Carl Lewis

From Bhamwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Frederick Carlton "Carl" Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is a former track and field athlete who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 golds, and 10 World Championship medals, of which 8 were golds, in a career that spanned from 1979, when he first achieved a world ranking, to 1996 when he last won an Olympic title and retired.

He was a dominant sprinter and long-jumper who topped the world rankings in the 100 meter, 200 meter and long jump events frequently from 1981 to the early 1990s, was named "Athlete of the Year" by Track and Field News] in 1982, 1983 and 1984, and set world records in the 100 meter, 4 x 100 and 4 x 200 relays. His 65 consecutive victories in the long jump over a span of 10 years is one of sport’s longest streaks.

His lifetime accomplishments have led to numerous accolades, including being voted "Sportsman of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee and being named "Olympian of the Century" by Sports Illustrated. He helped transform track and field from its nominal amateur status to its current professional status, thus enabling athletes to have more lucrative and longer-lasting careers.

Early life

Lewis was born in Birmingham to teachers William McKinley Lewis Jr and Evelyn Lawler, who had competed in the 80 meter hurdles in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. Upset at the racial violence that was spreading through the city, the family moved to Willingboro, New Jersey in 1963, when Carl was two years old. Carl later described his childhood in Willingboro "like a storybook experience".

From an early age, track was a central part of Lewis’ life. His parents started the Willingboro Track Club for girls, filling a gap left by the public schools. They would place Carl with younger sister Carol in the long jump pit to play when they didn’t have a babysitter. The club expanded to allow boys, and that is where Lewis started his track career.

Lewis wasn’t initially a promising athlete, self-described as being the “runt” of the family, his elder brothers and sister showing more initial athletic prowess. His parents continued to encourage their son to set goals for himself and to work hard to achieve them. Oakville native Jesse Owens was an early role model, as Lewis’ father would often tell stories of him and speak highly of the man who dominated sprint and long jump events in the 1930s. When Lewis was about nine, he met Owens at a youth track meet, where the legend advised Lewis to “have fun.”

At age 13, Lewis started to compete in the long jump. While attending Willingboro High School, Lewis emerged as a promising athlete. As a junior, he was one of the top long jumpers in New Jersey. By his senior year, he was becoming one of the top long jumpers in the world. Numerous colleges were soon actively recruiting him, and he eventually decided to enroll at the University of Houston where Tom Tellez was coach. Tellez would remain Lewis’ coach for his entire career. Days after graduating from high school in 1979, Lewis broke the high school long jump record with a leap of 26 feet 8 inches. He told Tellez at their first meeting in 1979 that he intended to become a professional athlete: “I want to be a millionaire and I don’t ever want a real job!”

Early track and field career

At the end of his freshman year, Lewis was ranked 5th in the world in the long jump by Track and Field News. He qualified for the American team for the 1980 Olympics in the long jump and as a member of the 4 x 100 relay team. The United States' decision to boycott the games in Moscow forestalled Lewis' Olympic debut.

In 1981, Lewis began a long domination of his events. For the next eleven years he would rank no lower than 3rd in the 100 meter sprint and no lower than 2nd in the long jump. He won six NCAA titles at Houston and won his first national titles in the 100 m and long jump. His mastery of Owens' sports led to comparisons being made between Lewis and his idol.

On May 16, 1981 at the Southwest Athletic Conference track and field championship, Lewis finished the 100 meter sprint in 10.00 seconds, the third fastest time in history, and the fastest at low altitude. On June 20, 1981 Lewis set the low-altitude long jump record with a leap of 28 feet 3 inches at the TAC Championships. Only Bob Beamon had ever jumped any further, 29 feet 2 1/2 inches at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, at an altitude of over 7,000 feet above sea level. Beamon's jump stands as an Olympic record, one of many jumping records set at those Mexico Olympics. Lewis finished the 1981 season ranked first in the world in both events, and he won that year's James E. Sullivan Award for the top amateur athlete in the United States.

