A University of North Carolina graduate, Delany was a three year basketball team member, in which he was named captain for the 1970 season. Delany also earned his juris doctorate degree from UNC and went on to serve as an NCAA enforcement representative from 1975-79. In 1979, he was named commissioner of the Ohio Valley Conference in which under his leadership the Conference saw a period of growth for both OVC men and women’s athletic programs.
After serving as OVC commissioner for a decade, the Big Ten Conference named Delany commissioner. As Big Ten commissioner, Delany has expanded the conference to eleven schools, developed college football’s first instant replay system, helped in the negotiation of a $6 billion / 11year contract with CBS for coverage of NCAA men’s basketball tournament games, and is considered a founding father of the Bowl Championship series.