1. Rory John Delap was born on 6 July 1976 and is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
37 Facts About Rory Delap
1. 2.
In just his second match for Stoke, against his parent club Sunderland, Rory Delap suffered a broken leg.
3.
Rory Delap went on to become a vital member of the squad and his long throw-ins helped Stoke gain promotion to the Premier League and consolidate in the league.
4.
Rory Delap was a talented javelin thrower in his youth, and was touted to represent Ireland in the Olympics after his throw-ins shot to prominence following Stoke's promotion to the Premier League.
5.
Rory Delap was one of several promising players who came through the ranks at Brunton Park during the mid-1990s, alongside Matt Jansen, Scott Dobie and Lee Peacock.
6.
Rory Delap made six appearances for the club that season before injury struck.
7.
On 15 July 2007, Rory Delap made his comeback in a pre-season friendly with Newcastle Town.
8.
Rory Delap made a total of 46 appearances in the league, as Stoke finished 2nd and were promoted to the Premier League on the final day of the season.
9.
The potency of the "Rory Delap Special" reached new heights as Stoke City began their debut Premier League season.
10.
Stoke's first Premiership goal from a Rory Delap throw was Mamady Sidibe's injury-time winner against Aston Villa on 23 August 2008.
11.
On 31 October 2009, Rory Delap's throw-in created another goal for Stoke.
12.
Rory Delap then gave away two penalties within three games, against both Portsmouth and Arsenal.
13.
Rory Delap's throw-ins created two goals in a third-round win over York City, helping Stoke come from behind within just two minutes.
14.
Rory Delap in-directly assisted two more goals from throw-ins during the remainder of Stoke's league campaign.
15.
On 13 September 2010, Rory Delap made his 300th Premier League appearance against Aston Villa, becoming the 82nd player to reach the landmark.
16.
On 16 October 2010, Rory Delap ended a 21-month goal drought against Bolton Wanderers.
17.
Rory Delap scored another rare goal against West Bromwich Albion in February 2011.
18.
On 19 February 2012, in the fifth round of the FA Cup against Crawley Town, Rory Delap received a straight red card for a sliding tackle on David Hunt.
19.
Rory Delap made a total of 36 appearances in all competitions, six of which came in Stoke's historic Europa League campaign, which saw them reach the round of 32 before being knocked out by Spanish side Valencia.
20.
On 31 January 2013, Rory Delap joined Barnsley on loan until the end of the season.
21.
Rory Delap left Stoke at the end of the season, bringing to an end a seven-year spell at the club.
22.
Rory Delap signed a one-year contract with the Brewers on 18 July 2013.
23.
Rory Delap's third appearance and first as a contracted Burton player was a friendly against Stoke.
24.
On 16 December 2013 Rory Delap announced his retirement from football.
25.
Rory Delap was not included in the Irish squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where the nation reached the final sixteen of the tournament.
26.
Rory Delap returned to Stoke in June 2018 as first-team coach to Gary Rowett.
27.
Rory Delap took caretaker charge of Stoke on 1 November 2019 following the sacking of Nathan Jones.
28.
In June 2023, Rory Delap was appointed assistant under head coach Robbie Keane at Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv FC Rory Delap and his former international teammate Keane were evacuated to Greece during the Gaza war, while their team led the table with four wins and a draw.
29.
Rory Delap said he did not work on building his upper body strength and physique, although he used his shoulders and lower back muscles to give power to his throw.
30.
Rory Delap tended to target two players within 6ft of each other.
31.
Rory Delap's throw-ins are reputed as more accurate than most corners being that more muscles are used to control the direction in which the ball travels.
32.
Notable examples include against Hull City on 29 November 2008, goalkeeper Boaz Myhill kicking the ball out beyond the byline for a corner kick instead of out into touch when under pressure; unused Hull substitute Dean Windass received a yellow card for unsporting behaviour after warming up too close to Rory Delap when preparing to take a throw-in.
33.
Rory Delap therefore supported Carlisle United and attended matches at Brunton Park with his father.
34.
Rory Delap's uncle is Paddy Delap, a Letterkenny businessman, golfer, and athletics coach who runs Clarke's Newsagent's and organises an annual charity cycling event in aid of cancer noted for launching the career of former Cervelo TestTeam member Philip Deignan.
35.
Rory Delap has been acknowledged for his generosity towards the Donna Louise Children's Hospice in Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent.
36.
Rory Delap then repeated the same route in June 2010, completing it in just two days.
37.
Rory Delap took part in and won Marco Pierre White's Stoke Kitchen contest, with the proceeds benefiting Caudwell Children.