 Lewis with theBaltimore Ravens in 2006 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 31 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1979-08-26)August 26, 1979 (age 46) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Douglass (Atlanta) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Tennessee (1997–1999) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2000: 1st round, 5th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Jamal Lewis (born August 26, 1979) is an American former professionalfootball player who was arunning back in theNational Football League (NFL) for theBaltimore Ravens andCleveland Browns. He playedcollege football for theTennessee Volunteers and was selected fifth overall by the Ravens in the2000 NFL draft. After spending his first seven seasons with the Ravens, Lewis signed afree agent contract with theCleveland Browns before the2007 season and retired after the2009 season.
Lewis is best known for his career as a Raven, where he contributed to the team winningSuper Bowl XXXV as a rookie. He is the youngest player to both play in and win a Super Bowl. Lewis is also known for his outstanding2003 season, where he rushed for 2,066 yards (third-most all-time, behindEric Dickerson andAdrian Peterson) and was namedAP NFL Offensive Player of the Year. That same year, Lewis also rushed for 295 yards in one game, which was the single-game record until Adrian Peterson rushed for 296 yards in2007 against theSan Diego Chargers. Lewis was inducted into theRavens Ring of Honor in 2012.
Lewis attendedDouglass High School inAtlanta, Georgia, where he was a letterman infootball and track.[1][2] Lewis was rated as the top running back prospect in the nation by Super Prep. Prep Star rated him as the No. 2 southern RB. Lewis rushed for 25 touchdowns as a senior and earned AAAA All-State and All-City honors. He was named MVP of the Georgia-Florida All-Star Game, with 137 yards on 11 carries, for a 12.4 average, and two touchdowns. Lewis gained 1,923 yards and scored 28 touchdowns as a junior and 1,240 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore. In his three years as a starter, he rushed for a school-record 4,879 yards and 68 touchdowns, plus had a 9.7-yard average per carry.[citation needed] While at Douglass, Lewis converted from afullback to the starting running back.
Intrack & field, Lewis was a standout sprinter. He got personal-best times of 10.84 seconds in the100 meters and 22.04 seconds in the200 meters. He was also a member of the4 × 100 m (42.14s) relay squad.[3]
As a freshman at Tennessee in 1997, Lewis rushed for 1,364 yards and seven touchdowns.[4] For his efforts, he was named first-team Freshman All-America byThe Sporting News and second-team All-SEC by theAssociated Press. In the 1997 season, quarterbackPeyton Manning caught a 10-yard pass from Lewis againstArkansas.[5] In 1998, Lewis suffered a tornlateral collateral ligament in his right knee and missed the rest of the season.[6] He returned in 1999 and had 816 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns.[7][8] In his three-year career at theUniversity of Tennessee, Lewis rushed for 2,677 yards and accounted for 3,161 all-purpose. Lewis ranks fifth on the university's list of all-time rushers.[9]
| Season | Team | GP | Rushing | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | TD | |||
| 1997 | Tennessee | 12 | 232 | 1,364 | 5.9 | 7 | 23 | 266 | 2 |
| 1998 | Tennessee | 5 | 73 | 497 | 6.8 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 1 |
| 1999 | Tennessee | 10 | 182 | 816 | 4.5 | 7 | 15 | 193 | 1 |
| Career | 27 | 487 | 2,677 | 5.5 | 17 | 39 | 475 | 4 | |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Bench press | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft11+3⁄4 in (1.82 m) | 240 lb (109 kg) | 32 in (0.81 m) | 10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) | 23 reps | ||||||||
| All values fromNFL Combine[10][11] | ||||||||||||
Regarded as the best available tailback alongsideThomas Jones, Lewis was selected in the first round with the fifth overall pick in the2000 NFL draft by theBaltimore Ravens.[12][13]
Lewis made his NFL debut in Week 1 against thePittsburgh Steelers. He had five carries for 16 yards in the 16–0 victory.[14] He made his first start in Week 3 against theMiami Dolphins.[15] He had 25 carries for 116 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in Week 4 against theCincinnati Bengals in a 37–0 victory.[16] On November 19, in Week 12, against theDallas Cowboys, Lewis became the youngest player since 1960 to record 200 yards from scrimmage (21 years, 82 days); since broken byKenny Britt in2009, andJuJu Smith-Schuster in2017.[17] In the following game, against the Cleveland Browns, he had 30 carries for 170 rushing yards in the 44–7 victory.[18] In his rookie season, he rushed for 1,364 yards and six touchdowns, supplantingPriest Holmes as the team's starting running back.[15] He was named the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[19]
