Tampa Republic

The City of Tampa is celebrating Deliah Autry, a local flag football world champion, as Super Bowl LIX approaches. Autry's journey began at age five when she attended Kwane Doster and Port Tampa community centers. She excelled in sports at T.R. Robinson High School, earning the title of 2013 Hillsborough County Outstanding Flag Football Player of the Year and First Team All-State honors.

Autry continued her education at the University of South Florida while working for Parks and Recreation as a Recreation Leader I. She coached various sports and offered clinics to Tampa children after returning from pursuing a Master's degree at Florida A&M University in 2020.

"Deliah Autry is a winner on and off the field," stated Mayor Jane Castor. "She has won three golds with the United States Women's National Team, has two college degrees, is about to get her MBA, and she still finds the time to share her talent with our local children."

Since 2020, Autry has hosted around 15 clinics through her nonprofit organization, Camp13, each attended by about 100 kids. This year’s clinics are scheduled for March 17 at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park and August 1 at Riverfront Recreation Center.

"This is the kind of inspirational story -- the kind of inspirational person -- that Parks and Recreation staffers work to contribute to developing every day," said Tony Mulkey, Parks and Recreation Director. "Gold medalist, college graduate, philanthropist - any one of these accomplishments would qualify as a career highlight, but in true Deliah fashion, she has all three covered."

Autry played club-level flag football in college before joining the United States Women's National Team as a defensive back in 2021. The team claimed world championships in both 2021 and 2024 and secured gold in the 2023 IFAF Americas Continental Flag Football Championship. Her aspirations include competing in the 2028 Olympics.