During the 1982 season, Lewis cleared 28 feet five times outdoors and twice more indoors, going as far as 28 feet 9 inches at Indianapolis on July 24. On one jump that was ruled foul because his toe went barely over the board, was said by observers to have reached the 30 foot mark. He held onto his top rankings in both events, and added a No. 6 overall ranking in the 200 meter sprint. Track and Field News named him their "Athlete of the Year".

International Competition

1982 World Championships

Lewis’ emerged as a star in track and field just as the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) established the first World Championships in the sport. The World Championships were quickly recognized as one of the most important competitions in sport, boasting greater participation during the 1980s than even the Olympic Games, which had been compromised by politically-motivated boycotts.

Lewis easily dominated the competition in the 1982 championships in Helsinki, beating Jason Grimes in the long jump by more than 10 inches and cruising past world record holder Calvin Smith in the 100 meter sprint with a time of 10.07 seconds. Lewis also anchored the 4 x 100 meter relay, setting a world record with 37.86 seconds.

Lewis’ best performances in 1982, however, were made at other meets. He broke the 10-second barrier with a 9.97 second finish in the 100 meter spring on May 14 at Modesto, California. On June 19 at the TAC Championships he lengthened his low-altitude long jump record to 28 feet 10 inches. He maintained his top rankings in the 100 meter sprint and long jump, and rose to No. 2 in the 200 meters behind Calvin Smith. He was again named Track and Field News "Athlete of the Year".

Lewis began to prepare for the 1984 Olympics by setting his sights on Jesse Owens' record of four gold medals, which was set at the 1936 games in Berlin.

1984 Olympics

Although he was already an international star in the world of track and field, the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles would make Lewis a household name in the United States. Lewis and his agent, Joe Douglas, founder of the Santa Monica Track Club, determined that the best way to establish Lewis as a star, and thereby secure the endorsements that would allow Lewis to meet his professional goals, would be to challenge Owens' 1936 gold medal total, one of the longest standing records in Olympic competition.

Lewis finished first in the 100 meter spring with a time of 9.99, two tenths of a second ahead of silver medalist Sam Graddy. He also won gold in the long jump with a jump of 28 feet 0 1/4 inches. After defaulting on his second jump, Lewis passed on his last four allowed attempts, calculating that none of the remaining challengers could match his first jump, and in fact, silver medalist Gary Honey's jump was a full twelve inches shorter. From an athletic standpoint the decision was defensible as Lewis did not need to risk overexertion or injury in order to prepare for his other two events. Nevertheless, the decision sparked controversy as fans were hoping to see him challenge Beamon's record - a likelihood that had been played up in the media. Beamon himself appeared in a television commercial saying "I hope you make it, kid." When the decision was announced, a round of "boo"s came down from the Olympic stadium crowd.

Lewis went on to set a new Olympic record with his 19.80 second finish in the 200 meter sprint, and as the anchor for the 4 x 100 meter relay he helped break his own record with a 37.83 second win. Although Lewis had easily achieved his athletic goal, the flow of endorsements was slower than expected.

The American public held on to a different view of amateurism than most of the world, giving their greatest respect to athletes who labored without big lucrative endorsements. Lewis had been sponsored by Nike for several years and was being courted by other companies before the games, helping to transform the sport into a more professional level. He put off signing deals with others, including Coca-Cola, until after the games, hoping that his value would shoot up when he broke Owen's record.

The publicity surrounding the games, however, had the opposite effect, limiting his appeal to Madison Avenue. Among the factors which damaged Lewis' marketability was his growing reputation as an egotist, highlighted by the controversy over his decision to pass on his final long jump attempt. Pundits and fellow athletes alike criticized Lewis' conduct in interviews, in which he showed a lack of humility. Others stated that Lewis was perceived as too flamboyant, and possibly homosexual. His flashy clothes and stylish flat-top did little to combat this perception. Nike dropped him as a spokesman in the wake of the games, with representative Don Coleman explaining "If you're a male athlete, I think the American public wants you to look macho." Lewis reacted angrily to what he viewed as "Carl bashing", further limiting his appeal to the public.

