Walter Lewis (born April 26, 1962) is a former
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
and
Canadian football
Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
. He played for the
Memphis Showboats of the
United States Football League
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
(USFL) and the
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
(CFL). He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
, Where he was the first
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
quarterback to start for the Crimson Tide and legendary Hall of Fame coach
Bear Bryant
Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of ...
. He was also the last quarterback to start for Bryant.
At Alabama, Lewis played in 44 games from 1980-1983, passing for 4,257 yards with 29 touchdowns. He was named first team quarterback on the
1983 All-SEC football team The 1983 All-SEC football team consists of American football players selected to the All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) chosen by various selectors for the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season.
Offensive selections Receivers
* Dwayne Dixon, Fl ...
. He was drafted in the third round of the 1984 Supplemental Draft by the New England Patriots.
Playing for the Memphis Showboats of the
USFL, Lewis split time with
Mike Kelley both seasons. In 1984, he completed 161 of 276 passes (58%) for 1,862 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, and also ran 60 times for 552 yards and 5 touchdowns. In 1985, Lewis completed 97 of 184 (53%) for 1,593 yards, 16 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, and also rushed 65 times for 591 yards and 4 touchdowns.
References
1962 births
Living people
People from Brewton, Alabama
Players of American football from Alabama
American football quarterbacks
Canadian football quarterbacks
Alabama Crimson Tide football players
Memphis Showboats players
Montreal Alouettes players
American players of Canadian football
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