Lucky Radley has been on Utah’s roster since 2010, but his presence on the field has been minimal — until now.
In just four games, Radley has more than tripled his career numbers in yards and touchdowns. When he gets the ball, he’s been making things happen. Whether he’s breaking out for a 15-yard reception to spark Utah’s offensive tear against Oregon State or adding to the pile of points with two touchdowns against Weber State, Radley is becoming a potent option at back.
On the field he’s intense, but in person, he’s a nice guy who puts his family and friends above all. Lucky took some time to hang out with me after Thursday’s practice at the Spence and Cleone Eccles Football Center, telling me about his life and giving me advice on getting more Instagram followers.
 
CM: Lucky is a pretty cool name. Is there a good story about how you got that?
Lucky: It’s nothin’ too crazy. My mom thought she was done having kids after four and she ended up having two more, so my little brother should’ve been Lucky, but she always just said I was her lucky child.
 
CM: Speaking of your mom, you have the tattoos on your arms that say “Momma’s Boy,” so she’s obviously a big part of your life, right?
Lucky: Yeah, she’s my best friend. She’s everything. She’s a strong woman, and I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for her. She’s a big part of the reason why I came to college and she’s my everything.
 
CM: You’ve already got your bachelor’s degree, and now you’re doing your master’s. What’s that like, doing school and football?
Lucky: It’s tough. It’s different, a lot different than my undergrad. All my classes, instead of having 160 kids, I might have eight or six students in a class. So that shocked me the most. Other than that, it’s good. It’s nice and intimate. It’s smaller, and there’s a lot of one-on-one time.
 
CM: You’re from Inglewood, California. The first thing I think of is Dr. Dre. Is it as gangster as he would have us believe?
Lucky: It’s a tough area to grow up in … but that was home for me. It shaped me into the person that I am today. It’s not too tough, you know, it can be if you’re not doing the right things, but if you keep your life on the right track … it is what you make it I guess.
 
CM: You’ve been in Utah for a few years now. What’s the biggest difference between Utah and California?
Lucky: Oooh, it’s a big difference. Definitely traded the beach for the mountains. I think just the culture, and it’s too many things to name. On Sunday, everything’s closed out here. Out there, Sunday’s just another day. Everything out here is closed really early, and out there you can find anything you want 24 hours a day. There’s not a lot in common, but it’s good — it’s a good change. I like it.
 
CM: What do you like about Utah the most?
Lucky: I do snowboard in winter. I try to. You know, we’re always busy grindin’ in the weight room and, you know, always workin’ out, but when I do have some off-time I try to get up there. But I would say what I like about Utah is how slow it is, there’s not a lot of people … In L.A. it’s so overpopulated with people and there’s just a lot going on … Out here, everybody is just so cool and down to earth. It’s very different from L.A. A lot of people are nicer out here.
 
CM: What do you miss about California?
Lucky: My family definitely. My family, my friends. That’s a big part of everything, just my family. But they come to a lot of games, so they try to make it not too difficult for me. You know, I got that support there. Plus we play USC, UCLA and Stanford in California, so I get to go home a lot. But it’s not too bad, I do miss it, that’s my home, but I’m not, like, dyin’.
 
CM: How does it feel to be getting some carries this season?
Lucky: It’s a blessing just getting the opportunity. In the offseason just workin’ hard, and you never know what could happen … Just like Kenneth Scott, that’s one of my best friends, and he went down after the first series, the first couple minutes of the game. So, you never know when your number’s gonna get called, and so I just try to stay ready for when my number’s called and just make the best of it.
 
CM: Speaking of your number, you’re number 44 and your Instagram name is Mr.44. What’s the significance of that number?
Lucky: Actually my brother that passed away, he played football and he was number 44. I’m just trying to live through him and just continue his dreams because he would want to do this.
 
CM: You’ve obviously got a lot of tattoos. What’s your favorite one?
Lucky: I would probably say my chest. I got my chest done, and I got a Bible verse. The scripture says Phillipians 4:13, and that’s ‘all things are possible through Christ who strengthens me’ … It just reminds me that anything is possible.
 
CM: You’ve got 10,000 followers on Instagram. Why do you think you’re so popular?
Lucky: I don’t know. All the pictures I see, I like. And, you know, Ute Nation, all the fans, I always try to write them back or comment back … Whoever writes or comments [on my photos] I try to just talk to everybody.
 
CM: Former Bears wide receiver Curtis Conway is your uncle. Do you keep in touch with him?
Lucky: I talk to him every week, before every game. He’s already been where I’m tryin’ to get to. Any advice I need or anything I’m having trouble with, any questions that I have … he’s a mentor.
 
CM: You always say “Let’s Get It” on your Instagram photos. What does that phrase mean to you?
Lucky: LGI has been kind of a credo for me. I actually started it when I was in high school, I was a freshman in high school. Me and my boy Blake Stanton, he’s at Oregon right now … Whatever you do, it’s just LGI. It’s just kind of motivational. Some people thought it was like a clique or crew or somethin’. It’s just LGI. You go in to class, let’s get it, let’s get good grades, let’s get this win, you know.