His dominance on the field, however, was undimmed. He added a number 1 ranking in the 200 meter spring while retaining his top rank in his other events. He won Track and Field News "Athlete of the Year" for the third consecutive year.

1987 World Championships

In the years following the 1984 games, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson emerged as a contender to challenge Lewis in the sprinting events. Johnson had won bronze in Los Angeles, and beat Lewis in a 1985 race. In the 1986 Goodwill Games in Moscow, Johnson handed Lewis a convincing defeat in the 100 meters while setting a new low-altitude record of 9.95 seconds. He overtook the top ranking in that event while Lewis slipped to third. Lewis continued to dominate the long jump through 1985 and 1986, but lost ground to Russian Robert Emmiyan, who broke the 29 foot barrier with a May 1987 high altitude leap of 29 feet 1 inch, earning the top rank in that event.

The 1987 World Championships in Rome was Lewis' greatest opportunity to re-establish his dominance, and he took advantage. Lewis beat Emmiyan in the long jump with a leap of 28 feet 5 1/4 inches to Emmiyan's 27 feet 11 3/4 inches. Lewis did not compete in the 200 meter race in order to focus on his best events. In the 100 meter sprint Lewis tied the 9.93 second world record, but was beaten by Johnson who came in with a stunning 9.83 second time. In follow-up interviews Lewis blamed a stomach virus for weakening him, alleged that Johnson had false-started, and implied that Johnson was using performance-enhancing drugs. These allegation were widely perceived as petty.

1988 Olympics

Lewis not only lost the most publicized showdown in track and field in 1987, he also lost his father. When William McKinley Lewis Jr. died, Lewis placed the gold medal he won for the 100 m in 1984 in his hand to be buried with him. "Don't worry,” he told his mother. “I'll get another one.” [1]. Lewis would repeatedly refer to his father as a motivating factor for the 1988 season. “A lot happened to me last year, especially the death of my father. That caused me to rededicate myself to being the very best I possibly can be this season,” he said, after defeating Johnson in Zurich August 17. <ref>Track and Field News, October 1988, Vol. 41, #10, p. 25</ref>

The defeat of Johnson shortly before the Olympics was part of a year-long grudge match between the two athletes. The Johnson camp had angrily defended their star against the drug accusations Lewis had thrown out <ref>Track and Field News, December 1987, Vol. 40, #12, p. 28</ref>, but they also were scrambling to get Johnson ready after he suffered a hamstring injury during the indoor season. When Lewis defeated Johnson in their first meeting since Rome’s World Championships, the drama for the Olympics only heightened. Lewis had run 9.93 s, the identical time he ran finishing second to Johnson the previous year. Johnson ran 10.00 s, indicating he was recovering well from his injury, but not answering the question whether he’d be ready for the Olympic final a bit more than a month away.

The 100 m final at the 1988 Olympics was one of the most-hyped sports stories of the year; its dramatic outcome would rank as one of the top sports stories of the century, according to some. [2] The quarterfinal rounds saw Johnson almost not qualifying as he eased up too early, allowing two to pass him. But his time stood as the fastest of the time qualifiers and he advanced to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals the next day, Lewis ran 9.97 s into a wind, and Johnson did likewise with a time of 10.03 s. In the final, Johnson had the fastest start and was soon in the lead. Lewis, not known for his starts, lagged in third by 30 m, but passed Canadian Desai Williams around 60 m. In the end, Lewis was unable to get any closer to Johnson, who had a 2 m lead. Johnson won in 9.79 s, a new world record, Lewis set a new American record with a clocking of 9.92 s. Johnson repeated the old track adage about the primacy of titles over records, “They can break my record, but they can’t take my gold medal away,” but in this case he was wrong. Three days later, he tested positive for steroids, his medal was taken away and Lewis was awarded gold. Additionally, Lewis’ time was recognized as the new Olympic record. <ref>Track and Field News, November 1988, Vol. 41 #11, p. 10-11</ref>

