Al Lucas picked for Troy Hall of Fame

Former Northeast star Al Lucas will be one of six former Troy athletes in an eight-person class to be inducted into the Troy Sports Hall of Fame on April 9. It is the university's fifth hall of fame class.

Lucas was a two-time All-American and winner of the 1999 Buck Buchanan Award, which goes to the top defensive player in the nation at the FCS level. He finished his senior season with 129 tackles and 20 tackles for loss. As a junior, Lucas had 65 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 4-1/2 sacks. He also was used on offense in goal-line situations and rushed for nine touchdowns on 26 carries.

Lucas played 20 games for the Carolina Panthers in the NFL from 2000-01 and was the fourth overall pick in the 2003 NFL Europe draft. Instead, he played in the Arena Football League and was named to the AFL All-Rookie Team.

Lucas died in 2005 after an injury suffered in an AFL game, and the league renamed its hero award to the Al Lucas Award.

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 6:40 PM with the headline "Al Lucas picked for Troy Hall of Fame."