Ed Lucas
Ed Lucas | |
|---|---|
 Lucas with Alex Rodriguez | |
| Born | Edward Joseph Lucas Jr. January 3, 1939[1]: 3 |
| Died | November 10, 2021 (aged 82) Livingston, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Education | Seton Hall University |
| Occupation | Sportswriter |
| Years active | 1964–2021 |
| Known for | Sports reporter |
| Spouse | Allison Pfeifle |
| Children | 2 |
Edward Joseph Lucas Jr.[1]: 2 (January 3, 1939 – November 10, 2021) was an American blind sportswriter who primarily covered the New York Yankees.
Early life and injury
[edit]Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Lucas grew up in Weehawken, New Jersey and attended St. Joseph's School for the Blind in Jersey City.[1][2] Lucas was blind from 1951, when he was 12 years old. He was pitching in a pickup game on October 3, 1951—the day of Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World"— when a line drive hit him in the face.[3] The accident resulted in the loss of his sight.[4] From 1964, Lucas was a reporter and broadcaster.[5] He was an alumnus of Seton Hall University, having received a bachelor's degree in communication arts.[6]
Career
[edit]Lucas covered the Yankees for over six decades. In 2015, he covered his 60th consecutive Opening Day at Yankee Stadium.[7]
Lucas was featured in Bleacher Boys, a 2009 documentary about blind baseball fans,[8][9] and in an April 2018 episode of SC Featured on ESPN.[10]
Personal life and death
[edit]Lucas married his first wife in 1965, and they had two children, Edward and Christopher. His wife left him in 1972.
In 1979, his ex-wife returned seeking custody of their children. On September 25, 1980, Lucas was awarded full and complete custody of his children, becoming the first man in New Jersey to win a custody battle, and the first disabled person in the country to win custody from a non-disabled spouse.[11]
In 2006, Lucas and his second wife, Allison Pfeifle, were the first couple to be married on the field of Yankee Stadium; they had been introduced to each other by Phil Rizzuto.[12]
A resident of Union Township, Union County, New Jersey, Lucas died from pulmonary fibrosis on November 10, 2021, at the age of 82.[13][14]
Works
[edit]- Lucas, Ed; Lucas, Christopher (2015). Seeing Home: The Ed Lucas Story: A Blind Broadcaster's Story of Overcoming Life's Greatest Obstacles. Gallery/Jeter Publishing. ISBN 978-1476785837.
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Lucas, Ed; Lucas, Christopher (April 21, 2015). Seeing Home: The Ed Lucas Story: A Blind Broadcaster's Story of Overcoming Life's Greatest Obstacles. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781476785851 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "On The Streets Where We Live". Hudson Reporter. August 14, 2007. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
- ↑ Dotson, Bob (April 12, 2006). "Baseball a field of dreams for blind reporter". Today.
- ↑ Coyne, Kevin (March 18, 2007). "Baseball Stole His Eyes, but Not His Passion". The New York Times.
- ↑ "The Ed Lucas Show". yesnetwork.com. September 19, 2008.
- ↑ "Lucas wasn't blind to lifelong ambition". The Central New Jersey Home News. November 1, 1977. p. 7. Retrieved April 2, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ Rasko-Martinis, Garrett. "Derek Jeter congratulates Journal columnist Ed Lucas on covering 60th straight opening day at Yankee Stadium". nj.com. Advance Local Media,LLC. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ "Bleacher Boys (2009)". IMDb. 18 September 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
- ↑ "Bleacher Boys". 30 October 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2018 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Zucker, Harvey (March 29, 2018). "Baseball columnist Ed Lucas to be featured on ESPN". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
- ↑ "Ed's History". theedlucasfoundation.org. The Ed Lucas Foundation. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ "A home run in Yankee Stadium". Independent Record. Helena, Montana. March 11, 2006. p. 2. Retrieved April 2, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ Zucker, Harvey (November 10, 2021). "Ed Lucas, blind sports journalist and inspiration to so many, dies at 82". The Jersey Journal.
- ↑ Sandomir, Richard (November 16, 2021). "Ed Lucas, Blind Baseball Chronicler, Is Dead at 82". The New York Times.
Further reading
[edit]- Hague, Jim (June 24, 2008). "The ultimate honor for Jersey City's Lucas 'Strikeouts for Scholarships' program honors blind sports journalist". The Hudson Reporter.
- Matthews, Jill (September 17, 2008). "As He Sees It' The Baseball Life of Ed Lucas". Seton Hall University. Archived from the original on 2014-03-09. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
- Walk, John (July 28, 2011). "Ed Lucas, well-known sports journalist and speaker, comes to York". ForSight Vision. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
- Zucker, Harvey (July 5, 2009). "Hudson's Ed Lucas named to Irish-American Baseball Hall of Fame". NJ.com. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
- "His Special View Of Baseball In Spite Of Blindness, Ed Lucas Reports On The Game". philly-archives. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014.
- "Strikeouts for Scholarships - Seton Hall University, New Jersey".
- "Rizzuto, Yankee Hall of Famer, dies at age 89". ESPN.com. August 14, 2007.
- "Ed Lucas". Premiere Speakers Bureau. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
External links
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- 1939 births
- 2021 deaths
- American male writers
- American broadcasters
- New York Yankees announcers
- New York Mets announcers
- American blind people
- Seton Hall University alumni
- Writers from Jersey City, New Jersey
- People from Weehawken, New Jersey
- People from Union Township, Union County, New Jersey
- American sportswriter stubs
- American journalist, 1930s birth stubs