In theWild Card Round against theDenver Broncos, Lewis had 30 carries for 110 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 21–3 victory.[20] In theDivisional Round against theTennessee Titans, he had a rushing touchdown in the 24–10 victory.[21] In theAFC Championship against theOakland Raiders, he had 100 scrimmage yards in the 16–3 victory.[22] The Ravens' running game and punishing defense earned them their first Super Bowl when they defeated theNew York Giants 34–7 inSuper Bowl XXXV.[23] Lewis rushed for 103 yards and scored atouchdown in the game, becoming only the second rookie ever to rush for over 100 yards in a Super Bowl and the youngest player to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl (21). Lewis also became the youngest player to ever win a Super Bowl; he was 21 years and 155 days old on the day of the game. He brokeTony Hill's 23-year-old record; Hill had been 21 years and 206 days old on January 15, 1978, when theCowboys beat theBroncos 27–10 inSuper Bowl XII.[24][25]
Lewis missed the 2001 NFL season due to an ACL tear and MCL sprain that he sustained in training camp.[26]
In Week 5 of the 2002 season, against theCleveland Browns, he had 26 carries for 187 rushing yards and five receptions for 26 receiving yards in the 26–21 victory.[27] In the following game against theIndianapolis Colts, he had 126 scrimmage yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 22–20 loss.[28] In Week 10, against theCincinnati Bengals, he had 21 carries for 135 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 38–27 victory.[29] In the 2002 season, Lewis appeared in 16 games and started 15. He finished with 308 carries for 1,327 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns to go along with 47 receptions for 442 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.[30]
On September 14, 2003, Lewis brokeCorey Dillon's single-game rushing record of 278 yards by running for 295 yards in Week 2 against theCleveland Browns.[31] Lewis's record-breaking game earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 2.[32] Lewis's record-breaking game started a streak of six consecutive games going over 100 rushing yards.[33] The streak included two games with over 150 scrimmage yards, Week 4 against theKansas City Chiefs and Week 8 against theDenver Broncos.[34][35] In Week 14, against theCincinnati Bengals, he had 30 carries for 180 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in the 31–13 victory.[36] In Week 16, against the Cleveland Browns, he had 22 carries for 205 rushing yards in the 35–0 victory.[37] He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for Week 16.[38] For the month of December, he earned AFC Offensive Player of the Month.[39] Lewis was rewarded for his 2003 season performance by being namedNFL Offensive Player of the Year by theAssociated Press.[40] Lewis's single-game rushing record was later broken byAdrian Peterson of theMinnesota Vikings on November 4, 2007, when he ran for 296 yards against theSan Diego Chargers.[41] He was named to the Pro Bowl and earned first team All-Pro honors.[42][43] In the 2003 season, Lewis led the NFL in rushing with 2,066 yards, falling just 40 yards short of officially breaking the all-time single-season rushing record, which remainsEric Dickerson's 2,105 record-breaking yards in 1984.[44] Lewis became the fifth running back to join the2,000 rushing yards club.[45] In addition, he tallied 14 rushing touchdowns.[33] He was named MVP and Offensive Player of the Year by the PFWA.[46][47]
In Week 3 of the 2004 season, Lewis had 18 carries for 186 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown to go with a 46-yard reception in the 23–9 victory over theCincinnati Bengals.[48] In Week 17, he had 34 carries for 167 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 30–23 victory over theMiami Dolphins.[49] In the 2004 season, Lewis appeared in and started 12 games. He finished with 235 carries for 1,006 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns to go along with ten receptions for 116 receiving yards.[50]
In the 2005 season, Lewis appeared and started in 15 games. He finished with 269 carries for 906 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with 32 carries for 191 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.[51] After the 2005 season, the Ravens declined to place thefranchise tag on Lewis, making him an unrestricted free agent after the end of the season.[52] This move was seen by many as a formality in letting Lewis move to another team. Popular speculation blamed Lewis' steadily declining performance since the 2003 season. Lewis had also voiced displeasure during the 2005 season over the team's failure to sign him to a long-term deal. Despite these events, the Ravens re-signed Lewis on March 13, 2006, with a three-year deal,[53] despite having signed formerDenver Broncos running backMike Anderson, who was widely thought to be Lewis' replacement.[54]
On November 19, 2006, Lewis rushed for a season-high three touchdowns against theAtlanta Falcons.[55] He ended the season with 314 carries for 1,132 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns.[56] On February 28, 2007, the Ravens announced that they released Lewis. However, general managerOzzie Newsome pointed out that they hoped to re-sign him,[57] but that changed on March 7, 2007, when Lewis signed a contract with theCleveland Browns.[58]
After joining theBrowns, Lewis became the team's starting running back.[59] In Week 2, he had 27 carries for 216 rushing yards and one touchdown in a 51–45 victory over theCincinnati Bengals.[60] In Week 12, against theHouston Texans, he had 29 carries for 134 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.[61] In Week 15, against theBuffalo Bills, he had 33 carries for 163 rushing yards in the 8–0 victory.[62] Lewis had his first 1,300+ yard season since 2003 in his first season with the Browns, rushing for 1,304 yards and nine touchdowns.[63] He finished fifth in the league in rushing yards.[64]
