Gary, who led the board as its president for two years, nominated Delhomme for the position. In nominating Delhomme, Gary spoke of Delhomme’s leadership, national recognition and positive image throughout the industry.
“I will do the best that I can in leading this organization,” said Delhomme, a lifelong Thoroughbred enthusiast whose family has long been involved in the industry in Louisiana. “I am all about moving forward for the best of this industry. We have strong members on this Board and I want us to use our best qualities to go forward.”
Delhomme played quarterback for the University of Louisiana-Lafayette from 1993-96 before being signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent after the 1997 NFL Draft. He played on the Saint practice squad and in NFL Europe before getting his big break with the Carolina Panthers in 2003. Delhomme was the Panthers starting quarterback from 2003 to 2009. He holds most of Carolina's quarterback records and led the team to Super Bowl – losing to the New England Patriots in a 32-29 thriller in the 2004 edition - in first season with Carolina.
Delhomme also played for the Cleveland Browns in 2010 and Houston Texans in 2011.
Delhomme and his family share a lifelong love of racing with Set-Hut Stables in South Louisiana. Long before Delhomme learned to throw a football, he learned about caring for the horses his father raced at Louisiana tracks.
“The values I learned while training horses as a child showed themselves in my development as a football star,” Delhomme said. “I found in horse racing an outlet for my competitive juices in retirement.”