The rest of the Olympics were a mixed bag for Lewis, at least in comparison to his 1984 Olympic triumphs. Robert Emmiyan withdrew from the long jump competition citing an injury, and Lewis’ main challengers were rising American long jump star Mike Powell and long-time rival Larry Myricks. Unlike in 1984, Lewis did not win the competition on his initial leap. After three rounds, he was in first, but by only 7 cm over Powell. But after a controversy about jumping order, Lewis leapt 8.72 m, a low-altitude Olympic best, and none of his competitors could match it. The Americans swept the medals in the event for the first time in 84 years. [ibid, p. 41]In the 200 m, Lewis dipped under his Olympic record from 1984, running 19.79 s, but did so in second place to Joe DeLoach, who claimed the new record and Olympic gold in 19.75 s. [ibid. p. 13] In the final event he was entered in, the 4 x 100 m relay, Lewis never even made it to the track as the American team fumbled an exchange in one of the heats and were disqualified. [ibid. p. 32]

Though not matching his results from the 1984 Olympics in terms of gold medals, Lewis nevertheless achieved a career milestone in winning the 100 m gold: His 9.92 s performance would be the first time he set an outdoor world record. "Would be" because despite Johnson's disqualification for steroid use at the Seoul Olympics, his world record from the 1987 World Championships still stood. After Johnson admitted to long-term steroid use while under oath during a 1989 inquiry, he was stripped of his gold medal and world record from that 1987 performance and Lewis was deemed to be the world record holder for his 1988 Olympic performance. Lewis and was also deemed to have tied the then existing world record (9.93 s) for his 1987 World Championship performance, and again at the Zurich meet where he defeated Johnson. From January 1 1990, Lewis was, for the first time, the world record holder in the 100 m. <ref>Track and Field News, November 1989, Vol. 42, #11, p. 37</ref> But Lewis did not hold the mantle of world record holder in the 100 m for very long, as fellow American Leroy Burrell ran 9.90 s on June 14 1991 to break the mark Lewis set at Seoul. Lewis had lost his ranking as number one sprinter the past two years and while still remaining undefeated in the long jump, it seemed the sprinting world had caught up and passed him by. Lewis, however, responded by putting in the greatest 100 m and long jump performances of his life at that summer’s World Championships.

1991 World Championships

Tokyo was the venue for the 1991 World Championships. In the 100 m final, Lewis faced the two men who ranked number one in the world the past two years: Burrell and Jamaican Raymond Stewart. [3] In what would be the deepest 100 m race ever, with six men finishing in under 10.00 s, Lewis not only defeated his opponents, he reclaimed the world record with a clocking of 9.86 s. <ref>Track and Field News, November 1991, Vol 44, #11, p. 9</ref> Though previously a world-record holder in this event, this was the first time he had crossed the line with “WR” beside his name on the giant television screens, and the first time he could savour his achievement at the moment it occurred. He could be seen with tears in his eyes afterwards. "The best race of my life," Lewis said. "The best technique, the fastest. And I did it at 30." [4] He additionally anchored the 4 x100 m relay team to another world record, 37.50 s, the third time that year he had anchored a 4 x 100 m squad to a world record. Though the 100 m record has long since been broken, and other 100 m races rival the 1991 Tokyo final as the greatest ever, the long jump final at the same competition is considered by some to have been one of greatest competitions ever. [5] [6]

