Nikolas Lewis (born June 3, 1982) is the receivers coach for the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL) and he is a former professional

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

slotback Slotback (SB), also called slot receiver, is an offensive position in gridiron football responsible for covering a ''slot,'' the playing area between the⁣⁣ offensive tackle and the wide receiver. A player who lines up between those two pl ...

who played for 15 years in the CFL. He is a two-time

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

champion, winning in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

and

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

with the Stampeders. In his first season, he won the

CFL Rookie of the Year The Most Outstanding Rookie Award is annually awarded to the player judged to be the best player in his first year in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Frank M. Gibson Trophy winner from the East Division, and t ...

award, followed by five West Division All-Star and three CFL All-Star awards. He is second all-time as a Stampeder in receptions (805), receiving yards (11,250), and touchdown catches (65) behind

Allen Pitts Allen Pitts (born June 28, 1964) is an American former professional football wide receiver for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 1990 to 2000. He attended Cal-State Fullerton and played his entire professional car ...

. He also has the club record for consecutive games with a reception, with 166. On August 24, 2017, Lewis became the CFL all-time leader in receptions with 1,030 catches (he finished his career with 1,051). Lewis attended

Southern Arkansas University Southern Arkansas University (SAU) is a public university in Magnolia, Arkansas, United States. The university had an enrollment of 5,100 undergraduate and graduate students as of fall 2023. History Southern Arkansas University was established ...

and was named an

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

All-American in 2003. He attended high school in

Jacksboro, Texas Jacksboro is a city in Jack County, Texas, in the United States. Its population was 4,184 at the 2020 census. U.S. Highways 281 and 380, and Texas State Highways 114 and 199 intersect at Jacksboro, which is the county seat of Jack County. ...

, where he participated in track, specializing in the

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down the tr ...

Professional career

Calgary Stampeders

In 2004, Lewis led the Stampeders in receptions (72), receiving yards (1045), touchdowns (8) and punt return yards (385) and was recognized as the Rookie of the Year by the

. Lewis finished the

2005 CFL season The 2005 CFL season is considered to be the 52nd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 48th Canadian Football League season. CFL News in 2005 New ownership groups took control of two CFL franchises in the 2005 ...

with 1,379 receiving yards, nine touchdowns and 80 receptions, second in the league. 2006 was another strong year for Lewis with the Stampeders as he posting 77 receptions, 1,114 receiving yards and five touchdowns and was named to the 2006 CFL Western Division All-Star team. The

2007 CFL season The 2007 CFL season was the 54th season of modern-day Canadian football, the 50th season of the Canadian Football League, and many special events were held to commemorate the event. Regular-season play began on June 28 at the Rogers Centre in ...

saw Lewis achieve 67 receptions, 1,101 receiving yards, and 5 touchdowns. Lewis also had a career long 85 yard reception and was again a CFL Western Division All-Star. Lewis helped lead Calgary to the

96th Grey Cup The 96th Grey Cup was held in Montreal, Quebec at Olympic Stadium on November 23, 2008. The East Division champion Montreal Alouettes hosted the West Division champion Calgary Stampeders. The Stampeders won the game 22–14, with quarterback Hen ...

championship with 87 receptions for 1,109 yards and 10 touchdowns in the 2008 regular season. In

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, Lewis had another 1,000-yard season by reaching the plateau in the last 15 minutes in the last game of the regular season. Lewis scored his first and only touchdown of the season in the 17th game of the regular season, earning the unusual distinction of having the lowest touchdowns scored for a 1,000-yard receiver in the history of the CFL. As of the end of this season, Lewis has caught a pass in all 105 games that he has played in. In

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

Nik Lewis partnered with

Joffrey Reynolds Joffrey Roy Reynolds (born November 26, 1979) is a former professional Canadian football running back. He played eight years for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League where he was the franchise's all-time leading rusher with 9, ...

to creat
www.calmb4storm.com
an organization that gives fans an opportunity to experience things otherwise unattainable. In a

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

poll of over 250 of his fellow players in the CFL, Lewis was voted "Toughest to Bring Down" out of all other players in the league, with 35% of all votes cast. He also received 8.4% of all votes cast in the category "Toughest Player", finishing third, and placed fourth in the category "Nastiest Player." He received 7.8% of all votes cast in the category "Best Hands", finishing fifth, and he ranked fourth in the category "Best Clutch Performer." