Cleveland Lewis

Cleveland "Cleve" Lewis (born November 1, 1955) is an American retired professional soccer player who was the first African American drafted by the North American Soccer League.

Cleve Lewis
Personal information
Full name Cleveland Lewis
Date of birth (1955-11-01) November 1, 1955
Place of birth Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1973 Kennedy High School (Willingboro, NJ)
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1974–1978 Brandeis University
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1978 Memphis Rogues 3 (0)
1979 New Jersey Americans
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

Lewis was born November 1, 1955 in Birmingham, Alabama.[1] Raised in Willingboro Township, New Jersey, he attended John F. Kennedy High School, scoring more than 100 goals in his high school career and earning all-state honors as a senior.[2][3][4]

Lewis was an All-America selection at Brandeis University and captain of the 1976 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship winning team. He was named MVP of the championship final, scoring both goals, including the golden goal in double overtime.[5] By the time he graduated he was the school's all-time leader in goals with 58.[1]

In January 1978 he was selected by the Soccer Bowl '77 champion, Cosmos in the first round of the NASL's 1978 college draft, but never played for them.[6] Acquired by the Memphis Rogues of the North American Soccer League, he appeared in three regular season matches for Memphis in 1978. He joined the New Jersey Americans of the American Soccer League in 1979. After a brief stay in the preseason camp of the Houston Hurricane in 1980, Lewis decided to retire from professional soccer.[7]

In 1993 he was inducted into the Brandeis University Athletics Hall of Fame as an inaugural member.[8]

Personal life

Lewis is the son of former U.S. hurdler Evelyn Lawler, and the older brother of U.S. Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, and U.S. Olympian Carol Lewis. He was named after his mother's Tuskegee University track and field coach, Cleveland Abbott.[9][7]

References
  1. "Cleveland Lewis". Geni.com. 11 January 1955. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  2. "Coaches All-State Soccer". Asbury Park Press. December 16, 1973. p. F3. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  3. Yannis, Alex. "Lewis, a New Jerseyan, Is Drafted by Cosmos", The New York Times, January 24, 1978. Accessed July 11, 2019. "The Cosmos; with Coach Eddie Firmani on hand at the Plaza Hotel, became the first club to draft a black American. He is Cleveland Lewis, a forward from Brandeis University in Massachusetts. Lewis, who found out through a reporter that he had been selected, attended Willingboro High School in New Jersey."
  4. Lanni, Patrick. "Ed Grant, track and field authority and former Star-Ledger reporter, dies at 94", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 4, 2021. Accessed January 27, 2022. "At the time in 1973, Grant was on an assignment writing about Cleveland Lewis, the oldest Lewis sibling, 100-goal scorer at Willingboro’s Kennedy High."
  5. Spatz, Ian D. "The First Championship Season". brandeis.edu. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  6. McKee, Don (January 24, 1978). "Pro soccer selects 9 from area". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1-D. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  7. Horne 2019.
  8. "Brandeis Athletics Hall of Fame". brandeisjudges.com. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  9. Amdur, Neil (February 12, 1981). "Jersey Siblings Rival the Best in Track and Field". New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
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