Lewis was up against his main rival of the last few years, Mike Powell, the silver medallist in the event from the 1988 Olympics and the top-ranked long jumper of 1990. Lewis had to that point not lost a long jump competition in a decade, winning 65 consecutive meets. Powell had been unable to defeat Lewis, despite sometimes putting in jumps near world-record territory, only to see them ruled fouls. [7] Or, as with other competitors such as Larry Myricks, putting in leaps which Lewis himself had only rarely surpassed, only to see Lewis surpass them on his next or final attempt. <ref>Track and Field News, September 1988, Vol 41 #9, p. 18-19</ref> <ref>Track and Field News, August 1991, Vol. 44 #8, p.14-15</ref> Lewis started his competition in dramatic fashion with a jump of 8.68 m, a World Championship record, and a mark bested by only three others beside Lewis all-time. Powell, jumping first, had faltered in the first round, but came up with an 8.54 m to grab second place in the second round. Myricks was also in the competition, but he didn’t challenge the leaders.

Lewis jumped 8.83 m, a wind-aided leap, in the third round, a mark which would have won every long jump competition in history save two, but which ultimately would not be the winning mark today, nor even Lewis’ best of the day. Powell then put together a long foul, estimated to be around 8.80 m. Lewis responded to Powell by putting in yet another huge jump. The wind gauge indicated that it was a wind-aided jump, so it could not be considered a record, but it would still count in the competition. The result: 8.91 m. Lewis had surpassed Bob Beamon’s immortal 8.90 m world record leap with the greatest leap ever under all conditions.

In the fifth round, it was Powell’s turn to respond. This time, his jump was not a foul, and with a wind gauge measurement of 0.3 m/s, well within the legal allowable for a record. The crowd exploded when the distance was revealed: 8.95 m, a new world record, beating the 23-year-old mark set by Bob Beamon.

Lewis still had two jumps left, though he was suddenly no longer chasing Beamon, but Powell. He leaped 8.87 m, which was a new personal best under legal wind conditions – indeed, it was done with the wind in his face - then he took his final jump and leaped 8.84 m. Despite the enormous pressure of having to best a world record, Lewis achieved the third and fifth greatest legal long jumps in history, and the second and third longest at low altitude, behind only Powell’s record leap. <ref>Track and Field News, November 1991, Vol. 44, #11, p. 30-31</ref> Lewis had put in the greatest series of jumps in history, even surpassing the old world record with a wind-aided jump, but lost the competition. So great was the competition that, 15 years later, Powell’s record still stands, and Lewis’ legal jumps rank as 3rd and 5th all-time, their marks ranked one-two-three all-time at low-altitude.

Lewis’ reaction to what was one of the greatest competitions ever in the sport [8] in part explains why he never was truly appreciated by many for his remarkable athletic achievements, as he only grudgingly acknowledged the achievement of Powell. "He just did it," Lewis said of Powell's winning jump. "It was that close, and it was the best of his life, and he may never do it again." <ref>"29-4 1/2! Soaring Powell Conquers Beamon's Record," The New York Times, 31 August 1991</ref> While this ended up being true for Powell (at least under legal wind conditions), it was also true for Lewis himself.

As for his efforts at the 1991 World Championships, Lewis said, “This has been the greatest meet that I’ve ever had.” <ref>Track and Field News, November 1991, Vol .44, #11, p. 8</ref> Track and Field News was prepared to go even further than that, suggesting that after these Championships, “[I]t had become hard to argue that he is not the greatest athlete ever to set foot on track or field.” [ibid]

Lewis credits his outstanding 1991 results in part to the vegan diet he adopted in 1990. [9]

The 1992 Olympics and beyond

After the heights reached in 1991, Lewis started to lose his dominance in both the sprints and the long jump. Though he anchored a world record 1:19.11 in the rarely run 4 x 200 m relay with the Santa Monica Track Club early in 1992, <ref>Track and Field News, June 1992, Vol 45, #6, p.4-5</ref> he failed to qualify for the Olympic team in the 100 m or 200 m. In the latter race, he finished fourth at the Olympic trials behind rising star Michael Johnson who set a personal best of 19.79 s. It was the first time the two had ever met on the track. <ref>Track and Field News, August 1992, Vol 45, #6, p. 8</ref> Lewis did, however, qualify for the long jump, finishing second behind Powell, and was eligible for the 4 x 100 m relay team.

