Ray Lewis

At 49 years old, Ray Lewis has this physical status:

Raymond Anthony Lewis Jr. (born May 15, 1975) is a former American football linebacker who played all of his 17-year professional career for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL).

He previously played college football for the University of Miami, and earned All-America honors.

Lewis was drafted by the Ravens in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft, and upon his retirement following the 2012 season, was the last remaining active player from the team's inaugural season. Lewis played middle linebacker his entire career and is considered to be one of the greatest ever to play the position.

He was a 13-time Pro Bowler, a 10-time All-Pro, and one of the few players in NFL history to play in a Pro Bowl in three different decades (1990s, 2000s, and 2010s).

He is also considered to be the greatest Baltimore Raven of all time.Lewis pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in connection with the stabbing deaths of two men in 2000.

The following season, he won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year and led the Ravens' record-setting defense to victory in Super Bowl XXXV.

Lewis also became the second linebacker to win the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, and the first to win the award on the winning Super Bowl team.

Lewis won his second Defensive Player of the Year award in 2003, becoming the sixth player to win the award multiple times.

After a triceps tear that sidelined him for most of the 2012–13 season, Lewis returned for the Ravens' playoff run and earned his second Super Bowl victory in his final NFL game.

On February 3, 2018, the fifth anniversary of his final game, Lewis was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Early life

Raymond Anthony Jenkins was born in Bartow, Florida in Central Florida the oldest of five siblings. His mother was just 16 at the time of his birth, while his father was absent for most of his life. Not much was known about his father's life other that he was a record-setting high school wrestler before he was incarcerated for drug-related offenses. As a boy, and the eventual older brother to four younger siblings, Lewis quickly became the man of the house. He helped his sisters with their hair and made sure his younger brother arrived at daycare on time. When his father's contact became less frequent, he abandoned his last name and changed it to the last name of his mother's boyfriend, Ray Lewis, when he entered Kathleen High School in Lakeland. He is the older brother of former University of Maryland running back Keon Lattimore. Lewis was an All-American linebacker for the football team at Kathleen, overcoming his small size with his intensity and instincts. In addition, he was a prolific wrestler for the school. He later revealed that his stepfather was extremely abusive towards his mother, and got a deck of 52 playing cards to start his push-up regimen, so he could get stronger to protect her. This also was the reason behind choosing the #52 jersey in his professional career.

Personal life

Lewis is a Christian, and his commitment to his faith was featured in a Sports Illustrated cover story in 2006. He has a total of six children, four boys, and two girls. His son, Ray Lewis III, played college football at the University of Miami and later Coastal Carolina. He was dismissed from Coastal Carolina's football team and the university in 2016 upon being indicted by a South Carolina grand jury on a charge of third-degree criminal sexual assault. Those charges were dropped after a lengthy and more thorough investigation by law enforcement officials in South Carolina. Ray Lewis III would later play indoor football for the Wyoming Mustangs in 2021. His other son, Rayshad Lewis, committed to Utah State out of high school. His freshman year was successful. After his freshman year, Rayshad decided to transfer to the University of Maryland.

Michael Phelps, a Baltimore native and Ravens fan, stated that he found his life purpose and desire to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics after seeking Lewis's advice.

In 2015, Lewis' autobiography, I Feel Like Going On: Life, Game, and Glory, was published.

Source

College career

Lewis was enrolled in the University of Miami, where he was a member of the Miami Hurricanes football team. As a freshman, he was an immediate contributor and became a starter for the Hurricanes' final five games. He had 81 tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and four pass deflections en route to being named to the freshman All-American team.

Lewis earned first-team All-American and All-Big East awards in his sophomore season. Lewis had 153 tackles and nine tackles for a loss, two sacks, and an intercept for a Hurricanes team that had the nation's highest-ranked defense and finished No. 1 in the nation's top-ranked finish, while finishing No. 9 on a grid. Both the writers' and coaches' polls place a 6 in both the writers' and coaches' polls.

