| No. 29 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Running back |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1933-02-04)February 4, 1933 Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | August 30, 2013(2013-08-30) (aged 80) Columbia, Missouri, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 196 lb (89 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Lincoln (MO) |
| NFL draft | 1955: 6th round, 64th overall pick |
| Career history | |
| 1955–1966 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| Awards and highlights | |
Canadian Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1973) | |
Leo Everett Lewis Jr. (February 4, 1933 – August 30, 2013) was an Americangridiron football player and coach. He playedcollege football as arunning back forLincoln University inJefferson City, Missouri, from 1951 to 1954 and professionally with theWinnipeg Blue Bombers of theCanadian Football League (CFL) from 1955 to 1966. He served as the head football coach at his alma mater, Lincoln, from 1973 to 1975.
As ahalfback atLincoln University inJefferson City, Missouri, Lewis was nicknamed "The Lincoln Locomotive". He set school records for touchdowns in a season (22), touchdowns in a career (64), rushing yards in a season (1,239) and career rushing yards (4,457).
After a stellar college career, Lewis signed with theWinnipeg Blue Bombers of theCanadian Football League (CFL). He was named All-Pro six times and was a member of fourGrey Cup-winning Blue Bombers teams. He missed the 1956 season with a serious ankle injury. During his 11-year career in the CFL, he rushed for 8,861 yards with a 6.6 yard average. He also was a remarkable kick-returner, averaging 29.1 yards on kickoff returns in his CFL career. His career rushing total of 8,861 yards stood as a Winnipeg Blue Bomber record for 41 years until it was passed byCharles Roberts in 2007. His career totals in return yardage, and yards per carry, still stand as Blue Bombers records.
| CFL statistics | Rushing | ||||||
| Year | Team | GP | Rush | Yards | Y/R | Lg | TD |
| 1955 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 135 | 834 | 6.2 | 41 | 5 | |
| 1956 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | - | injury | - | - | - | |
| 1957 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 119 | 817 | 6.9 | 69 | 5 | |
| 1958 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 167 | 1164 | 7.0 | 47 | 8 | |
| 1959 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 112 | 730 | 6.5 | 37 | 2 | |
| 1960 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 106 | 923 | 8.7 | 85 | 5 | |
| 1961 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 146 | 1036 | 7.1 | 63 | 8 | |
| 1962 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 134 | 865 | 6.5 | 83 | 4 | |
| 1963 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 133 | 691 | 5.2 | 92 | 3 | |
| 1964 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 15 | 114 | 845 | 7.4 | 87 | 3 |
| 1965 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 16 | 154 | 828 | 5.4 | 33 | 5 |
| 1965 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 5 | 31 | 128 | 4.1 | 10 | 0 |
| CFL totals | - | 1351 | 8861 | 6.6 | 92 | 48 | |
Lewis worked briefly for theUnited States Department of Agriculture and was an assistant coach atHickman High School inHickman High School inColumbia, Missouri. He returned to his alma mater, Lincoln University, in 1968 as an assistant football coach underDwight T. Reed. Lewis succeeded Reed as head football coach in 1973.[1] He resigned from his post as head football coach in January 1976, after leading theLincoln Blue Tigers to a record of 12–21 in three seasons.[2]
Lewis also coachedgolf and was a physical educations instructor at Lincoln. He was the head coach of the women's basketball team from 1981 to 1993, compiling a record of 104–206 in 12 seasons. Lewis later served as the interimathletic director at Lincoln.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Blue Tigers(Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association)(1973–1975) | |||||||||
| 1973 | Lincoln | 5–6 | 3–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1974 | Lincoln | 3–8[n 1] | 0–6 | 7th | |||||
| 1975 | Lincoln | 4–7 | 2–4 | T–5th | |||||
| Lincoln: | 12–21 | 5–3 | |||||||
| Total: | 12–21 | ||||||||
Lewis was inducted into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame in 1973 and theCollege Football Hall of Fame in August 2005. In 2005, he was named to 20 All-Time Blue Bombers Greats, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Blue Bombers franchise. Lewis was inducted into theManitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 2005, was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame in February 2018, and the Missouri Sports Hall Of Fame in 2019.
Lewis had three children, two of whom played professional football.Leo Lewis III played as awide receiver forCalgary Stampeders andHamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL and theMinnesota Vikings andCleveland Browns of theNational Football League (NFL).Marc Lewis also played as a wide receiver, the forDenver Gold andOakland Invaders of theUnited States Football League (USFL) and the CFL'sOttawa Rough Riders and the Calgary Stampeders and Barry Lewis.
Lewis died on August 30, 2013, at his home inColumbia, Missouri. He had been battling an illness for some time.[4][5]
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