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MIKE MARSEE

Contributing writer

Robbie Lucas, a former Lincoln County football player and coach who led Somerset to a state championship, has died at age 50.

The Commonwealth Journal in Somerset reported that Lucas, who has been Somerset’s coach for the past 14 seasons, died Sunday. He had been battling an illness throughout the season; WPBK-FM of Stanford reported that he died of cancer.

Lucas coached at Lincoln County in 2002 and ’03 and continued to live in Lincoln County even after leaving his alma mater. He won the Class 2A championship at Somerset in 2019, the school’s first KHSAA football championship.

He spent more than 20 seasons with the Somerset program, including the last 14 as head coach. The Briar Jumpers’ season ended Friday with a loss to Lexington Christian in the second round of the Class 2A playoffs; Lucas was not at the game.

“The Somerset Independent School System and the entire Somerset Community mourn the passing of Coach Robbie Lucas,” Somerset Independent Schools superintendent Kyle Lively said in a statement. “He was an outstanding football coach, an excellent teacher, and an even better person. Coach Lucas always put others before himself and made countless sacrifices for the betterment of his players, coaches, and students. The positive impact Robbie made on everyone around him is immeasurable and will span for decades to come through the success of his players and students. The world lost a great football coach and a fantastic man. Coach Lucas will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Nicole, his daughters Molly, and Maddie as well as his entire family.”

Lucas played at Lincoln from 1986-89 and graduated from the school in 1990.

He had previously been an assistant coach at Somerset before being hired at Lincoln County in 2002, and he returned to the staff there as an assistant coach in 2004 and was named head coach in 2009.

He had a career record of 118-78, including 114-62 at Somerset.