11:59 a.m., Dec. 12, 2008----As a quarterback for the Fightin' Blue Hens, Joe Flacco was a commanding presence on Tubby Raymond Field, leading the University of Delaware squad to a 2007 NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision title showdown against Appalachian State University.

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Although Flacco has moved on to become the starting quarterback for the National Football League's Baltimore Ravens, the image of the 6-foot 6-inch native of Audubon, N.J., still looms larger than life on campus as part of a new mural on a wall in the Bob Carpenter Center.

The 11- by 8-foot mural, in which Flacco is sporting a Ravens hat and holding a purple team jersey bearing the number 1, is the first thing visitors see upon entering the reception area of the University of Delaware football offices.

“I love it,” said UD Head Football Coach K.C. Keeler. “Sometimes I talk to it when I come into the office. I really enjoy walking in and seeing Joe every day.”

Keeler said that Flacco, who has led the Ravens to a winning record in the American Football Conference North Division, represents everything a person could want in a young person.

“It's very obvious that Joe had a great upbringing,” Keeler said. “When he started in his first game for the Ravens, his parents actually drove him to the stadium. We are just so proud of him.”

The Flacco mural is part of a project that will continue to showcase great moments in UD football history, including past championship games and the first game played at Delaware Stadium, Keeler said.

“This is the place where the football recruits come before they see me, so they can sit there and talk to Joe if they want,” Keeler said. “It really does wow everyone who walks by it.”

The mural was designed by Keith Heckert, a senior art director in the University of Delaware Office of Communications & Marketing.

“Joe Flacco is our first, first-round draft choice ever, and when I saw that picture, I knew it was the one we wanted,” Keeler said. “Keith Heckert is just great to work with. You give him an idea, and he just runs with it.”

Heckert said that he used special software to enlarge the original photograph to create the mural, which was made by Color Reflections in Philadelphia and installed by Street Media. The photograph was taken on NFL draft day, and Flacco was holding a No. 1 jersey as a first round pick. He currently wears No. 5 for the Ravens.

“This picture of Joe sure has been generating a lot of attention from visitors and staff,” Heckert said. “It stops people in their tracks when they walk in, and it really brightens up the room.”

Article by Jerry Rhodes
Photo by Kathy Atkinson