Jeff Lewis has always had success at football. He is a three time Calgary high school city champion as a member of the St. Francis Browns, and in his grade 12 year, he played in the Alberta Senior Bowl capturing MVP honours. He was a key member of the national champion under-19 Alberta Team and his future looked bright. He moved on to university football playing for the Dinos, in the footsteps of his brother Chris, and it would be an understatement to say that he has done well so far. But Jeff may not return to the Dinos next year. The reason? Not a car accident, like the one that kept him out of the lineup in his rookie year. Not even a knee injury, like the one he suffered in 1996. Lewis may not play for the Dinos, instead opting for the CFL.
He is highly touted prospect, and his future in football is looking bright. Jeff is 10 courses away from getting a double major in psychology and sociology. It seems that there is an opportunity waiting for him around every corner. He was also a nominee for University of Calgary athlete of the year this season, but lost out to wrestling standout Andy Hutchinson.
"It was a real pleasant surprise to learn that I was nominated for athlete of the year. I knew I didn’t really have a chance at winning it going up against a guy like Andy, but it was a great honour just to be nominated.
"As for this season, I would have been happy to trade away all my individual accolades for team success. It was nice to be recognized for my individual success but it would have been a lot better to have some more success, as a team."
Following further in his brother’s footsteps, Lewis has been noted as a prospect for next week’s CFL draft.
"I don’t really expect to be drafted but I would be great if I did. I don’t really know what teams are thinking, but I hope I will get drafted; that would be a great honour."
Lewis has a few preferences as to where he’d like to go.
"I would like to stay in the west, a little closer to home. Edmonton, Vancouver, anywhere would be great. Calgary too, they are a winning team and it would be awesome to play for them."
Even if the draft doesn’t go well for him, Lewis would still play football next year. After all, the Dinos would love to have their star back for another season. Lewis also doesn’t seem to mind, as he is very thankful for his U of C career.
"After all, the Dinos are what enabled me to take advantage of all these opportunities, that I’ve had over the last few months. I owe the Dinos pretty much my whole career, so I’d be more than happy to come back, contribute to the team and hopefully get back to Toronto; it’s been a while since we’ve been there at the national finals and it would be great to do that."
No matter where Lewis goes next year, he will be remembered fondly at the U of C. His love of football, his talent, and his athleticism would make him a great addition to any team. Wherever Lewis plays next year, Dino fans will cheer him on. Unless he is an Eskimo or a Lion.