updated 7:33 p.m. ET April 11, 2005

LOS ANGELES - When Los Angeles Avengers lineman Al Lucas didn’t get up after making a tackle, teammate Greg Hopkins’ first reaction was to tease the burly player everyone called “Big Luke.”

Hopkins remembered how his teammate stayed down for several minutes a week earlier after making a tackle, only to be diagnosed with an injured pinkie finger.

But when Hopkins saw doctors remove Lucas’ face mask and stabilize his neck before carrying the 6-foot-1, 300-pounder from the field unconscious on a stretcher, he knew this was serious.

While the Avengers played on, the 26-year-old Lucas was pronounced dead Sunday at California Hospital Medical Center from a presumed spinal cord injury.

Lucas’ Arena Football League teammates didn’t learn of his death until after their 66-35 win over the New York Dragons.

On Monday, teammates gathered at the Avengers’ practice facility in Culver City, about 14 miles west of Los Angeles, to remember Lucas and reflect on the team’s future without him.

“We kind of expected that Al was in paralysis or still unconscious and that we’d go to the hospital and pray for him there, but we never expected to hear coach (Ed Hodgkiss) say that Al was pronounced dead,” Hopkins said. “It’s going to be tough, there’s no doubt about that.”

Quarterback John Kaleo played with Lucas two years ago on the Tampa Bay Storm when that team won the AFL championship. Kaleo said Monday that Lucas cherished his championship ring and was hoping to win another with the Avengers.

“The big fella was always easy to follow and now it’s going to be easy for us to unite and try to win this whole thing for him,” said Kaleo, who broke down, sobbing. “That’s one thing he cherished, football-wise, is wearing that ... ring. And if we could bring home that ring, it would mean a lot right now.”

Players and team officials said Lucas was a gentle giant with a sense of humor — a huge man who had tremendous religious faith and was a leader both on and off the field.

Lucas, who had a 1-year-old daughter with his wife, De’Shonda, participated in a weekly Bible study the team offered, rarely missed a practice and never missed a game, coach Ed Hodgkiss said.

He always knew when it was another player’s birthday and made sure to give him a Gatorade bath, the coach added.

“Al was a fun-loving guy, and as great a player as he was, I think he was a better person,” Hodgkiss said. “He had a great ability and with that ability came leadership.”

Lucas was fatally injured during a first-quarter kickoff return. Television replays showed him bending down to make a tackle. As the Dragons’ ball carrier and a blocker tumbled over his head and back, the blocker’s leg appeared to hit Lucas in the head. Lucas did not move after falling to the ground.

Team officials expressed surprise that the play had resulted in Lucas’ death and called it a tragic accident.

“This doesn’t happen,” Hodgkiss said. “This play, in my mind, wasn’t any different. I didn’t see or hear anything in my mind that was any different than what I’ve seen a million times.”

AFL commissioner David Baker said Lucas’ family, which was not at the game, was to arrive Monday night in Los Angeles from Macon, Ga. Baker said the team had received grief counseling and met with chaplains Monday; Dragons players were to receive similar counseling on Tuesday.

The AFL Players Association was also establishing a trust fund for Lucas’ family, Baker said.

Hopkins said the team gathered for a barbecue late Sunday after Lucas’ death to talk about their feelings.

“The team went home last night and we sat around our apartment complex and talked about it there,” the 33-year-old Hopkins said as he fought back tears. “We got some things out in the open and were able to discuss it and deal with it a little bit better.”

Lucas was well-known in Macon, where he was born and lived. His father is state Rep. David Lucas, and his mother, Elaine, is on the Macon City Council. His younger brother Lenny plays for the Macon Knights in AFL’s minor league.

Lucas played college football at Troy State University in Alabama from 1996-99. He was named the top defensive player in NCAA Division I-AA his senior season.

He played for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers in 2000-01, recording 49½ tackles in 20 games.

Lucas joined Tampa Bay in 2003, recording 19½ tackles in 13 games and helping the Storm to a 12-4 record and a victory over Arizona in the championship game. He joined the Avengers last year and was under contract through the 2006 season.

The Avengers return to action Sunday at Nashville.