Virginia Tech football: 50 days til kickoff with a look back at Ki Luczak

Today is July 12, 2019, which means we are officially just 50 days away from the Virginia Tech Hokies opening the college football season at Boston College. And we are halfway through this countdown. Remember when we started this countdown at No. 99 back in May? The season seemed so far away. We are close, folks.

Yesterday, we profiled former All-ACC linebacker, Bruce Taylor. For No. 50, we look at another outstanding Hokie linebacker, Casimir “Ki” Luczak. Luczak played for Virginia Tech all the way back in 1949, where he spent four years on the football team as a hard-hitting, playmaking linebacker.

During Luczak’s time in Blacksburg, he was regarded as one of the best linebackers in the country. While statistics weren’t recorded in that era, folks around the program spoke about how dominant of a defender Luczak was. He was all over the field, unfortunately, Luczak played on some pretty bad Hokie teams. In 1951, Luczak was named the most outstanding football player in Virginia and also received the Williams Award, given to a Virginia Tech athlete who showed outstanding leadership both on and off the field.

The Hokies won one game in 1949 and went winless in 1950. For a short time, Luczak was teammates with future NFL legend and Virginia Tech Hall-of-Famer, George Preas. They were Tech’s top players during 1951 and 1952. Much like Preas, Luczak had an opportunity to further his career in the NFL, however, he had made a commitment to the Air Force after his time at Virginia Tech was complete.

Luczak stayed on campus for one more year after his last game. Luczak would serve two years in the Air Force as a second lieutenant after his time with the Hokies. In 2000, Luczak took his rightful place in the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.

After his playing career and time in the military, Luczak would go on to become a successful businessman and was celebrated as a national leader in the life insurance industry.

Luczak passed away in 2014 at the age of 86. While Luczak passed away in Charlotte, he lived in his beloved Roanoke for over 58 years. It’s important for all of Hokie Nation to remember players like Ki Luczak who helped pave the way for guys like Frank Beamer, Bruce Smith, Michael Vick and the players of today.