Cliff Lewis (quarterback)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |||||||
Died: | July 25, 2002 Tampa, Florida, U.S. | (aged 79)||||||
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Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 168 lb (76 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Lakewood, Staunton Military Academy | ||||||
College: | Duke | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1946 / Round: 21 / Pick: 200 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
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Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Clifford Allen Lewis (March 22, 1923 – July 25, 2002) was a professional American football player for the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL). He was the team's first quarterback.
Lewis attended Lakewood High School in Lakewood, Ohio, and Staunton Military Academy in Virginia. He went to Duke University, where he played football as a back. He was a member of the Duke Blue Devils basketball team during the 1944–45 season. Lewis joined the Browns after graduating from college and spent his entire professional career with the team, playing primarily as a defensive back. He left the game after the 1951 season to concentrate on his insurance business. Lewis died in 2002.
High school and college career
Lewis grew up in Lakewood, Ohio and attended Lakewood High School. He played football and baseball, and was on a Lakewood basketball team that reached the state high school championship game in 1941.[1] Lakewood's football team tied for the Lake Erie League championship in 1940 and 1941, when Lewis played left halfback.[2] Lewis later transferred to Staunton Military Academy in Virginia, and in 1942 set a school scoring record in football with 14 touchdowns and 282 total points.[2]
After graduating, Lewis attended
Professional career
Lewis entered the
The
The Browns beat the Rams to win the
Later life and death
In 1961–62, Lewis worked as a color commentator on Browns television broadcasts, and became vice president of insurance administration for the New York Yankees following the team's purchase by George Steinbrenner in 1973. He participated in the retired players division of the NFL players' golf tournament in Hollywood, Florida, in January 1961.[19] He was inducted into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in 1976.[1] Lewis died at the age of 79 in Tampa, Florida, following an extended illness in 2002.[20]
References
- ^ a b "Cliff Lewis". Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 15, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
- ^ a b "Ex-Lakewood Athlete Sets Scoring Mark". Cleveland Plain Dealer. December 3, 1942. p. 20.
- ^ a b "Duke's Long Runs Stop Wake Forest". The New York Times. November 12, 1944. p. 53. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
- ^ a b "Expect Clark To Pace Duke". St. Joseph Gazette. Durham, North Carolina. Associated Press. December 30, 1944. p. 5. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
- ^ "Lewis Returns to Duke Squad". The New York Times. November 2, 1944. p. 24.
- ^ "Duke Overpowers No. Carolina, 33-0". The New York Times. November 26, 1944. p. 54. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
- ^ "Duke's Power Beats Ala. Air Attack 29-26". Schenectady Gazette. New Orleans. Associated Press. January 2, 1945. p. 11. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
- ^ "Penn Easily Beats Princeton, 66 to 52". The New York Times. February 11, 1945. p. 51.
- ^ "Triple-Threat Star". Los Angeles Times. December 4, 1945. p. A8.
- ^ "The Hyland Fling". Los Angeles Times. December 4, 1945. p. A8.
- ^ a b "Mutryn, Kolesar and Cliff Lewis Are Signed by Cleveland Browns". Cleveland Plain Dealer. February 19, 1946. p. 18.
Lewis, 22, is a product of Lakewood High, and at Duke was an outstanding back who sparked the Blue Devils' 29-to-26 victory over Alabama in the 1945 Sugar Bowl game at New Orleans. Last season, in the Navy, he was a member of the crack Fleet City (Cal.) Bluejackets who won the national service title.
- ^ "Rams Lose Two Draftees". Los Angeles Times. May 28, 1946. p. A7.
- ^ Piascik 2007, pp. 48–49.
- ^ Piascik 2007, pp. 64–65.
- ^ Piascik 2007, pp. 81, 121, 146.
- ^ Piascik 2007, p. 181.
- ^ "Rams Whip Browns, 24-17; Win Pro Title". Los Angeles Times. December 24, 1951. p. C1.
- ^ "Browns' Quarterback Quits". The New York Times. July 31, 1952. p. 19.
- ^ "National Football Loop Players Keep Miller as Their Attorney". The New York Times. January 5, 1961. p. 36.
- ^ "Lewis was first QB to play for Browns". ESPN Classic. SportsTicker. July 25, 2002. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
Bibliography
- Piascik, Andy (2007). The Best Show in Football: The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns. Lanham, Maryland: Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58979-571-6.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Pro Football Reference
- Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame bio