Robert Lucas

Robert Lucas played football for Paulding High School for three years, 1940-42, during which time he established what was at that time believed to be a single season scoring record of 278 points his junior year.
Lucas played for only three years because in 1943 he was draft­ed and spent three years in the Navy.
He reportedly attended Ohio State University following his release from the Navy, but never played football.
He then went to the Army from 1948-52 where he played foot­ball overseas and received special recognition.
Lucas returned to Paulding and worked as a plasterer for several years until his death in 1981.
At a time when football was gaining continued popularity at the high school level, Lucas had several notable accomplishments.
During a game against Hicksville in 1942 the Paulding­Democrat reported, "The 190 pound junior fullback, without the scoring plays set up for him went out and scored 46 points against Hicksville and Paulding won 48-0."
Another issue of the paper carried a story about Lucas' 278 points in 1942 saying, "He has done in three years what the nation's best players have done in four years by scoring 475 points. Tom Harmon, from the University of Michigan scored 475 in his high school years at Gary, Indiana, and so did Billy Hillenbrand of Evansville."