NFL star, Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco to speak at University of Delaware 2024 commencement

A notable UD accounting major is headed back for a visit.

University of Delaware is set to invite NFL quarterback, Super Bowl MVP — and 2008 University of Delaware graduate — Joe Flacco to deliver the 2024 Commencement address next month. The university-wide ceremony, 9:30 a.m. on May 25, will join several commencements and similar ceremonies across UD disciplines, from May 12 through May 25.

Details on various college-based commencement and convocation ceremonies can be found online. All of these events are ticketed. Ticket reservations open April 18, and the window to secure those spots closes May 10.

“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,” President Dennis Assanis said in a statement. “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.”

About 4,000 graduates are expected to listen in on the football star, per UD, before graduating in front of some 16,000 family and friends.

Joe Flacco heads back to UD

Joseph Vincent Flacco has spent his career at quarterback.

Before the NFL, he set 20 school records at UD, including yards passed in a single season — 4,263 in 2007 — and career completions — 595, according to UD. Fast forward to 2018, he and his wife, Dana, made a significant gift to support the University’s Whitney Athletics Center, a one-stop facility for all 600-plus student-athletes in all 21 D1 sports programs.

After university, he was a first-round NFL draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2018. He led through six playoffs, three AFC championships and the Super Bowl XLVII title in 2012, when he was named MVP. Flacco has since played for the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles, according to UD.

When is graduation?Here's the latest 2024 commencement breakdown across Delaware colleges

Got a story? Contact Kelly Powers at kepowers@gannett.com or (231) 622-2191, and follow her on X @kpowers01.