Chris Lewis finds a new purpose through tough battle

“Give me the ball.” 

It’s something Chris Lewis has said just twice. 

“When I was playing here at Troy, I wasn’t normally that vocal,” Lewis said. “I was the kind of player that just said ‘watch me.’  

“Coach Sumrall used to tell me each week I need to be more vocal.” 

The second time he asked for the ball against South Alabama in 2023, Lewis pulled in a touchdown with a defender draped all over him. He gave Troy a lead it wouldn’t relinquish – and earned a spot on SportsCenter Top 10 – just before halftime with the second of his three touchdowns. 

The first time he asked for the ball, Lewis was in high school. With less than 30 seconds left, he beat double coverage to catch the game-winning touchdown and send his team to state. 

“I caught it, turned around, and looked at the fans,” Lewis said of his catch in high school.

“They were going crazy.” 

Lewis started playing football at age five, and it caught on quickly. What started as getting knocked over by his older brothers morphed into pure dominance on the gridiron. 

“I was like Lamar Jackson out there with my little league team, and I would score four or five times a game,” Lewis said. “I played defense too, so I was probably Ed Reed and Lamar Jackson.” 

Although he played basketball as well and had NBA dreams, Lewis said he realized Division I football was a real possibility in 10th grade. 

“We had a lot of really good players on the team,” Lewis said. “Being one of the better players on the team made me realize I had a chance to be really good.” 

After committing to Kentucky and playing a season there, Lewis spurned Power Four offers to follow Jon Sumrall to Troy for the 2023 season. His breakout year with the Trojans featured 32 catches, 735 yards, 11 touchdowns and a swath of jaw-dropping plays. 

“After transferring from Kentucky, I was just trying to prove to myself I could still play with the best of the best,” Lewis said. “What went through my head when I lined up every play was ‘somebody’s got to die, and it’s not going to be me.’” 

The diagnosis hit two days before the 2023 Birmingham Bowl.  

Cancer.  

Osteosarcoma. 

“I didn’t really have any emotions at the time,” Lewis said. “I was just cold. My sister and everybody were sitting there crying, but I didn’t know how to process it.” 

Lewis said the diagnosis and its ramifications didn’t start to set in until he returned to Troy and saw the Trojans running out of the tunnel at The Vet.  

“When people say Chris Lewis, they attach football to me,” Lewis said. “Football was a really big part of my life and it just got ripped away so quickly.” 

Surrounded by a strong support system including family, coaches, teammates, reporters and fans, Lewis went through 10 weeks of chemotherapy and a surgery to remove the tumor behind his left knee. The cancer was gone, but Lewis was forced to medically retire from football. 

“Being a football player, I knew I had support,” Lewis said. “Knowing I couldn’t play anymore and still getting all the love and support I did made me feel really good.” 

The question is: who is Chris Lewis without playing football? 

“Outside of football, I hope people just say I’m a joy to be around,” Lewis said. “I’m very playful, and I’m a jokester. Being in the room with me, everybody’s going to be on edge because they don’t know what I’m going to say.” 

Lewis can’t ask for the ball or personally victimize cornerbacks anymore. But he’s not powerless. Now, he makes an impact as a student assistant on the Troy coaching staff. 

“I can still find plays that fit our scheme and fit against whatever the defense is running,” Lewis said. “I still feel like I have power.” 

Through it all, Lewis said he wouldn’t change a thing. 

“Even if I knew what was going to happen and could do something to change it, I wouldn’t,” Lewis said. “What God has for my life is what He has for my life. And He has a better purpose for me.”