On November 8, 2008,The Plain Dealer reported that Lewis was dissatisfied with the performance of his teammates in the Browns' recent loss to theDenver Broncos. Lewis stated, "This is the NFL, you can't call it quits until the game is over." Lewis went on to say "it looks to me like some people called it quits before that. Denver was down, but they didn't call it quits. They kept their heads up and they finished. We didn't do that two weeks in a row – at home." Without naming names, Lewis said: "Some people need to check their egos at the door and find some heart to come out here and play hard. This is a man's game. The way we went out there and played two weeks in a row, finishing the same kind of way, it's not there. I think there are some men around here that need to check theirselves, straight up. That's it."[65] In the 2008 season, Lewis started in all 16 games for the Browns. He finished with 279 carries for 1,002 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go along with 23 receptions for 178 receiving yards.[66]
In Week 5 of the 2009 season, Lewis had 31 carries for 117 rushing yards in the 6–3 victory over theBuffalo Bills.[67] On November 2, 2009, Lewis announced he would retire after the 2009 season.[68] Late in the 2009 season, Lewis was placed oninjured reserve, ending his season.[69] In the 2009 season, Lewis appeared in nine games and started eight. He finished with 143 carries for 500 rushing yards to go along with eight receptions for 88 receiving yards.[70] On February 17, 2010, the Browns released Lewis.[71] Lewis did not sign with another NFL team after his release from the Browns.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year | |
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | Rec | ||
| 2000 | BAL | 16 | 13 | 309 | 1,364 | 4.4 | 45 | 6 | 27 | 296 | 11.0 | 45 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
| 2001 | BAL | 0 | 0 | Did not play due to injury | ||||||||||||
| 2002 | BAL | 16 | 15 | 308 | 1,327 | 4.3 | 75 | 6 | 47 | 442 | 9.4 | 77 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| 2003 | BAL | 16 | 16 | 387 | 2,066 | 5.3 | 82 | 14 | 26 | 205 | 7.9 | 26 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 1 |
| 2004 | BAL | 12 | 12 | 235 | 1,006 | 4.3 | 75 | 7 | 10 | 116 | 11.6 | 46 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005 | BAL | 15 | 15 | 269 | 906 | 3.4 | 25 | 3 | 32 | 191 | 6.0 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 2006 | BAL | 16 | 16 | 314 | 1,132 | 3.6 | 52 | 9 | 18 | 115 | 6.4 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 2007 | CLE | 15 | 15 | 298 | 1,304 | 4.4 | 66 | 9 | 30 | 248 | 8.3 | 34 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 2008 | CLE | 16 | 16 | 279 | 1,002 | 3.6 | 29 | 4 | 23 | 178 | 7.7 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009 | CLE | 9 | 8 | 143 | 500 | 3.5 | 18 | 0 | 8 | 88 | 11.0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 131 | 126 | 2,542 | 10,607 | 4.2 | 82 | 58 | 221 | 1,879 | 8.5 | 77 | 4 | 39 | 25 | 8 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | Rec | ||
| 2000 | BAL | 4 | 3 | 103 | 338 | 3.3 | 27 | 4 | 5 | 40 | 8.0 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2001 | BAL | 0 | 0 | Did not play due to injury | ||||||||||||
| 2003 | BAL | 1 | 1 | 14 | 35 | 2.5 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | BAL | 1 | 1 | 13 | 53 | 4.1 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 8.0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 6 | 5 | 130 | 426 | 3.3 | 27 | 4 | 10 | 68 | 6.8 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
In February 2004, it surfaced that Lewis had been involved in talks about a drug deal. Lewis was charged with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms of cocaine and using a cell phone in the commission of the first count.[72] Lewis reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in October 2004 and ultimately, Lewis was sentenced in January 2005 to four months in federal prison.[73] He was released on June 2, 2005.[74]
In January 2015, Lewis began working as the Vice President of Business and Development for Metro Exhibits, a trade show exhibits company.[75][76]
ABleacher Report profile detailed Lewis' post-NFL life, noting that he suffers from the post-traumatic effects of concussions.[77] He is currently the President of Southeast Exhibits and Metro Retail Solutions for Metro Exhibits.[78]
In April 2010, Lewis filed for bankruptcy in Georgia listing $14.5 million in assets and $10.6 million in debts including a judgement of more than $350,000 on a loan defaulted from the bank whose name hangs over the Ravens' stadium.[79]
On October 31, 2011,Regions Bank filed suit against Lewis over an unpaid $660,000 loan.[80]
On February 8, 2015, achampionship ring fromSuper Bowl XLVII that Lewis had owned was sold atauction for more than $50,000. Lewis had received the ring fromBaltimore Ravens ownerStephen Bisciotti in honor of his status as one of the all-time great Ravens players. According to the Ravens organization, Lewis sold the ring due to financial difficulties.[81][82]