At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Lewis made most of his opportunities, leaping 8.67 m in the first round of the long jump, beating Powell who did a final-round 8.64 m, 3 cm short of victory. In the 4 x 100 m relay, Lewis anchored yet another world record, this time in 37.40 s, a time which has since only been matched, not yet beaten.

Lewis competed at the 4th World Championships in Stuttgart in 1993, but finished fourth in the 100 m, [10] and did not compete in the long jump. He did, however, earn his first World Championship medal in the 200 m, a bronze with his 19.99 s performance. [11] That medal would prove to be his final Olympic or World Championship medal in a running event. Injuries kept Lewis largely sidelined for next few years, then he made a comeback for the 1996 season.

1996 Olympics

Lewis qualified for American Olympic team for the fifth time in the long jump, the only time an American man has achieved such a feat. <ref>Track and Field News, September 1996, Vol. 49, #9, p. 18</ref> And though he finished eighth in the 100 m final at the Olympic Trials, the fact that he was on the Olympic team meant that he could be considered for the relay team. [ibid, p. 10] At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, world-record holder Powell and the leading long-jumper in the world, Iván Pedroso, were both hobbled by injuries, and had sub-par performances. Lewis, on the other hand, was in good form. Even if not in the league of some of his past performances, his third-round leap of 8.50 m was good enough to win gold, and by a margin of 21 cm over second-place James Beckford of Jamaica. <ref>Track and Field News October 1996, Vol. 49, #10, p. 36</ref> He thus became one of only three Olympic athletes to win the same individual event four times. [12] Additionally, Lewis’ ninth gold medal tied him with Finnish running great Paavo Nurmi who had more gold medals than any other track and field athlete, save for Ray Ewry who had 10, if the 1906 Intercalated Games are included.

But, again, controversy struck when as Track and Field News put it, “Lewis’ pissy attitude in the whole relay hoo-hah a few days later served only to take the luster off his final gold.” <ref>Track and Field News October 1996, Vol. 49, #10, p. 36</ref>

After Lewis’ unexpected long jump gold, it was noted that he could surpass Nurmi as the track and field athlete with most golds at the Olympics if he was entered on the 4 x 100 m relay team. This was because any member of the American Olympic men’s track team could be used, even if they never ran the event. Lewis said, “If they asked me, I’d run it in a second. But they haven’t asked me to run it.” He further suggested on “Larry King Live” that viewers phone the United States Olympic Committee to let them know what they thought of the situation. The fact that Lewis had skipped the mandatory relay training camp and demanded to run only the anchor leg added to the debate. The final decision was not to add Lewis to the team. As Olympic team coach Erv Hunt said, “The basis of their [the relay team’s] opinion was ‘We want to run, we worked our butts off and we deserve to be here.’” [ibid, p. 31] In the end, the American relay team finished second to the Canadian team, the first time an American 4 x 100 m men’s relay team had ever been defeated in an Olympic final when they ran a clean race. Since the Canadian team was anchored by Donovan Bailey, who had days earlier set a new world record in the 100 m, and the Canadians ran the fastest time ever recorded in America, there is doubt that the addition of Lewis to the team would have made a difference in the final result. “Amid the American hype, Canada was indeed being overlooked, despite having Worlds silver medalist Bruny Surin to back up the new WR holder Bailey,” said Track and Field News. [ibid., p. 30] But the controversy was unquestionably a distraction for the team, and whether Lewis’ presence would have made a difference is irresolvable.

Lewis retired from the sport in 1997.

