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Richie Lucas

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Richie Lucas
No. 11
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1938-04-15) April 15, 1938 (age 86)
Glassport, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Glassport
College:Penn State (1957–1959)
NFL draft:1960 / round: 1 / pick: 4
AFL draft:1960 / round: 1 / pick: Territorial
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career AFL statistics
Passing attempts:99
Passing completions:43
Completion percentage:43.4%
TD–INT:4–7
Passing yards:596
Passer rating:47.4
Rushing yards:153
Rushing touchdowns:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference
College Football Hall of Fame

Richard John Lucas (born April 15, 1938) is an American former football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) for the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, where he won the Maxwell Award in 1959. His coach Rip Engle described him as "the modern version of the old triple-threat player" because of his passing, running, and punting skills, in addition to his defensive prowess.[1]

Early life

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Lucas was born in Glassport, Pennsylvania. At Glassport High School, he was a multi-sport athlete, competing in football, basketball, baseball, and volleyball.[2] Lucas was most successful in football, receiving offers from Cincinnati, North Carolina State, Pitt, and Miami. He also garnered interest from Penn State after legendary coach Joe Paterno noticed his skill while scouting another quarterback. Ultimately, Lucas ended up accepting a scholarship to play at Penn State.

College career

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As a freshman, Lucas was ineligible to play football because at the time, all players had to sit out their freshman year.

1957 season

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See also: 1957 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

In his sophomore season, Lucas opened as the second-string quarterback behind Al Jacks. After Jacks dislocated his shoulder during a game versus rival Syracuse, Lucas stepped in for the Nittany Lions. Shortly after, Lucas ran a play where he faked handing the ball to the fullback Babe Caprara, simultaneously fooling the cameraman into thinking Caprara had the ball, then rolled out to his right and threw a touchdown pass to Les Walters that sealed the game with a score of 20-12. From then on, Penn State relied on Lucas to make plays for the Nittany Lions. In 9 games, he completed 45.8% of his passes for 428 yards, 4 TDs and 4 INTs, as well as 66 yards and 1 TD rushing.


Nicknamed "Riverboat Richie" due to his gambling instincts when calling plays,[1] Lucas won the Maxwell Award in 1959.

Professional career

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Lucas was a first round pick in both the 1960 NFL draft and the 1960 American Football League draft. Lucas signed with the Buffalo Bills of the newly-formed AFL, making him officially the franchise's first player. There he played quarterback, safety and return specialist for two seasons. He was obtained by the Denver Broncos following the 1962 equalization draft, but never played for them.

After football

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Lucas returned to Penn State following his pro football career, serving as assistant athletic director until 1998. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 6, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ Miller, Jeffrey. "Richie Lucas" (PDF). Professional Football Researchers Association. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 4, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
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