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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.

Early life

Lucas was born in Glassport, Pennsylvania. At Glassport High School, he was a multi-sport athlete, competing in football, basketball, baseball, and volleyball. 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

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

1957 season

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, Lucas won the Maxwell Award in 1959.

Professional career

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

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

• List of American Football League players

References

1. ^ "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.

External links

• Richie Lucas at the College Football Hall of Fame
• Career statistics from Pro Football Reference · 

• 1938 births
• Living people
• American football safeties
• American football quarterbacks
• Buffalo Bills players
• Denver Broncos (AFL) players
• Penn State Nittany Lions football players
• All-American college football players
• College Football Hall of Fame inductees
• Maxwell Award winners
• People from Glassport, Pennsylvania
• Players of American football from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
• American people of Russian descent
• American Football League players