free agent contracts in NFL

From Special Reports

Troy State continues its contributions to National Football League teams this spring as defensive end Aaron Fields (Notasulga, Ala.) and tight end Lenny Lucas (Macon, Ga.) signed late Monday with the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, respectively. Fields and Lucas are the 17th and 18th Trojans all-time to sign free agent NFL contracts upon completion of his eligibility.

Fields (6-3, 243) led TSU with seven sacks in 1999 earning All-Southland Football League honors. Overall, he had 54 tackles with 14 for loss, 21 quarterback hurries, three pass breakups, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. He played as a reserve in 1998 before claiming the starting spot last spring.

Lucas (6-1, 255) had seven catches during the 1999 regular season for 142 yards (20.3 ypc) and two touchdowns including a 52-yarder against archrival Jacksonville State. An outstanding blocker, Lenny had 111 knockdown blocks during the season, an average of just over 10 per game.

He caught three passes in two playoff games for 38 yards. In the Trojans’ last five games, he caught seven passes for 140 yards and a touchdown.

Fields and Lucas join draft picks Michael "Mookie" Moore (Fayette, Ala.), a fourth-round selection of Washington, and Mareno Philyaw (Atlanta, Ga.), a sixth-round pick by Atlanta, along with San Diego signee Eric Sloan (Atlanta, Ga.) as 1999 Trojans moving on to the NFL.