Jamal Lewis facts for kids
Lewis with the Baltimore Ravens in 2006
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| No. 31 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | August 26, 1979 Atlanta, Georgia |
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| 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 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||
Jamal Lewis (born August 26, 1979) is a former American football player. He was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns.
Lewis played college football at the University of Tennessee. The Ravens picked him fifth overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played seven seasons with the Ravens. Then, he joined the Cleveland Browns in 2007. He retired after the 2009 season.
Jamal Lewis is famous for his time with the Ravens. He helped the team win Super Bowl XXXV as a rookie. His 2003 season was amazing. He rushed for 2,066 yards, which was the third-most ever at the time. He was named AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year. In that same year, he rushed for 295 yards in one game. This was a single-game record until 2007. The Ravens added him to their Ring of Honor in 2012.
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Early Life and High School Football
Jamal Lewis grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He went to Douglass High School. He was a star in both football and track. Experts rated him as the best running back in the country.
As a senior, Lewis scored 25 touchdowns. He earned All-State and All-City honors. He was the MVP of the Georgia-Florida All-Star Game. He gained 137 yards and scored two touchdowns in that game. In his junior year, he rushed for 1,923 yards and 28 touchdowns. As a sophomore, he had 1,240 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Over three years, he set a school record. He rushed for 4,879 yards and 68 touchdowns. He also averaged 9.7 yards per carry. At Douglass, he changed from a fullback to the main running back.
In track and field, Lewis was a fast sprinter. He ran the 100 meters in 10.84 seconds. He also ran the 200 meters in 22.04 seconds. He was part of the 4 × 100 meter relay team.
College Football Journey
Jamal Lewis played college football at the University of Tennessee. As a freshman in 1997, he rushed for 1,364 yards. He also scored seven touchdowns. He was named a first-team Freshman All-American. He was also a second-team All-SEC player.
In 1998, Lewis had a knee injury. He missed the rest of that season. During his three years at Tennessee, he rushed for 2,677 yards. He gained 3,161 total yards. He ranks fifth on the university's all-time rushing list. He is fourth in all-purpose yards. He studied arts and science at the university.
College Statistics
| Season | Team | GP | Rushing | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yards | 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 |
| College Totals | 27 | 487 | 2,677 | 5.5 | 17 | 39 | 475 | 4 | |
Pro Career Highlights
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+3⁄4 in (1.82 m) |
240 lb (109 kg) |
32 in (0.81 m) |
10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) |
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| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Jamal Lewis was considered a top running back prospect. The Baltimore Ravens drafted him fifth overall in the 2000 NFL Draft.
Baltimore Ravens Era
In his first season, Lewis rushed for over 1,300 yards. He became the Ravens' main running back. On November 19, he became the youngest player since 1960 to gain 200 yards in a game. The Ravens' strong running game and defense led them to win Super Bowl XXXV. They defeated the New York Giants. Lewis rushed for 103 yards and scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl. He was the second rookie to rush for over 100 yards in a Super Bowl. He was also the youngest player to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl.
Lewis missed his second year due to a knee injury. He got hurt during training camp. His injury made the Ravens' running game weaker that season.
In the 2003 season, Lewis led the NFL in rushing. He gained 2,066 yards. He almost broke the all-time single-season rushing record. That record is 2,105 yards by Eric Dickerson in 1984. Lewis joined a special group of players. These players have rushed for over 2,000 yards in a season. Other players in this group include Terrell Davis and Barry Sanders.
On September 14, 2003, Lewis set a new single-game rushing record. He ran for 295 yards against the Cleveland Browns. He broke Corey Dillon's previous record of 278 yards. For this amazing season, he was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year. His single-game record was later broken in 2007. Adrian Peterson ran for 296 yards.
After the 2005 season, the Ravens did not keep Lewis on a long-term deal. Many thought he would leave the team. Lewis had also expressed unhappiness. However, the Ravens re-signed him on March 13, 2006. He signed a three-year deal. On November 19, 2006, Lewis scored three touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons. He finished the season with 1,132 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. On February 28, 2007, the Ravens released Lewis. He then signed with the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland Browns Years
After joining the Browns, Lewis became their main running back. In his first season with the Browns, he had a great year. He rushed for 1,304 yards and nine touchdowns. This was his first 1,300+ yard season since 2003.
On November 8, 2008, Lewis spoke about his team's performance. He felt some teammates were not trying hard enough. He said, "This is a man's game." He believed some players needed to "check their egos" and "find some heart."
On November 2, 2009, Lewis announced his plan to retire after the 2009 season. Later in the season, he was placed on injured reserve. This ended his season early. On February 17, 2010, the Browns released Lewis. He did not sign with another NFL team after that.
Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year | |
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular Season Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2000 | BAL | 16 | 13 | 309 | 1,364 | 4.4 | 45 | 6 | 27 | 296 | 11.0 | 45 | 0 |
| 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 |
| 2003 | BAL | 16 | 16 | 387 | 2,066 | 5.3 | 82 | 14 | 26 | 205 | 7.9 | 26 | 0 |
| 2004 | BAL | 12 | 12 | 235 | 1,006 | 4.3 | 75 | 7 | 10 | 116 | 11.6 | 46 | 0 |
| 2005 | BAL | 15 | 15 | 269 | 906 | 3.4 | 25 | 3 | 32 | 191 | 6.0 | 15 | 1 |
| 2006 | BAL | 16 | 16 | 314 | 1,132 | 3.6 | 52 | 9 | 18 | 115 | 6.4 | 15 | 0 |
| 2007 | CLE | 15 | 15 | 298 | 1,304 | 4.4 | 66 | 9 | 30 | 248 | 8.3 | 34 | 2 |
| 2008 | CLE | 16 | 16 | 279 | 1,002 | 3.6 | 29 | 4 | 23 | 178 | 7.7 | 18 | 0 |
| 2009 | CLE | 9 | 8 | 143 | 500 | 3.5 | 18 | 0 | 8 | 88 | 11.0 | 19 | 0 |
| Career | 131 | 126 | 2,542 | 10,607 | 4.2 | 82 | 58 | 221 | 1,879 | 8.5 | 77 | 4 | |
Playoff Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2000 | BAL | 4 | 3 | 103 | 338 | 3.3 | 27 | 4 | 5 | 40 | 8.0 | 15 | 0 |
| 2003 | BAL | 1 | 1 | 14 | 35 | 2.5 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2006 | BAL | 1 | 1 | 13 | 53 | 4.1 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 8.0 | 13 | 0 |
| Career | 6 | 5 | 130 | 426 | 3.3 | 27 | 4 | 10 | 68 | 6.8 | 15 | 0 | |
Life After Football
After his football career, Jamal Lewis started a new path. In January 2015, he began working for Metro Exhibits. This company creates trade show displays. He became the Vice President of Business and Development there.
A 2018 article mentioned Lewis's life after the NFL. It noted that he experiences effects from concussions. He is now the President of Southeast Exhibits and Metro Retail Solutions. These are parts of Metro Exhibits.