Lewis' junior campaign was even more fruitful, as he was selected again to the All-American and All-Big East teams and finished second in the Butkus Award, which is given to the best linebacker in college football. Lewis had 160 tackles in his sophomore season, the second highest in University of Miami football history, after Ed Weisacosky's 164 in 1965.

Despite playing just three seasons, Lewis led the Big East in tackles over his last two seasons and placed his fifth most in Miami history.

Lewis decided against college football and enter the NFL draft after the 1995 season. In the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens, who were entering their inaugural season, selected Lewis 26th overall, second overall, behind offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, who was drafted fourth overall. Lewis earned his undergraduate degree in Arts and Science at the University of Maryland University College in 2004.

Professional career

Lewis was the top-rated inside linebacker in the 1996 NFL Draft, in which Kevin Hardy was regarded as the draft's only outstanding linebacker prospect. Lewis, the fifth linebacker in the draft, was seen by scouts as possessing speed, attacking ability, and tenacity, as well as being lauded for his ability to go into pass coverage. However, many people see him as a potential danger. Lewis earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honor for his seven-tackle appearance in his first game, a 19–14 victory over the Oakland Raiders, as well as an unusual intercept. Lewis received a national recognition for his 15 tackles for loss led the NFL and 110 tackles led the Ravens in the 1996 season, according to USA Today's All-Rookie Team honors. With a 4–12 record, he ended his rookie season with two and a half sacks, six pass deflections, and an interception on the season.

Lewis earned his second AFC Defensive Player of the Week award against the Washington Redskins in Week 9. Lewis made his first Pro Bowl appearance in 1997, with 156 solo tackles, the most ever in single season, and his first Pro Bowl debut in the spring. In addition, Lewis had four sacks, an interceptor, a forced fumble, a fumble revival, and 11 pass deflections in the Ravens' 6–9–1 season.

Lewis made his second appearance in the Pro Bowl in 1998, registering 120 tackles, three interceptions, two interceptions, a forced fumble, and seven pass deflections. For the third season in a row, he led the 6-10 Ravens in tackles. He was also selected to the Sporting News All-Pro Team. Lewis and the rest of the Ravens defense held him to just 41 yards on 19 attempts in what would be Hall of Fame for the Detroit Lions.

Lewis had 14 solo tackles, four tackles for injury, and a sack in Lewis in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1999, during his first game of the regular season against the St. Louis Rams. Lewis had ten combined tackles and a sack in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns, a 17–10 victory. Lewis led the Atlanta Falcons to victory in Week 4 with 12 combined tackles. Lewis had 13 tackles and a safety in the 14-11 loss against the Tennessee Titans on week 5. Lewis had 14 tackles and a sack in Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills, including a sack in Week 8. Despite the Ravens' 8-8 record, Lewis led the NFL in tackles with 165. He was selected to the All-Pro first team and his third-straight Pro Bowl team. In addition,, he had three and a half sacks, three interceptions, eight pass deflections, a precaution, and a coerced fumble. Lewis was named One Of The Year by former NFL players in 1999, according to the position they served.

Lewis defended the best in NFL history for a single season in 2000. Lewis led the team in tackles against the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 2 of the regular season. Lewis had 11 tackles against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3 of Week 3. In week 6 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had 13 tackles and a fumble recovery, leading to a 15-10 victory. Lewis had five tackles and two sacks in Week 13 against the Cleveland Browns in the 44–7 victory. Lewis had a career-best 137 tackles, as well as two interceptions, six pass deflections, and three fumble recoveries throughout the regular season. The team set a single-season record for fewest points allowed (165) and the fewest passing yards allowed (970). The squad had four shutouts, one shy of the single-season record. In six main defensive categories, the unit came in first place in the league. Baltimore's defense allowed only 184 points in 20 games, including the postseason and three combined touchdowns that were not given up by the Ravens offense and special teams. He was unanimous All-Pro pick during the regular season and was then chosen to start in the Pro Bowl for the second time. Lewis had seven tackles and an interceptor in the 21–3 victory over the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card Round. Lewis had 12 combined tackles and an interception return for a touchdown in the 24–10 victory over the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round. In the AFC Championships against the Oakland Raiders, he had seven combined tackles and a fumble recovery, leading to the 16–3 victory. Lewis was named NFL Defensive Player of The Year for the 2000 season. The Ravens defeated the New York Giants 34-7 to win the franchise's first world championship, the first team to ever record a defensive shutout in a Super Bowl. Lewis' five combined tackles and four passes defense earned him Super Bowl XXV MVP awards. In the four-game playoff game, he finished with 31 tackles, two interceptions, 9 pass deflections, one fumble recovery, and a touchdown.

