Recalling Dartmouth's First Senior Bowl Participant

Delby Lemieux becomes the second Dartmouth player ever and first in over four decades to play in the Senior Bowl when he takes the field tomorrow. 45 years ago, David Shula, son of the legendary NFL head coach Don Shula, preceded Lemieux in playing in the Mobile all-star game. Shula remains one of Dartmouth's greatest receivers ever, graduating as the all-time leader in career receptions and receiving yards with 133 catches for 182 yards. To date, Shula remains seventh in career receiving yards and ninth in receptions.

After receiving limited playing time in his freshman year, Shula had a breakout 1978 season, catching 49 passes for 656 yards and a touchdown for Dartmouth's 6-3 Ivy League champion team. His eight receptions for 191 yards against Princeton in front of a 19 station-ABC regional audience that year set a single-game program record for receiving yards, that remains tied for the seventh-highest total to date.

The following year, Shula had fewer receptions and yards, catching 32 passes for 408 yards, but scored five touchdowns to lead the Big Green in all categories. Shula's senior was his finest. He caught 52 passes for 758 yards and three touchdowns. Shula exceeded the 100-yard mark against Princeton, Brown, and Harvard, and also caught two passes for 58 yards in front of an ABC regional audience against Cornell. His 133 career receptions ranked him first in Ivy League history at the time of his graduation and earned him a spot as Dartmouth's first representative in the 1981 Senior Bowl.

Although Shula ultimately did not catch a pass in the Senior Bowl, he still earned a spot on the Baltimore Colts for the 1981 season. Shula returned five kickoffs for 65 yards and 10 punts for 50 yards in his only year in the NFL.

Despite his brief NFL career, NFL fans remember Shula for his coaching career, which culminated in being the Cincinnati Bengals' head coach from 1992 to 1996. After his unceremonious firing, Shula would not coach for 22 years, before resurfacing as his alma mater's wide receivers coach in 2018. He held that position until 2023.

Dartmouth's rich football tradition makes it surprising that the school has had just two players play in the Senior Bowl, and none over the last 40 years. Delby Lemieux can further etch his name in Big Green lore with an excellent performance in the Senior Bowl and exceeding Shula's cup of coffee in the NFL.

Special thanks to Dartmouth’s Football Record Page and TV appearances page for the assistance in my research.