Pennsylvania Theta alumnus Richie Lucas turned 84 years old this month. The former Penn State quarterback and assistant athletic director has remained relatively private since retiring in 1998, but brothers of PA Theta remember him as one of the guys during his years as an undergraduate in the late 1950s.
Lucas was a presence during his time as quarterback at Penn State (1957-59). He stood tall in the pocket at 6-foot-1, threw bullets downfield, and still had the touch to hit his receivers deep. Born in Glassport, Pa., on April 15, 1938, Lucas attended Glassport High School in his hometown. “Riverboat Richie” started for the Nittany Lions for three years, under Rip Engle, and later earned himself an induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.
“During his college career, he directed the team to a 21-8-1 record, including a 7-0 victory over Bear Bryant’s Alabama squad in the first Liberty Bowl game played in Philadelphia,” according to the College Football Hall of Fame’s website. “He led his 1959 team in rushing (325 yards), passed for 913 yards and five touchdowns, completed 58 of 117 passes, punted 20 times for a 34.0 yard average and returned five interceptions for 114 yards.
“Coach Rip Engle said, ‘I’ll never forget the Illinois game. Illinois had a first down on the four, but four plays netted zero yards, with Richie making all four tackles—on both sides of the field—from his defensive halfback position.’
“Earlier that year, in the season opener against Don Faurot’s Missouri team, the 6-1, 185-pound Lucas completed 10 of 11 passes and won the game, 19-8, because he was so effective with his roll-out passing game. In 1959, playing both quarterback and safety, he was honored by numerous organizations. In addition, he was named winner of the Maxwell Trophy and finished second to Billy Cannon of LSU in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.”
By the time he ended his college career, Lucas had made a huge mark on the Penn State campus. After playing college ball, Lucas went on to play two seasons with the Buffalo Bills in the American Football League, before returning to Penn State, as assistant athletic director.
“Richie Lucas was, in my opinion, the best football player Penn State ever had,” said PA Theta alumnus and former alumni corporation president Tom Smith ’54. “He played in the days when ‘platoon substitution’ and specialty teams were not allowed. The team was allowed only so many substitutions per quarter, so most players played offense and defense, just as we had to when I played in high school in the late 40s. He did everything: pass, run, tackle, punt, return punts, everything.”
