David Lueking earned seven varsity letters as an athlete at Oakland City College, four in basketball and three in track.

Before finding his passion and settling into his long-term career as a high school basketball coach in Indiana, David embarked on several experiences after graduating from OCC, such as coaching basketball, baseball, track, and cross-country at Ireland High School, acting as head of athletic training and conditioning at Indiana University Pennsylvania, and athletic training and development at the University of Cincinnati.

In 1972, Lueking returned to Indiana as a high school teacher and assistant basketball coach at Vincennes Lincoln High School, where he was reunited with Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame coach Gunner Wyman, whom he had helped reach the state finals in 1961 as point guard of the Tell City High School Marksmen basketball team. 

Leuking then transitioned into teaching and coaching at South Knox High School, where he led the Spartans to two sectional championships in his three years as the head basketball coach, winning back to back in both 1976 and 1977.

From 1977-1983, he led basketball programs at Austin High School and Tell City High School, then returned to Austin High School as the head coach from 1983-1996, achieving unprecedented success during his tenure. Included in his two stints at AHS, Leuking led the basketball program to two sectional championships, including the first title in 86 years, one regional championship, and nine conference titles. 

In 1985, he was selected by the United States Department of State to represent America as a guest speaker and basketball ambassador in three countries in Africa, Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Mali. In 1989, he was the keynote speaker for the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) at the NCAA Final Four in Seattle, Washington, due to his role in the co-development of the unique "Rule Offense". This offense was later published in the NABC Basketball Magazine. 

In 1996, Lueking retired from both teaching and coaching at Austin High School, where he finished his career as the winningest basketball coach in Austin Eagle history. 

Lueking married the late Janis (Griffith) Lueking in 1969. Their children, Mark and Mandy, both had successful basketball careers at Austin High School. Mark was a member of the Indiana All-Star Basketball Team in 1992 before continuing his education and playing career at West Point (Army), where he was a three-time all-conference player. Mandy went on to play at St. Louis University, where shew as a two-time all-conference player. Both Mark and Mandy were recognized as members of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team in 2017 and 2021, respectively.