By: Matthew Florjancic ‘07 Student Assistant
BEREA, OHIO --For the past three years, Baldwin-Wallace College defensive end Ryan Lewis has been taking care of business on the field. However, most people do not know about his plans to do the exact same thing after graduation.
The fifth-year senior from Holland, Ohio, led the team in sacks a year ago with nine. He also tallied 45 stops, 14 of which came behind the line of scrimmage. His play was good enough for second-team All-OAC and third-team All-North Region honors.
Lewis is majoring in business administration with an emphasis in entrepreneurship. It is a field that he finds very interesting.
“I was always intrigued by business when I was younger,” Lewis said. “[I] never really had an interest in teaching or anything like that.”
“I am currently enrolling in commercial real estate courses and planning to sit for my exam afterwards,” he added. “Once I get my license, I know that it will be tough to first establish myself within the industry, but eventually, I plan to build my knowledge of the business and utilize it to become successful.
Lewis began his sports career because of his family.
“My parents always promoted an active life-style to me and encouraged me to get involved in many different sports,” he said.
Despite his early start in the sports world, Lewis’ on-the-field battles do not compare to a struggle he faces every day away from the game.
“I was diagnosed with Chron’s Disease when I was 12,” he said. “It did not really ever prohibit me from playing any sports.”
Chron’s Disease involves chronic inflammation of the colon. Some of the people afflicted with the disease experience abdominal pain and weight loss. Despite the constant battle, Lewis does not let it affect him.
“At times, it made things difficult, but it was something that I had to deal with,” Lewis added.
When it came time for high school, Lewis chose Springfield High School of the Northern Lakes League. While in the Blue and White of the Blue Devils, Lewis was a three-sport athlete. He competed in football, wrestling and volleyball.
He played football for three years, earning two varsity letters. On the mat and the court, he was an eight-time letterman.
In addition, Lewis was a three-time honorable mention All-Northern Lakes League choice in wrestling. He qualified for the District tournament and became a league and sectional champion.
When Lewis helped his team win the league title, he was a part of history.
“When I won the NLL wrestling championship, my dad and I became the first father-son duo to win the league title,” Lewis stated proudly.
On the court, he was a first-team All-Northern Lakes League player, the League Player of the Year and made the honorable mention All-Region team. Lewis was also a two-time team Most Valuable Player.
During his football career, Lewis totaled 101 tackles and five quarterback sacks. For his prowess on the football field, he earned second-team All-NLL, first-team All-District and honorable mention All-Ohio accolades. Lewis was also one of the outstanding football Scholar-Athletes in Northwestern Ohio for 2000.
Lewis was very happy with the awards he received.
“I was very pleased with the honors ,” he said. “Getting recognition in anything you do is always rewarding. It made me feel like someone appreciated what I worked hard for.”
Lewis’ performance on the field caught the attention of B-W Head Coach John Snell.
“Ryan was somewhat of an unknown commodity,” Snell said. “We knew a little bit about him coming out of high school. We did not know how good he could be.”
“He was thin and a little undersized for a defensive lineman but he has been able to make up for that in his athletic ability and speed.”
Throughout his high school career, Lewis always knew he had the support of his family.
“I would say my dad [Sonny Lewis] has had the biggest influence on my athletic career,” he said. “He was my wrestling coach and was in my corner [for] every match I wrestled in high school. He is also a very successful volleyball coach within Ohio and all over the country.”
Lewis’ father, Sonny, is currently coaching volleyball at Owens Community College in Findlay, Ohio. In two seasons, he has led the Express to consecutive Ohio Community College Athletic Conference regular season and tournaments crowns.
As the head coach at Springfield High School, Sonny Lewis won 373 matches, seven conference, 15 Sectional, six District and two Regional titles. Along with numerous conference, District and State Coach of the Year honors, Lewis is a member of the Springfield and Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Halls of Fame.
When it came time to look for a college, Lewis searched high and low for the one he liked best. He looked at Wittenberg, Ohio Northern and Miami (Ohio). For Lewis, the decision came down to two factors.
“[I chose B-W] because of football,” Lewis said. “I enjoyed the Cleveland area.”
Following his arrival at B-W, Lewis was happy to be living on his own. However, when it came time to play football, he noticed some major differences between the high school and college levels.
“Football was an especially drastic transition from high school to college,” he said. “The speed of the game is much faster in college and the guys are much bigger.”
When he first put on the Brown and Gold, Lewis knew he would have to fulfill many expectations.
“I realized their was a lot of history within this program and that I had a lot to live up to,” he stated. “I just wanted the guys who played here before me to [feel] that I was worthy of representing B-W.”
Lewis played on the junior varsity team during his first season but did not escape injury-free.
“As far as football goes, it was not really an easy transition because I tore my ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) three weeks into the season,” Lewis said.
During his second season, Lewis showed no signs of slowing down after the injury.
“When I played the next year, I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to start the first six games and gain a lot of valuable experience,” he said.
Along with playing time came respectable numbers for Lewis. In eight games, he registered ten unassisted and nine assisted stops. Lewis also intercepted a pass and had three pass breakups.
In 2003, Lewis helped the Yellow Jackets reach the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs for the first time since 1991. In the “second season,” B-W defeated the Hanover Panthers 54-32, the first playoff win for the school since the 1978 National Championship game.
During the year, Lewis totaled 45 stops, 26 were unassisted. He also registered seven sacks and 15 tackles for loss. Lewis had five pass deflections and ten quarterback hurries.
Coach Snell is glad to see Lewis getting the job done on the field.
“Ryan has been someone who has a great influence on this program as a player because of his abilities and leadership,” Snell stated. “I think a lot of our players look up to him and respect him.”
“He has really turned out to be a great asset to our program,” Snell added.
Lewis, who is looking forward to the upcoming season, approaches each game with the same attitude.
“I usually try to remain calm and collected on the outside, but inside, I am thinking about what I have to do to stop our opponents,” Lewis said. “I worry about what I have to do, because it does not matter what my opponent does. It is how I react to what my opponent does and how I execute my assignments.”
This year, Lewis will anchor a defense that returns all but one starter from the front seven. He believes the Jackets can achieve many great thing.
“First, I want to help lead this team to an Ohio Athletic Conference championship,” he said. “In order to do that, we have to beat Mount Union. All of the teams in our conference are getting tougher and more competitive. Every team in the OAC has the potential to beat anybody and we have to be prepared.”
Lewis relishes the underdog role that many have the Jackets playing this season.
“I especially want to beat all of the teams that other people project beating us,” he said. “We are a great team, capable of winning the OAC.”
Coach Snell believes that Lewis could challenge for the single-season sack record of 12 currently held by former B-W All-American defensive end Nate Mitchell (Butler, Pa.)
“Our expectations are that he is competing for that [sack] record,” Snell said. “We are expecting great things from him.”
Along with helping the team achieve great success, this future businessman believes he has something left to prove.
“I still feel like I have unfinished business to take care of on the football field,” he said. “I want to be an All-American and establish myself as one of the premier football players to come through this program.”
“[I want to be remembered as] a player that everybody could rely on to get the job done,” he added.
With what he has overcome in his personal and athletic lives, Lewis will not let anything or anyone impede the path toward his goals!
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