Houston Sports - Carl Lewis

Carl Lewis

Born: July 1, 1961

Sport: Track & Field (6-time All-American, 10 Olympic Medals - 9 Gold & 1 Silver, 10 World Championship Medals - 8 Gold & 2 Bronze, IOC Sportsman of the Century, Hall of Fame) 

This week marks the beginning of the 2026 Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy.  The United States competitors have traditionally performed better at the summer games than the winter version of the international competition, and Houston's geography has contributed to an even more exaggerated leaning towards success in the warm-weather events.  So while snow and ice will take center stage for the duration of February, we'll take a look at the Houston sports figures that left their mark, despite being summer athletes.  To kick off this world-class group who made Space City proud, we'll look at the life and story of one of history's greatest track competitors, and probably the first Olympian I can remember cheering for - Carl Lewis. 

The UH campus at the start of 1979, the year Carl Lewis came to Houston

Carl Lewis was born into a family of athletes in Birmingham, Alabama, but he was raised in the Philadelphia suburb of Willingboro, New Jersey for most of his childhood.  His parents were William and Evelyn Lewis, the latter having been a hurdler in the 1951 Pan- American Games, and his older brother Cleveland became a professional soccer player.  Carl and his sister, Carol, were both trained by their father at the Willingboro Track Club that William Lewis has started, and they both went on to compete as student athletes at Willingboro High School, each specializing in the long jump.  Upon graduating in 1979, Carl competed in an event where he broke the high school record with a leap of 26' 8" and then decided to attend the University of Houston where he won the NCAA long jump title the following year.  His college coach, Tom Tellez, was Lewis' coach for the rest of his career.  The talented young man who had already climbed into the top of the world long jump rankings began to also showcase world-class class speed as he qualified for the 1980 US Olympic team, but his dream was temporarily derailed when the United States and 60 other nations boycotted the games which were to be held in Moscow.  In lieu of participating in the Olympics, many American athletes competed at the Liberty Bell Classic, including Lewis who claimed an individual bronze medal in the long jump and a team gold in the 4 x 100m medley. 

Having climbed into the top 10 world rankings in both jumping and sprinting, Carl Lewis began earning comparisons to the great Jesse Owens.  While still in college competing for the Cougars, Lewis began putting his name in the record books.  In 1981 he became the world's fastest runner with a 10.00-second 100m race, the third-fastest time ever and world record at low elevation.  He also claimed the #1 ranking in the long jump and began to threaten the great Bob Beamon's record of 29' 2.25" (set in 1968 at high elevation at the Mexico City Olympics).  Lewis competed in the very first World Championships that were held in 1983, and he took gold in all three events that he competed in - 100m, long jump, and 4 x 100m team relay.  The following year, Lewis finally became an Olympian at the 1984 Los Angeles games, and won gold in the same three events plus the 200m.  His four gold medals were in the exact same events that Jesse Owens had claimed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.  His success was not without controversy, however, as he was booed after not attempting his final 4 long jump attempts once he knew he'd clinched the victory.  Lewis was attempting to avoid injury since he had two events remaining, but the audience in attendance was not satisfied with his apparent lack of effort.  His final two events both set new records - an Olympic mark in the 200m and a world record in the team relay.  For his first Olympic trip Lewis had experienced resounding success, but critics remained and lucrative endorsement deals were more scarce than he'd hoped.  Even Nike, with whom he had an existing deal, cut ties with Lewis at the conclusion of the 1984 Olympics in spite of his victories.  Seemingly the only ones intrigued with his talents were the Chicago Bulls and the Dallas Cowboys who both drafted him in the 1984 NBA and NFL drafts, despite Lewis never having played organized football or basketball. 

Competitively, Carl Lewis was at the peak of his career, remaining at or near the top of 100m, 200m, and long jump rankings.  Even though others started to challenge his position in sprinting events, Lewis would remain undefeated for 65 consecutive competitions spanning 10 years.  As the 1988 Olympics approached, however, he began to experience mounting obstacles.  During the 1987 World Championships he was defeated by Canadian Ben Johnson in the 100m event, and Lewis made a point of suggesting reasons for his loss to anyone who would listen, including a non-specific reference to drug use in the sport.  Additionally, William Lewis passed away later in the year.  Attending his father's funeral, he placed his Olympic gold from the 100m sprint (William's favorite event) inside the casket, then told his mother, "Don't worry, I'll get another one."  With newfound perspective and motivation, Lewis qualified for the upcoming Seoul games with personal bests.  The 100m match-up against Johnson was dramatic for multiple reasons, as the Canadian's world record easily beat Lewis' new American record but ended up being scrapped when he tasted positive for steroid use two days later.  Johnson was stripped of his gold medal, his world record, and his 1987 victory.  Lewis therefore took the gold, repeating and regaining his title as the world's fastest man while also inheriting the fastest clean 100m record.  He managed to also take gold in the long jump, becoming the first to ever defend his Olympic title in the event, but only placed second in the 200m.  Lewis didn't get to race his leg in the 4 x 100m relay when a faulty baton exchange disqualified the Americans. 

The following years leading up to the 1992 Olympics were a mixed bag for Carl Lewis, who permanently lost his top rankings in both the 100m and 200m distances, but continued to win major publicized competitions.  The 1991 World Championship had the strongest 100m field ever up to that time, and with 6 men crossing the finish line in less than 10 seconds it was Lewis that took the victory at the age of 30 with a new world record of 9.86 seconds.  He also has an epic long jump match-up against Mike Powell, during which both men surpassed the longstanding record set by Bob Beamon.  Eventually Lewis came up 4 cm short, breaking his amazing streak of victories in the event and giving Powell the new record.  The tables would turn in the 1992 Olympics, however, as Lewis won his third consecutive long jump gold while also finishing on top of the podium in the 4 x 100m relay.  Age and injuries looked like they would cause the end of Lewis' career but he managed to rebound in the 1993 World Championship with a bronze finish in the 200m, his final racing medal of any kind.  He surprised many by qualifying for the 1996 Olympics in the long jump, his fifth time to earn his way into Team USA, and then reached legendary status by claiming victory for the fourth consecutive time.  Lewis stated he would be willing to run once again in the 4 x 100m relay, despite not having earned a spot or participating in the required training camp, but none of the other racers yielded their spots and he was not invited.  The team finished in second place, and at the age of 36 Lewis finally retired.  He was named the Sportsman of the Century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999, and other honors include induction into the UH Athletics Hall of Honor (1998), New Jersey Hall of Fame (2010), Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2016), and Houston Sports Hall of Fame (2020).  He returned to Houston to be an assistant coach for the Cougars track team in 2013, and was elevated to head coach in 2023.  In addition to athletics Lewis has tried his hand at acting and politics, and is active in supporting such charities as his own Carl Lewis Foundation, the Ronald McDonald House, Best Buddies, and the Wendy Marx Foundation, while also serving as a UN Ambassador for their Food and Agricultural Organization. 

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