Lucas, a three-time All-American and two-time National Player of the Year at Ohio State, played his home games at St. John Arena.
Credit: Harvey Eugene Smith
Credit: Harvey Eugene Smith
When contacted at his home in Gallipolis, Ohio. Lucas, 85, said he was “very humbled and very honored” that OSU selected him for its next statue.
He will be the fourth OSU legend to be have a bronze statue, joining Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens, legendary football coach Woody Hayes and two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin.
He called that trio “great company.”
When asked where this honor ranks with his other accolades, Lucas said “at the top of the heap.”
He finished his career as Ohio State’s all-time leading scorer with 1,990 points across three seasons. Freshmen were illegible to play varsity during his tenure with the Buckeyes.
He’s now tied for third in all-time scoring with William Buford, both of whom trail Dennis Hopson’s 2,096 points and Herb Williams’ 2,011 points.
His No. 13 jersey is retired at MHS and his No. 11 jersey is retired at OSU.
More than six decades after Lucas left college, he’s still the school’s all-time leading rebounder. He recorded 1,411 rebounds in his career, an average of 17.2 rebounds per game. His 78 double-doubles are also a program record.
During his three seasons at OSU, the Buckeyes went 78-6 and won the program’s only national championship in 1960 and finished as the national runner-up in 1961 and 1962.
While at OSU, Lucas said he was contacted by Hayes, whom he called “Mr. Hayes,” about providing study guides to the football team.
When Hayes told Lucas his learning systems might work, Lucas told him: “They do work.”
After Lucas won a NBA championship with the New York Knicks in 1972-73, he became the first player to win a high school state title, NCAA title, Olympic gold medal and professional title.
The basketball court at Sunset Park, where the legend of Lucas grew before he played high school, and the court at Wade E. Miller Arena are named after him. Signs around Middletown also welcome visitors to the birthplace of Lucas.
He scored 2,460 during his three-year career with the Middies and he played in the mid-1950s when high school freshmen were ineligible to play varsity and before the three-point line. He averaged 32 points per game and rarely played an entire game because of blowouts.
In the NBA, he averaged, 17 points, 15.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
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