From Worcester To Super Bowl LIV: Coaches Remember Chiefs Player

WORCESTER, MA — Jordan Lucas is best known as a safety for the Kansas City Chiefs. But it was his performance with the Worcester Academy girls basketball team several years ago that stands out for one of his former coaches.

Between being a star football and his academics, Lucas was the girls' basketball team manager. Lucas would take the time to give pep talks, but he also gained insight on what it's like to be a coach, which just added to his skills on the football field, said Wayne Bolden, who is still a coach at Worcester Academy.

"He was a great individual," Bolden said this week. "He was just smooth."

On Sunday, Lucas will take the field with the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers. It'll be the biggest stage Lucas has ever seen since graduating from Worcester Academy in 2012.

Former Worcester Academy David Dykeman recruited Lucas, now 26, after he graduated from New Rochelle High School. Lucas was in need of a post-graduate year, and Dykeman, now the football coach at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut, jumped on the chance to have him.

"Right away I got on the phone with the [New Rochelle] high school coach," Dykeman remembers.

Lucas was immediately a standout player at Worcester Academy. He was also part of a team that included players who would ascend to the NFL, including Marlborough native Canaan Severin (Steelers, Giants), Steven Wayne Daniels (Washington), and John Robinson-Woodgett (Saints).

During the 2011 football season, Lucas played all over the field, from running back to special teams. A game against the Northfield Mount Hermon School stands out to Dykeman. He watched Lucas return two punts for touchdowns, pick up an interception, and score a third touchdown.

"I knew he was a great player. I'm not sure I knew then that he'd be playing in the Super Bowl, but I knew he was talented," Dykeman said.

After Worcester Academy, Lucas played for Penn State as a cornerback and safety. He was drafted in 2016 by the Miami Dolphins before the Chiefs picked him up in 2018. He signed a $1.2 million contract in 2019 and played in seven games — including on Dec. 8 against the Patriots where he got a tackle assist (and the Chiefs won 23-16).

And even though both Dykeman and Bolden are Patriots fans, they'll definitely be rooting for Lucas and the Chiefs on Sunday.

"Whenever Kansas City is on TV, I look for him out on the field," Bolden said.

"I am a New England guy, but this week I'm rooting for the Chiefs," Dykeman said.

If you want to see Jordan Lucas play, Super Bowl LIV kickoff is 6:30 p.m. on Sunday on Fox 25. Watch for No. 24 during kickoffs and punt returns.