Al Lucas Albert Lucas ( September 1 , 1978 – April 10 , 2005 ) was an American football player in the National Football League and Arena Football League who died during a game while playing for the Los Angeles Avengers . Early life and college career . Lucas was born in Macon , Georgia ; his father was Georgia State Representative David Lucas and his mother was Macon City Councilwoman Elaine Lucas . He attended and played football for Northeast High School . While there , he set the school record with a 440 - pound ( 200 - kg ) bench press . Nicknamed " Big Luke " , he went on to play college football at Troy State University . Lucas also served as an assistant football coach at Northeast High . He was married to De ' Shonda Lucas with one daughter , Mariah . He was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity . At Troy State , Lucas was a standout player . In his senior year ( 1999 ) , he won the Buck Buchanan Award as the most outstanding defensive player in NCAA Division I - AA . He was also honored with unanimous All America and All - Southland Football League first team selections that year , in which he compiled 126 tackles ( twenty for losses ) , 15 " quarterback hurries " , four sacks , and two forced fumbles . Lucas played a total of 43 games for the Trojans , and finished his college career with 255 tackles ( thirty - six for losses ) , 25 quarterback hurries , and 11 . 5 sacks . In addition , he saw some limited action at running back in his junior and senior seasons , scoring seven touchdowns . Professional football career . NFL career . Lucas played in twenty games for the Carolina Panthers over the course of the 2000 and 2001 NFL seasons . He totaled 49 . 5 tackles , three quarterback hurries , two batted down passes , a forced fumble , and a sack . He was selected by the Frankfurt Galaxy with the fourth overall pick in the 2003 NFL Europa free - agent draft , but chose instead to begin his AFL career with the Tampa Bay Storm . AFL career . In his rookie season with Tampa Bay , Lucas was an immediate impact on his new team . He had 19 . 5 tackles , three for losses , 1 . 5 sacks , a blocked kick , and a safety , and was a major factor in the Storm ' s ArenaBowl victory over the Arizona Rattlers . He was named to the AFL ' s All - Rookie team , In the 2004 season , Lucas played in all 16 games for the Avengers and led the team ' s linemen with 18 . 5 tackles . He also had three quarterback sacks , three fumble recoveries ( one for a touchdown ) , two batted down passes , a forced fumble , and a safety . Death . On April 10 , 2005 in a game against the New York Dragons , Lucas got tackled by Corey Johnson during a kickoff return with 10 : 17 to go in the first quarter . Replays showed that Johnson ' s knee hit Lucas ' helmet , and Lucas did not move again after falling to the ground . Later replays and reports showed nothing abnormal on the play . Dr . William Lang , the team internist , attempted to revive him on the field . He appeared to suffer a spinal cord injury . After being treated for approximately a half hour at Staples Center , Lucas was rushed to nearby California Hospital Medical Center , where he died at 1 : 28pm PDT . At the time of his death , no player had ever been declared dead during the course of a football game . It is unknown whether Lucas died on the field , or after treatment failed . An autopsy revealed that he died of blunt force trauma and an upper spinal cord injury . Approximately half an hour after the game concluded , Lucas ' death was confirmed by Avengers ' primary team physician , Luga Podesta , " During the game today , Al Lucas suffered a presumed spinal cord injury and was brought to California Hospital where all attempts to revive him were unsuccessful . He was pronounced dead at 1 : 28 p . m . " Legacy . The Avengers retired Lucas ' number 76 during the 2006 season , the Tampa Bay Storm created the Mariah Lucas Scholarship Fund to benefit Lucas ' daughter and wife and the Lucas family themselvesstarted an Al Lucas Memorial Scholarship Fund which provides college scholarships to high school athletes . Avengers ' owner , Casey Wasserman , contributed to the scholarship fund but Lucas ' impact has extended far beyond his biological and immediate football families . The Maxwell Football Club named its Arena Football League Player of the Year Award in honor of Lucas . The East Macon Park Little League field where Lucas played baseball was renamed Albert James Lucas " Big Luke " Memorial Field in 2006 , and the AFL has renamed its Hero Award the Al Lucas Award . Years after his death , and that of the AFL itself , Lucas ' death was remembered .