Ybor City

Tampa Honors Its Homegrown World Champion

Honoring Tampa's Deliah Autry, A Champion In Flag Football And Philanthropy

With Super Bowl LIX just around the corner, the City of Tampa is recognizing its own flag football world champion, who previously worked for the Parks and Recreation Department and continues to give back to her community.

Starting at age 5, Deliah Autry attended Kwane Doster and Port Tampa community centers. The very talented athlete went to T.R. Robinson High School where she played flag football, basketball, and volleyball. She was named the 2013 Hillsborough County Outstanding Flag Football Player of the Year, and earned First Team All-State honors in flag football.

After high school, Autry attended the University of South Florida and began working for Parks and Recreation as a Recreation Leader I, coaching flag football, soccer, T-ball, and even Latin dance. She left Tampa to pursue a Master's degree at Florida A&M University, but began offering clinics to Tampa kids soon after she returned in 2020.

"Deliah Autry is a winner on and off the field," Mayor Jane Castor said. "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."

The 29-year-old has hosted approximately 15 clinics since 2020 via her nonprofit, Camp13. About 100 kids have attended each one. This year, she will offer two: March 17 at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, and August 1 at Riverfront Recreation Center. Both are scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon. To register for the upcoming clinics, please visit the following links www.tampa.gov/camp13-march and www.tampa.gov/camp13-august.

"This is the kind of inspirational story -- the kind of inspirational person -- that Parks and Recreation staffers work to contribute to developing every day," Parks and Recreation Director Tony Mulkey said. "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 at the club level in college, and in 2021 earned a spot on the United States Women's National Team, primarily as a defensive back. The United States won world championships in 2021 and 2024, and also took gold in the 2023 IFAF Americas Continental Flag Football Championship. She has her sights set on the 2028 Olympics.