Ex-University Of Delaware Football Player, Joe Biden’s First Wife Neilia And Daughter Naomi Died In Crash With Sons Leaving Seriously Injured In 1972

In a 2015 Yale commencement speech, Joe Biden said the tragedy of losing his first wife and daughter led him to find redemption through his focus on his sons.

May 19, 2026

This article was last updated by Manoj Gadtaula on May 19, 2026

Joe Biden, former President of the United States and once a promising athlete in his youth, is now facing a serious health challenge with a diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.

He was a star wide receiver in high school football and even played on the freshman football team at the University of Delaware.

Old issues of The News Journal, , offered details about Joe Biden’s early days as a high school athlete.

In a football season preview from September 21, 1960, sports writer Hal Bodley noted that Biden stood out as one of Archmere Academy’s top pass catchers.

Years later, in a 2008 interview with The New York Times, Archmere’s football coach at the time, E. John Walsh also praised Biden’s talent on the field, especially his skills as a receiver.

Before marrying Jill, Joe Biden Shared Life With His First Wife, Neilia Hunter Biden

Joe Biden is married to Jill Biden, but before that, he was married to his first wife, Neilia Hunter Biden, who tragically died in a car accident in 1972 along with their one-year-old daughter, Naomi.

In high school, at Penn Hall in Pennsylvania, Neilia was involved in many activities, such as field hockey, swimming, the French club, and the student council.

The other national security asset conceived that day is Neilia Hunter Biden, the dead first wife of Joe Biden. She was suddenly re-housed with her daughter Amy, and they both show up in subsequent operations… everybody is fine!

— Marie-Lynn, Thrillionnaire Philanthropist 🕊️ 🐇 (@_GirlMaher_)

Later, she attended Syracuse University and became a teacher, a job she loved because it allowed her to inspire kids.

Neilia met Joe in 1964 during spring break in Nassau, Bahamas.

She was a junior at Syracuse, and Joe was a junior at the University of Delaware.

Joe and his friends sneaked into a fancy resort where Neilia was relaxing by the pool. He was instantly charmed by her warm smile and green eyes.

They started talking, and Joe felt an immediate connection. Neilia was down-to-earth, even though her family was well-off, and she didn’t care that Joe came from a simpler background in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

That day, Joe told his friends, “I’ve got the blonde,” and by the end of their first date, he knew he wanted to marry her.

They dated, fell deeply in love, and got married on August 27, 1966, at a Catholic church in Skaneateles.

After the wedding, they moved to Wilmington, Delaware, where Joe worked as a lawyer and served on the New Castle County Council.

They had three children: Joseph “Beau” Biden III (born 1969), Robert “Hunter” Biden (born 1970), and Naomi Christina “Amy” Biden (born 1971).

In 1972, Joe ran for the U.S. Senate against a popular Republican, J. Caleb Boggs.

At just 29, Joe was a long shot, but Neilia was the “brains” of his campaign.

She gave him advice, traveled with him across Delaware, and helped him connect with people.

Sadly, Neilia’s life was cut short on December 18, 1972, just weeks after Joe’s Senate win.

Neilia was driving with Beau, Hunter, and Naomi to pick up a Christmas tree in Hockessin, Delaware.

Their station wagon pulled out at an intersection and was hit by a tractor-trailer.

Neilia, 30, and Naomi, just 13 months old, died instantly. Beau, then 4, and Hunter, then 3, were seriously injured but survived.

This is Joe Biden’s late first wife Neilia Hunter.

Hunter looks exactly like her.

— Linda Traitz (@LindaTraitz)

Joe was in Washington, D.C., setting up his Senate office when he got the call.

His sister told him there was a “slight accident,” but Joe knew it was worse.

He rushed back to Delaware and found his world shattered. The loss was devastating, and Joe later said he even thought about giving up or ending his life.

But he knew he had to stay strong for his sons.

In Case You Didn’t Know

• He was the eldest of four children in a close-knit Catholic family with Irish roots, growing up with his sister Valerie and brothers Francis and James.
• In the early years, the Biden family enjoyed financial stability, even settling in the upscale community of Garden City, New York, in 1946.
• However, when Joe was around seven, his father faced serious business troubles, forcing the family to move back in with Jean’s parents in Scranton.

• Check other Articles on

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