Leon "Bud" Lewis (born January 29, 1953) is an American former professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player and coach. Known for his versatility on the field as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

and

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

, Lewis represented the Cincinnati Comets in the American Soccer League and the Buffalo Blazers in the

Canadian National Soccer League The National Soccer League was a soccer league in Canada that existed from 1926 to 1997. Teams were primarily based in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The league was renamed to Canadian National Soccer League in 1993 following the folding ...

in the mid-1970s. After retiring as a player, he served as the

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

for the men's soccer team at Wilmington College between 1975 and 2017.

Playing career

Early career

High school

Lewis, a native of

Penfield, New York Penfield is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 39,438 at the 2020 census, up from 36,242 in 2010 United States census, 2010. ...

, began his competitive soccer career at Penfield High School in 1967. He was a standout player for the school's soccer team and helped lead them to a New York State Section V championship in 1970. As a result of his outstanding performance on the field, Lewis was named a National High School

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n following his

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

season.

College

In 1971, Lewis won an

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private school, private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the U ...

to attend

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...

Bowling Green, Ohio Bowling Green is a city in Wood County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 30,808 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located southwest of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo, it is part of the Toledo metropolitan area and ...

. A four-year letter winner with the

Bowling Green Falcons men's soccer The Bowling Green Falcons men's soccer team is the National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA Division I intercollegiate College soccer in the United States, college soccer team of Bowling Green State University located in Bowling Green, Ohio. ...

team, he was named an

NSCAA The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than ...

All-American in 1974. He also served as the

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

during the same season, alongside defender Steve Cabalka. Lewis' contributions to the Bowling Green Falcons soccer team were recognized in 2000 when he was inducted into the Bowling Green State University Athletic Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Following a successful collegiate career, Lewis signed his first professional contract with the American Soccer League side the Cincinnati Comets for the 1975 ASL season. After only one season with the Comets, he joined the Buffalo Blazers of the

in 1976. In 1977, he was part of the Blazers team that played a friendly against the

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

team

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

at the

War Memorial Stadium War Memorial Stadium may refer to: * Ada War Memorial Stadium, in Ada, Ohio, also known as ''War Memorial Stadium'' * War Memorial Stadium (Arkansas), Little Rock, Arkansas * War Memorial Stadium (Austin, Texas) (former official name 1924–1947), ...

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. Lewis started as a

in a 1–6 loss.

Coaching career

While still actively playing professional soccer, Lewis took on the role of part-time coach for the Wilmington College men's soccer team in 1975. In 1977, he became the full-time

for the team, known as the Fightin' Quakers. Lewis' tenure as head coach was highly successful, leading the team to multiple NAIA District 22, Association of Mideast Colleges,

Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. Founded as the Indiana Collegiate Athletic Con ...

, and

Ohio Athletic Conference The Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. All member institutions are located in Ohio. Formed in 1902, it is the third oldest athletic conference in the United States ...

titles during the years. In 2004, Lewis was awarded the Bill Jeffrey Award for reaching more than 400 victories and for his services to the NSCAA's All-America program. He retired from coaching after the 2017 NCAA season, having served as head coach at Wilmington College for 43 consecutive seasons and racking up 506 victories in 843 games. In 2021, Lewis was inducted into the Wilmington College Athletic Hall of Fame in recognition of his coaching achievements.

Coaching statistics

Honors

Player

Penfield High School * New York State Section V Boys' Soccer: 1970 Bowling Green State University * Mid-American Conference (MAC): 1973 Individual * National High School

n: 1970 *

All-American: 1974 * NSCAA All-Region (

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

): 1974 *NSCAA All-Ohio: 1974 *OCSA All-Mid-American Conference (MAC): 1974 *

Athletic Hall of Fame: 2000

Coach

Wilmington College * NAIA District 22: 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1989 * Association of Mideast Colleges (AMC): 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 * Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC): 1998, 1999 * Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Regular-Season Champion: 2000, 2004 * Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament Champion: 2004 Individual * NAIA District 22 Coach of the Year: 8 times * NSCAA Mideast Coach of the Year: 6 times * Ohio Coach of the Year: 3 times * Association of Mideast Colleges (AMC) Coach of the Year: 3 times * Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Coach of the Year: 2004, 2017 *

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

Sports Hall of Fame: 2001 * Bill Jeffrey Award: 2004 * Wilmington College Athletic Hall of Fame: 2021 * Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association (OCSA) Hall of Fame: 2024

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Bud Living people 1953 births American men's soccer players Men's association football forwards Cincinnati Comets players Bowling Green Falcons men's soccer players People from Penfield, New York Soccer players from Monroe County, New York Canadian National Soccer League players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Soccer coaches in the United States American soccer coaches College men's soccer coaches in the United States 20th-century American sportsmen