| No. 11 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1938-04-15)April 15, 1938 (age 87) 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: 1st round, 4th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||
| AFL draft | 1960: 1st round, Territorialth overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career AFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
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Richard John Lucas (born April 15, 1938) is an American former professionalfootball player who was aquarterback in theAmerican Football League (AFL) for theBuffalo Bills and theDenver Broncos. He playedcollege football for thePenn State Nittany Lions, winning theMaxwell Award in 1959. His coach Rip Engle described him as "the modern version of the oldtriple-threat player" because of his passing, running, and punting skills, in addition to his defensive prowess.[1]
Lucas was born inGlassport, 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 fromCincinnati,North Carolina State,Pitt, andMiami. He also garnered interest fromPenn State after legendary coachJoe Paterno noticed his skill while scouting another quarterback. Ultimately, Lucas ended up accepting a scholarship to play at Penn State.
As a freshman, Lucas was ineligible to play football because at the time, all players had to sit out their freshman year.
In his sophomore season, Lucas opened as the second-string quarterback behindAl 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 toLes 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 theMaxwell Award in 1959.
Lucas was a first round pick in both the1960 NFL draft and the1960 American Football League draft. Lucas signed with theBuffalo Bills of the newly-formed AFL, making him officially the franchise's first player. There he played quarterback,safety andreturn specialist for two seasons. He was obtained by theDenver Broncos following the 1962 equalization draft, but never played for them.
Lucas returned to Penn State following his pro football career, serving as assistantathletic director until 1998. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1986.
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