Lewis made his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl pick in 2001, leading the NFL in tackles with 162 and receiving first-team All-Pro honors. In a 15–0 shutout of the Cincinnati Bengals, he earned his third AFC Defensive Player of the Week award in Week 15. With a 10–6 record, the Ravens secured their first playoff berth. He had 17 tackles, three forced fumbles, and one pass deflection in the Ravens' two playoff games, as the team's season came to an end in the Divisional Round.

Lewis was limited to only five games due to a shoulder injury in 2002. Despite being ranked fifth on the team with 58 tackles, he managed to finish fifth on the team. Lewis also collected two interceptions, two pass deflections, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. In Week 4, Lewis earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week awards against the Denver Broncos after completing 18 tackles (11 solo), two pass deflections, and an intercept. Lewis' streak was halted when he was drafted to the Pro Bowl for five seasons (1997–2001). In his absence, the Baltimore Ravens defense ranked 19th in points allowed for the team as a whole, with a 7–9 record.

Lewis was the top vote taker for the 2003 AP All-Pro team, winning 49 of 50 percent. He also received the annual AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year with 43 votes out of 50. He was named to his sixth Pro Bowl appearance for the 2003 season. Lewis also earned Pro Football Weekly, PFWA, and Football Digest Defensive MVP awards, as well as being named to Dr. Z's Sports Illustrated All-Pro team, Pro Football Weekly's All-Pro team, Football Digest's All-Pro team, and the Sporting News' All-Pro team. Lewis earned the KC 101 Defensive Player of the Year award for the third time in four years, as the 2003 NFL Alumni Linebacker Of The Year, and finished with 161 tackles, one and a half sacks, two forced fumbles, two interceptions, two blocked tackles, two touchdowns, two pass deflections, and one touchdown. In Week 17, he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Month for November and AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his 15-tackle, one-interception game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lewis totaled 17 tackles in the Wild Card Round loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Lewis was named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press, second-team "All Pro" by College and Pro Football Digest, and "All Pro" by The Sporting News in 2004. As the Ravens defeated the Baltimore Ravens 9–7, he finished his 2004 season with 146 total tackles, one sack, two fumble recoveries, one fumble forced, and six pass deflections. He received his seventh Pro Bowl nomination.

Lewis' 2005 season was cut short by an injury in Week 6. In Week 8, he was put on injured reserve, a dismissal, an interception, two pass deflections, and a fumble recovery in the season's first six games. The Ravens fell to a new low of 6–10.

Lewis led the Ravens defense to an NFL-best ranking in 14 major defensive categories, including total yards allowed, points per game permitted, and interceptions. In addition, the Ravens came in second in sackings, take-aways, and running yards allowed. Lewis missed two games due to a return to action, but he did a good job with five sacks, two interceptions, and eight pass deflections in 14 games. He also caused a fumble and recovered one. In the 14 games Lewis played, the Ravens allowed only one 100-yard rush. Following Lewis' seven-tackle, one-sack, and three-pass deflection appearance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the season opener, the AFC Defensive Player of the Week was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week. He was also selected to the Pro Bowl but had to withdraw due to a hand injury, effectively losing his place to fellow Ravens linebacker Bart Scott. Lewis came in fifth place in the year's polls for Defensive Player of the Year. In the Divisional Round loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Lewis had 15 tackles and a pass deflection.

