Mike Lucky
Encyclopedia
Michael Thomas Lucky is a former American football
tight end
for the Dallas Cowboys
of the National Football League
. He was selected in the seventh round (229th overall) in the 1999 NFL Draft
by the Cowboys. He played college football
at Arizona
.
where he played for antioch youth football and attended Antioch High School. While there, he served as team captain and recorded 36 receptions
for 650 yards and 11 touchdown
s, earning all-Northern California and all-state accolades as a senior
. He left high school rated as the 15th best tight end in the country by SuperPrep magazine.
where he was a two-year starter for the Wildcats. As a junior-starter, for the Insight.com Bowl champions, he finished fourth on the team with 13 receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns. As a senior, he finished fourth on the team with 11 receptions for 142 yards. He also added 40 knockdown blocks.
Lucky started 35 of the final 36 games of his college career, recording 43 career receptions for 563 yards and four touchdowns. He also earned his degree
in Political science
while at Arizona.
in the seventh round (229th overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft
.
got off to a difficult start as he suffered a stress fracture
in his left foot
on August 27 and was forced to miss five weeks. On October 3, he earned his first career start and first career reception, both against the Arizona Cardinals
. Lucky's sophomore season
with the Cowboys never got under-way as he tore the ACL
, MCL
and PCL
in his right knee
during the pre-season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers
. He underwent re-constructive surgery to repair the ligaments in his knee on August 1 and was placed on injured reserve
. After 12 months of hard work and rehab, he returned to action and earned starts in five-of-16 games in 2001
. His blocking helped bring about a resurgence in the Dallas running game that saw the Cowboys rank third in the league with 136.5 yards-per-game on the ground. As a receiver, he recorded 13 receptions for 96 yards and his first career touchdown. At season's end, he was selected as the club's Ed Block Courage Award recipient by his teammates. In 2002
, Lucky appeared in 16 games, starting none. He recorded one reception for 22 yards. That season would mark his final season with the Cowboys as well as a professional football player.
. He would also donate his time to Our Children's Center in Irving, Texas.
Lucky and wife Deanna have a daughter, Madison. Deanna was a member of the inaugural Dallas Desperados
Dancers team.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
for the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
of the National Football League
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...
. He was selected in the seventh round (229th overall) in the 1999 NFL Draft
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
by the Cowboys. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Arizona
Arizona Wildcats football
The Arizona Wildcats football team is the football team of the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level.-Early years:...
.
Early years
Lucky was born in Antioch, CaliforniaAntioch, California
Antioch is a city in Contra Costa County, California. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area along the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta, it is a suburb of San Francisco and Oakland. The city's population was 102,372 at the U.S...
where he played for antioch youth football and attended Antioch High School. While there, he served as team captain and recorded 36 receptions
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
for 650 yards and 11 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s, earning all-Northern California and all-state accolades as a senior
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
. He left high school rated as the 15th best tight end in the country by SuperPrep magazine.
College career
Lucky attended the University of ArizonaUniversity of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
where he was a two-year starter for the Wildcats. As a junior-starter, for the Insight.com Bowl champions, he finished fourth on the team with 13 receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns. As a senior, he finished fourth on the team with 11 receptions for 142 yards. He also added 40 knockdown blocks.
Lucky started 35 of the final 36 games of his college career, recording 43 career receptions for 563 yards and four touchdowns. He also earned his degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in Political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
while at Arizona.
NFL Draft
Lucky was selected by the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in the seventh round (229th overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
.
Dallas Cowboys
Lucky's rookie season1999 Dallas Cowboys season
-Regular season:The season would begin at Washington with a dramatic come-from-behind victory over the hated division rival Washington Redskins. After trailing by three touchdowns in the second half, free agent acquisition Rocket Ismail would pay immediate dividends for the team by hauling in the...
got off to a difficult start as he suffered a stress fracture
Stress fracture
A stress fracture is one type of incomplete fracture in bones. It is caused by "unusual or repeated stress" and also heavy continuous weight on the ankle or leg...
in his left foot
Foot
The foot is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made up of one or more segments or bones, generally including claws...
on August 27 and was forced to miss five weeks. On October 3, he earned his first career start and first career reception, both against the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Lucky's sophomore season
2000 Dallas Cowboys season
The 2000 Dallas Cowboys season would mark their 41st in the NFL and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would promote the team's long-time defensive coordinator, Dave Campo to be the fifth head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.-Offseason:...
with the Cowboys never got under-way as he tore the ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
, MCL
Medial collateral ligament
The medial collateral ligament of the knee is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. It is also known as the tibial collateral ligament, or abbreviated as the MCL.- Structure :It is a broad, flat, membranous band,...
and PCL
Posterior cruciate ligament
The posterior cruciate ligament is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It connects the posterior intercondylar area of the tibia to the medial condyle of the femur...
in his right knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
during the pre-season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
. He underwent re-constructive surgery to repair the ligaments in his knee on August 1 and was placed on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
. After 12 months of hard work and rehab, he returned to action and earned starts in five-of-16 games in 2001
2001 Dallas Cowboys season
-Regular season:An eventful off-season created a lot buzz but little change in the Cowboys' fortunes. Franchise quarterback Troy Aikman, after suffering a pair of concussions the previous season, was released by the team...
. His blocking helped bring about a resurgence in the Dallas running game that saw the Cowboys rank third in the league with 136.5 yards-per-game on the ground. As a receiver, he recorded 13 receptions for 96 yards and his first career touchdown. At season's end, he was selected as the club's Ed Block Courage Award recipient by his teammates. In 2002
2002 Dallas Cowboys season
-Offseason:Despite an off-season filled with promise, the season would again prove to be a disaster. Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator and head coach Bruce Coslet was brought in to run the offense for Dallas. Even though he was dismissed by Cincinnati, his history of high-powered...
, Lucky appeared in 16 games, starting none. He recorded one reception for 22 yards. That season would mark his final season with the Cowboys as well as a professional football player.
Personal
Off the field, Lucky has shown support for the Race for the Cure in the Dallas/Fort Worth, which benefits The Susan G. Komen for the CureSusan G. Komen for the Cure
Susan G. Komen for the Cure, formerly known as The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, often referred to as simply Komen, is the most widely known, largest and best-funded breast cancer organization in the US....
. He would also donate his time to Our Children's Center in Irving, Texas.
Lucky and wife Deanna have a daughter, Madison. Deanna was a member of the inaugural Dallas Desperados
Dallas Desperados
The Dallas Desperados were a professional Arena Football team. The Desperados played in the Southern Division of the now-defunct Arena Football League from 2002 to 2008....
Dancers team.