In 1999, he was voted "Sportsman of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee [13], elected "World Athlete of the Century" by the International Association of Athletics Federations[14] and named "Olympian of the Century" by the American sports magazine Sports Illustrated. [15]

Drug accusations

In 2003, Dr. Wade Exum, the United States Olympic Committee's director of drug control administration from 1991 to 2000, gave copies of documents to Sports Illustrated which revealed that some 100 American athletes who failed drug tests and should have been prevented from competing in the Olympics were nevertheless cleared to compete. Among those athletes was Carl Lewis.

It was revealed that Lewis tested positive three times before the 1988 Olympics for pseudoephedrine, ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine, banned stimulants also found in cold medication, and had been banned from the Seoul Olympics and from competition for six months. The USOC accepted his claim of inadvertent use and overturned the decision. Fellow Santa Monica Track Club teammates Joe DeLoach and Floyd Heard were also found to have the same banned stimulants in their systems, and were cleared to compete for the same reason.[16][17]

The positive results occurred at the Olympic Trials in July 1988 where athletes were required to declare on the drug-testing forms "over-the-counter medication, prescription drugs and any other substances you have taken by mouth, injection or by suppository."

"Carl did nothing wrong. There was never intent. He was never told, you violated the rules," said Martin D. Singer, Lewis' lawyer, who also said that Lewis had inadvertently taken the banned stimulants in an over-the-counter herbal remedy. [18]Some experts claim that the banned stimulants can be used as masking agents for more serious drugs, such as anabolic steroids. [19]"The only thing I can say is I think it's unfortunate what Wade Exum is trying to do," said Lewis. "I don't know what people are trying to make out of nothing because everyone was treated the same, so what are we talking about? I don't get it." [20]

Lewis currently lives in Los Angeles and is pursuing an acting career.


Personal bests

  • 100 m: 9.86 s (1991)
  • 200 m: 19.75 s (1983)
  • Long jump: 8.87 m (1991), w8.91 m (1991)
  • 4x100 m relay: 37.40 s (1992, current world record)
  • 4x200 m relay: 1:18.68 (1994, current world record)

Trivia

  • Lewis’ mother, the former Evelyn Lawler, was an Olympian who competed at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki in the 80 m hurdles.[21]
  • Sister Carol Lewis was also an Olympian, finishing 9th in the long jump at the 1984 Olympics, and earning a bronze medal in the same event at the 1983 World Championships. She additionally set two American records in the long jump in 1985.
  • The Chicago Bulls drafted Carl Lewis in the 1984 NBA Draft with the 208th overall pick; Lewis never played in the NBA.
  • Though he did not play football in college, Carl Lewis was drafted as a wide receiver in the 12th round of the 1984 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys but he did not play. [22].
  • Carl Lewis' gold in the 1984 Olympics 100m was buried with his father. Lewis placed the medal in his father's hands at the funeral and told his mother, "Don't worry. I'll get another one" [23].
  • Singing the Star-Spangled Banner on January 21 1993, Lewis gave a notoriously bad rendition of the song when his voice began to screech at the line "and the rockets red glare." After promising "I'll make up for it," he never did. The explanation given for the performance was being hoarse after singing at the White House inauguration ceremony for President Clinton the day before. His performance at the game became even more famous after ESPN SportsCenter's Charlie Steiner was unable to contain himself from laughing after a replay of the "highlight," which Steiner said must have been written by "Francis Scott Off-Key". One can also hear this 'Lewis soundbite' repeatedly made fun of on Jim Rome's daily radio program as well as occasional plays on the Howard Stern Show.

References

  • "Carl Lewis." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 30 Aug 2006, 18:47 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 4 Sep 2006 [24].
  • Mackay, Duncan (April 24, 2003) "Lewis: 'Who cares I failed drug test?". Guardian Unlimited.

External links

Retrieved from "http://bhamwiki.com/w/index.php?title=Carl_Lewis&oldid=8544"