Al Lucas (American football)
Macon (GA) Northeast | |||||||
College: | Troy State | ||||||
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Undrafted: | 2000 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Albert Lucas (September 1, 1978 – April 10, 2005) was an
Early life and college career
Lucas was born in
At Troy State, Lucas was a standout player. In his senior year (1999), he won the
Lucas played a total of 43 games for the Trojans, and finished his college career with 255 tackles (thirty-six for losses), 25 quarterback hurries, and 11.5 sacks. In addition, he saw some limited action at running back in his junior and senior seasons, scoring seven touchdowns.
Professional football career
NFL career
After making the team as an undrafted free agent, Lucas played in twenty games for the
AFL career
In his rookie season with Tampa Bay, Lucas had an immediate impact on his new team. He had 19.5 tackles, three for losses, 1.5 sacks, a blocked kick, and a safety, and was a major factor in the Storm's ArenaBowl victory over the Arizona Rattlers. He was named to the AFL's All-Rookie team,[3] and after that season, Lucas was one of the most sought-after free agents in the League, and signed a three-year contract with Los Angeles on October 27, 2003.
In the 2004 season, Lucas played in all 16 games for the Avengers and led the team's linemen with 18.5 tackles. He also had three quarterback sacks, three fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown), two batted down passes, a forced fumble, and a safety.[3]
NFL career statistics
Legend | |
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Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
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GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
2000 | CAR | 13 | 0 | 24 | 20 | 4 | 0.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2001 | CAR | 7 | 0 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 1.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
20 | 0 | 38 | 31 | 7 | 1.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Death
On April 10, 2005, in a game against the
Approximately half an hour after the game concluded, Lucas's death was confirmed by Avengers' primary team physician, Luga Podesta, who stated, "During the game today, Al Lucas suffered a presumed spinal cord injury and was brought to California Hospital Medical Center where all attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at 1:28 p.m."[7]
Legacy
The Avengers retired Lucas's number 76 during the 2006 season and the Tampa Bay Storm created the Mariah Lucas Scholarship Fund to benefit Lucas's daughter and wife, and the Lucas family itself started an Al Lucas Memorial Scholarship Fund which provides college scholarships to high school athletes.[3]
The Maxwell Football Club renamed its Arena Football League Player of the Year Award to the Al Lucas Award in honor of Lucas; this award was discontinued after the 2007 season.[citation needed] The East Macon Park Little League field where Lucas played baseball was renamed Albert James Lucas "Big Luke" Memorial Field in 2006, and the AFL has renamed its Hero Award the Al Lucas Award.[3]
References
- Macon Telegraph. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ a b Haber, Bill (April 10, 2005). "Former NFL player Lucas dies in Arena League game". USA Today. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e White, Lonnie (May 7, 2006). "Heartbroken". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ Painter, Jill (April 11, 2005). "Football player dies in game". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ Maske, Mark (April 12, 2005). "Arena Player's Death Followed A Seemingly Normal Collision". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ Foster, Chris (April 11, 2005). "Arena Football Player Dies After Injury". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ Peterson, Tim (April 10, 2005). "Avengers Win Overshadowed by Huge Loss". Our Sports Central. Retrieved June 26, 2012.