2GOLD 0 Report post Posted April 11, 2005 Wow, this news is saddening Arena Football player dies of presumed spinal cord injury in California By ANDREW DALTON, Associated Press Writer April 11, 2005 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Arena Football League teammates of Al Lucas stood stunned as the 300-pound lineman they called ``Big Luke'' was carried motionless on a stretcher off the Staples Center floor. Lucas, 26, a former player with the NFL's Carolina Panthers, died Sunday from a presumed spinal cord injury sustained while trying to make a tackle for the Los Angeles Avengers, the team said. ``There's nothing you can say about what happened,'' Avengers lineman Sean McNamara said. ``It never entered our minds as a possibility.'' Players prayed on the sidelines and about 11,000 people watched from the stands as Lucas was carried from the field. He was pronounced dead at California Hospital, team physician Dr. Luga Podesta said in a statement. An autopsy was planned for Monday or Tuesday. The game continued, and players were told of his fate in the locker room after the game. Los Angeles beat New York 66-35. ``When you've got a player lying on the ground, the only thing that goes through your mind is that it could be any of us out there. Al was a great teammate,'' Avengers fullback Lonnie Ford told the Daily News of Los Angeles. ``I just wish this was a bad dream,'' receiver Tony Locke told the Los Angeles Times. Lucas was injured during a first-quarter kickoff return against the New York Dragons. Television replays showed him bending down to make a tackle. As the Dragons' ball carrier and a blocker tumbled over his head and back, the blocker's leg appeared to hit Lucas in the head. Lucas did not move after falling to the ground. Lucas was married to De'Shonda Lucas and had a daughter, Mariah. He was well-known in Macon, Ga., where he was born and lived. His father is state Rep. David Lucas, and his mother Elaine is on the Macon City Council. His younger brother, Lenny, plays for the Macon Knights in Arena Football's minor league. ``He grew up in an athletically and politically based childhood,'' Steve Edwards, Lucas's former coach at Macon's Northeast High School, told the Macon Telegraph. ``He was a super person and a super athlete.'' Lucas attended Troy State University in Alabama, where he played from 1996 to 1999. He was named the top defensive player in NCAA Division I-AA his senior season. He played two seasons for the Carolina Panthers in 2000 and 2001, recording 49 1/2 tackles in 20 games. That is a damn shame. Makes you realize even more how dangerous this game can be and why people are quiet when a player is motionless on the field. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mik 0 Report post Posted April 11, 2005 Saw the play on Sportscenter. It was nothing remarkable, really. He just went for a tackle low and the player kept running. And then he just kind of fell down. It didn't even look bad. It's a shame. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matt Young 0 Report post Posted April 11, 2005 I was going to post about this, but then apathy set in. I was actually watching the game live on TV. It's tragic, and certainly unexpected. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ripper 0 Report post Posted April 11, 2005 The worse injuries never look that bad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vitamin X Report post Posted April 11, 2005 Sad news, as I actually liked watching the Avengers when I lived over there. I guess that's the problem with Arena football, all the games are played on turf. Now his ghost can join the Laker dynasty's ghost on the Staples Center floor.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest El Satanico Report post Posted April 11, 2005 It would've happened on grass too. His head got driven down into the field surface. It's debatable that the turf added to the injury, but he would've been injured on grass too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Agent of Oblivion Report post Posted April 12, 2005 The worse injuries never look that bad. Theismann Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ripper 0 Report post Posted April 12, 2005 Holy fuck, i hadn't really read the whole article and saw who it was. I knew this dude. He played college ball in my home town. Damn...small world. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swan 0 Report post Posted April 14, 2005 I received this today from a friend that worked for LA: s most of you may have heard the LA Avengers and the entire Arena Football League suffered a great loss this weekend when lineman Al Lucas died while making a tackle. Al was a dear friend of mine, and was a person that I am glad that I had the opportunity to get to know and work with. He will be greatly missed, especially by his family. He leaves behind a wife and a daughter. To help them get through this time the AFL has set up a fund in his name. Persons interested in making a donation to the Al Lucas Trust Fund should make checks payable and should send their donations to: Al Lucas Trust Fund c/o Arena Football League Players Association 2021 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 ******************** A moment of silence will be conducted at all eight AFL games this weekend, beginning with three contests on Friday, April 15, as well as at all nine arenafootball2 games. In addition, players from every AFL team will wear a No. 76 helmet decal for the remainder of the season. "The spirit of Al Lucas will always be wherever Arena Football is played," AFL Commissioner David Baker said. "We will constantly consider tribute activities and efforts that commemorate Al's love for our game." Also, the AFL award previously known as the Hero Award, which is given to the player who best exemplifies the AFL's Mission Statement for both on and off-the-field accomplishments, will permanently be renamed the Al Lucas Award. ******************** Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