Despite the Ravens' disappointing 5–11 record, Lewis was the team's leading tackler. Lewis had 16 tackles, recovered a fumble, and returned a touchdown with an interception. He received his ninth Pro Bowl nomination in his career. He had 120 total tackles, two interceptions, two blocked fumbles, one failed fumble, one fumble return, two interceptions, and one touchdown.

Lewis was a quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens in 2008, he had 117 tackles, three and a half interceptions, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, two forced fumbles, two interceptions, two blocked fumble recoveries, and nine passes were intercepted. For the 10th time, he had been named a starter to the Pro Bowl, and he was selected by the Associated Press first-team All-Pro for the sixth time. In addition,, he was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for eight tackles, two interceptions, and two pass deflections against the Houston Texans in Week 10. Lewis played in three playoff games against the Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, and Pittsburgh Steelers, totaling 29 tackles, two forced fumbles, and one pass deflection in three games. After the season, he became an unrestricted free agent, but he wanted to return to the Baltimore Ravens to complete his career. The agreement, which will have continued into 2015, was expected to be worth $10 million in the first year, but it was highly incentivized.

Lewis was voted first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press for the seventh time (ninth pick overall) and named to his 11th Pro Bowl in 2009. On the season, he had an AFC-leading 134 tackles. Three sacks, two coerced fumbles, one fumble return, one fumble recovery, and seven passes were deflected. In two playoff games, Lewis added 21 tackles, one sack, and one pass deflection. Lewis was selected to their Team of the Decade (2000s) in the September 2009 issue of Sporting News' Magazine. Lewis made the game-saving play on running back Darren Sproles against the San Diego Chargers on Week 2 on a fourth-down play. Lewis said it was one of his best tackles he had made in his career after the game. Lewis was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame 1st team, the All-2000s Team.

Lewis was named second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press for the third time (10th All-Pro selection overall) and his 12th Pro Bowl. He had 139 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, two tackled, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, three forced fumbles, three pass deflections, and one touchdown. In two playoff games, Lewis added 13 tackles, one was suspended, and a forced fumble. Lewis was the second player in NFL history to record at least 30 interceptions and 30 sacks for their career on Sunday. He was the fastest player (204 games) to reach that record. He was ranked fourth by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011. He received the highest ranking for a defensive player on the initial list by the NFL players.

Lewis was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his Week 3 appearance against the St. Louis Rams. Lewis had one fired fumble, one coerced fumble, and ten solo tackles in the 37–7 win. Lewis was named to his 13th birthday and what was to be his last Pro Bowl, and he led the Ravens with 95 tackles in 2011, despite missing four games due to injury. Lewis also received two sacks, one interceptor, two compelled fumbles, and seven pass deflections. In two playoff games, Lewis had 20 tackles and one pass deflection. Lewis became the first NFL player to have at least 40 sacks and 30 interceptions in his career on Sunday, against the Houston Texans. He was ranked 20th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.

Lewis suffered torn triceps on October 14, 2012, during a Dallas Cowboys game, and had them surgically repaired three days later. Several reports had predicted that he would return to action against the Denver Broncos on December 16, much sooner than his expected return to action in January. However, he was inactive for the game. Lewis announced on January 2, 2013 that he would leave the 2012-13 NFL playoffs after his club finished in 2012.

He was back in action against the Colts in Baltimore and led the defense to a 24–9 victory. Lewis lined up on offense at fullback on the game's last play. Lewis was not supposed to play another home playoff game (since they were the number-four seed and the day before), so the Ravens wanted them to play the final game. In the Divisional Round, the Ravens defeated the Denver Broncos 38–35 in double overtime, then defeated the New England Patriots 28-13. Super Bowl XLVII, Lewis' last game in football, was where the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers by a margin of 34-31. Lewis finished the regular season with 57 tackles, one sack, one punched fumble, one forced fumble, one touchdown recover, and one deflection in six games. Lewis led the NFL in tackles in the postseason. In the Ravens' Super Bowl XLVIII series, he had two tackles for loss and one pass deflection.

Source