Joe Flacco, NFL quarterback, Super Bowl MVP and 2008 University of Delaware graduate, will deliver the 2024 Commencement address at his alma mater on Saturday, May 25, UD President Dennis Assanis announced today.

“We are so thrilled to welcome Joe back home here at UD where he created a legacy for other outstanding Blue Hen student-athletes to emulate,” Assanis said. “Joe embodies the UD values of leadership, teamwork, perseverance, excellence and resilience. We are incredibly proud to call him our own, and I know that his remarks will inspire the graduates of the Class of 2024.”  

The Commencement ceremony, scheduled at 9:30 a.m., May 25, in Delaware Stadium on the University’s Newark campus, is a ticketed event, open only to graduating students and up to four guests. An estimated 4,000 graduates are expected to attend, with approximately 16,000 family and friends. The ceremony also will be livestreamed.

About Joe Flacco

A UD alumnus with a degree in accounting, Joseph Vincent Flacco has spent his career as a National Football League quarterback. 

In 2008, he was a first-round NFL draft pick (18th overall; the highest recruit from Delaware) by the Baltimore Ravens. He led the team to the six playoffs, three AFC championships, and the Super Bowl XLVII title in 2012, when he was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Flacco has since played for the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. 

Signed to the Cleveland Browns' practice squad in November 2023, the Blue Hen quickly found himself as the starter. His 1,616 passing yards and 13 touchdowns are both the most in NFL history by a quarterback who made his debut in the final six games of a season. Flacco's 323.2 passing yards per game led the league in 2023, and he became the first quarterback in Browns history to have 300-plus passing yards in four straight games. After leading the team to a playoff berth, Flacco won the 2023 Comeback Player of the Year. In March 2024, he was named a quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. 

At Delaware, Flacco set 20 school records, including yards passed in a single season (4,263 in 2007) and career completions (595). 

He still recalls the acclaimed matchup against Navy, where he threw for 434 yards, and the five-overtime game against Richmond, which UD ultimately lost, but which stands out in Flacco’s mind as one of the most memorable games he’s ever played. 

In 2018, he and his wife, Dana, made a significant gift to UD Athletics to support the University’s Whitney Athletics Center, a one-stop facility for all 600-plus student-athletes in all 21 D1 sports programs.

“Some of my biggest memories at UD were playing in the stadium and having 22,000 people excited about winning football games,” he said in a 2021 UD Magazine profile. “I remember how cool it was to play there and how passionate the people were, and I want all the players coming through to have the same experience I had.”

For more information on UD’s Commencement ceremony, visit udel.edu/commencement.