Mike Lucci
Encyclopedia
Mike Lucci is a former National Football League
player for the Cleveland Browns
for 3 seasons from 1962 to 1964 and 9 seasons with the Detroit Lions
from 1965 to 1973. Lucci played collegiately at the University of Tennessee
and for one year at the University of Pittsburgh
.
He was a 6'2", 230-pound middle linebacker
known for his ability to play through injury. Lucci’s defensive coverage abilities earned him a total of 21 career interceptions with Detroit. He returned four of those interceptions for touchdowns. Lucci was voted by his teammates the Lions’ Defensive Most Valuable Player
from 1969-1971. In addition, he was All-NFL in 1969, NFC All-Conference in 1970-1971. Lucci was named to the Pro Bowl
following the 1971 season where he intercepted five passes, two of which he returned for touchdowns.
Lucci also appeared in the film based on the George Plimpton
book Paper Lion
. The 1968 film starred Alan Alda
, Lauren Hutton
, and several Detroit Lion football players.
From 1976-78 Lucci served as color commentator
for Lions broadcasts on WJR
radio.
which at the time was the largest commercial operator of fitness centers in the United States
.
and Palm Beach County, Florida
.
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player for the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
for 3 seasons from 1962 to 1964 and 9 seasons with the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
from 1965 to 1973. Lucci played collegiately at the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
and for one year at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
.
He was a 6'2", 230-pound middle linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
known for his ability to play through injury. Lucci’s defensive coverage abilities earned him a total of 21 career interceptions with Detroit. He returned four of those interceptions for touchdowns. Lucci was voted by his teammates the Lions’ Defensive Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
from 1969-1971. In addition, he was All-NFL in 1969, NFC All-Conference in 1970-1971. Lucci was named to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
following the 1971 season where he intercepted five passes, two of which he returned for touchdowns.
Lucci also appeared in the film based on the George Plimpton
George Plimpton
George Ames Plimpton was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review.-Early life:...
book Paper Lion
Paper Lion
Paper Lion, published in 1966, is a non-fiction book by prominent American writer George Plimpton.In 1960, Plimpton, not a professional athlete, arranged to pitch to a lineup of baseball stars in an All-Star exhibition, presumably to answer the question, "How would the average man off of the street...
. The 1968 film starred Alan Alda
Alan Alda
Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...
, Lauren Hutton
Lauren Hutton
Lauren Hutton is an American model and actress. She is best-known for her starring roles in the movies American Gigolo and Lassiter, and also for her fashion modeling career.-Personal life:...
, and several Detroit Lion football players.
From 1976-78 Lucci served as color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for Lions broadcasts on WJR
WJR
WJR is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It broadcasts a news/talk format. It is a class A clear channel station whose broadcasts can be heard throughout most of the Midwest, eastern United States and Canada at night, making it one of the most powerful radio stations in the...
radio.
Business career
After retiring from the NFL Lucci was a successful business executive and entrepreneur. He is the former president of Bally Total FitnessBally Total Fitness
Bally Total Fitness is an American fitness club chain which operates 100 gyms, in several U.S. states. In November of 2011, competitor L.A. Fitness took over operation of 171 former Bally locations...
which at the time was the largest commercial operator of fitness centers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Currently
Lucci divides his time between homes in MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and Palm Beach County, Florida
Palm Beach County, Florida
Palm Beach County is the largest county in the state of Florida in total area, and third in population. As of 2010, the county's estimated population was 1,320,134, making it the twenty-eighth most populous in the United States...
.