[1][2] Dellerba attended Ohio State University starting in 1941 and played on the school's football team under head coach Paul Brown.

Dellerba, however, was one of seven Ohio State football players dismissed from the school in the summer of 1942 for failing to maintain a 1.5 grade point average.

[3] Dellerba served in the military during World War II and played football for the Personnel Distribution Command Comets, a service team.

[7] The Browns finished the regular season with a 12–1–1 record and beat the New York Yankees to win the AAFC championship.

[8] Dellerba was sent to the Baltimore Colts in early 1948 along with Browns teammates Lew Mayne and Marshall Shurnas as part of an effort to balance talent among the AAFC's teams.