BREAUX BRIDGE, La. -- To understand the man who will start at quarterback for the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl, you have to study Jake Delhomme's roots.
You have to come here, to this town of 7,200 in the heart of Cajun country that advertises itself as the "Crawfish Capital of the World."
You have to see the massive oak tree where Delhomme's father hung the tire so Jake could practice throwing footballs. You have to spot the street signs in Breaux Bridge that are written in both French and English. You have to go to nearby Lafayette to visit the small Catholic high school where Jake starred and hear about that football game in which he did everything but sing the national anthem.
Most of all, you have to realize how close Jake Delhomme is to his family -- literally and figuratively.
Delhomme lives in Breaux Bridge in the offseason with his wife, Keri, and 13-month-old daughter Lauren in what used to be his grandfather's house. The tidy ranch home is so unassuming most Super Bowl quarterbacks probably have a TV room boasting more square footage.
Delhomme's house used to be a quarter-mile away from Jake's parents'. But that wasn't close enough. So a moving company picked up the house and placed it 50 yards from the house of Jake's parents, Jerry and Marcia Delhomme.
People don't leave Breaux Bridge much. For his entire life, this town has been Jake Delhomme's sanctuary.
"We don't veer far away from our roots here," says Jerry Delhomme, Jake's father. "There were five kids in my family, and none of us ever left."
Growing up in a family that acted like it was always celebrating Thanksgiving rubbed off on the Panthers' quarterback. He has made sure his life includes constant reminders of his family, and of Breaux Bridge.
Delhomme calls his parents more in a week than some of us do in a year. He went to college 10 minutes from his childhood home to play for the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns. He married a hometown girl who was his seventh-grade girlfriend.
And he chose to wear No. 17 with the Panthers because his daughter was born Dec. 17, 2002, after his wife went through 17 hours of labor.
Jake's big brother
Jerry and Marcia Delhomme have two sons.Jeff, their oldest, came five years before Jake. Jeff was the original star athlete in the family -- a speedster who got a full scholarship to McNeese State and attracted some NFL interest. But Jeff blew out his knee in college. He now lives a half-mile down the road with his wife and three kids.
During the offseason, the brothers frequently play catch with a football in the back yard so Jake can keep his arm in shape.
"Jake was always a part of things with me -- a nagging part of things, usually," Jeff says laughing. "But once he got into high school, we developed a close bond."
Like Jake, Jeff is tough. When Jake told family members last week not to go anywhere near Philadelphia for the NFC Championship Game, fearing for their safety, Jake's wife and parents obeyed.
Jeff didn't. He went to the game with a friend, saw several fights in the stands, ate a cheesesteak, cheered Carolina's win and loved it all.
Horses in the blood
Jake, Jeff and Jerry Delhomme share a passion for horses.
Together, the Delhommes own seven thoroughbreds and race them for modest stakes at tracks throughout Louisiana. There's a small red barn in back of Jerry Delhomme's house where he keeps horses.
A scrappy athlete at one time who now favors boots and baseball caps, Jerry once worked a little as a jockey -- he's 5 feet 8, while Jake is 6 feet 2. Jerry will occasionally lapse into French when speaking about Jake this season -- "C'est incroyable!" -- but the parents always spoke English at home while Jake and Jeff were growing up.
Jerry Delhomme trains the horses while also working full-time as a government food-safety supervisor. Jake's mother works full-time in the local school system office.
Jake and Jeff have gone to the racetrack with their father for decades, cleaning stalls, conditioning horses and soaking up knowledge. The night of Carolina's playoff win at St. Louis on Jan. 10, Jake became even happier when he learned that a $7,500 claim the Delhommes had put in on a racehorse had gone through, allowing them to purchase a new filly.
"I think he was almost as excited about that horse," Jerry Delhomme says, "as he was about the touchdown pass to Steve Smith."
More than just crawfish
In 1859, Breaux Bridge was founded, mostly by Cajuns. Cajuns are descendants of the French Canadians whom the British drove from the captured French colony of Acadia and down into the fertile bayou of Louisiana.Breaux Bridge is 127 miles west of New Orleans and 223 miles east of Houston, where on Feb. 1 Delhomme will lead Carolina against New England in the Super Bowl.
Delhommes have been in town from the beginning -- the name means "The Man" in French. Delhommes have served the town as postmasters, farmers, laborers and now as mayor. Jack Dale Delhomme, a cousin of Jerry Delhomme, is in his sixth year as mayor and is so popular he ran unopposed in the last election.
There's a historical marker outside Breaux Bridge's City Hall. It notes that the town has been "long recognized for its culinary artistry in the preparation of crawfish."
Mayor Jack Dale wants to make sure people know there is more to Breaux Bridge than crawfish, however. Along with Delhomme, the town has turned out a recent Miss USA, along with several football players on LSU's national championship team and Houston Texans star rookie running back Domanick Davis.
"We do produce good doctors, lawyers, soldiers and athletes down here," the mayor says. "We're not just all about those mud bugs. Don't believe everything you saw in that movie `The Waterboy.' "
Trumping the Saints
Delhomme's 1993 graduating class at Teurlings High in nearby Lafayette included the quarterback, his future wife and 42 others. Delhomme played both ways in football. He was good enough as a defensive back that he made all-state as a senior, and didn't make all-state as a quarterback.
In a family of storytellers who talk with their hands, it's not surprising Delhomme was always excitable on the field.
People still talk about one game. Against a rival Catholic school, Delhomme grabbed two interceptions and threw for more than 400 yards.
Still, his team was about to lose, so he volunteered to try a field goal. He made it to put Teurlings ahead. Then the other team drove the ball and lined up for the possible game-winning field goal in the final seconds.
Delhomme came straight up the middle to block the field goal and seal the win.
"I've been in coaching 24 years, and Jake's a very good athlete but not the best one I've ever coached," says Sonny Charpentier, who helped coach Delhomme in both football and basketball. "But he's the most competitive player I've ever had. By far."
The competitiveness -- everyone says Delhomme was always just like that. Born with it.
So what has Delhomme inherited from Breaux Bridge besides that Cajun accent?
Toughness from his older brother.
Leadership from his coaches.
A work ethic from his parents.
And a sense of family -- and decency -- from everyone.
The rest of the story
Scott Fowler: (704) 358-5140
sfowler@charlotteobserver.com.
Cowboys can add Delhomme as a key player in 'err' game
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Town (Breaux Bridge) keeps Delhomme grounded
Geaux Jake / Geaux UL (signs)
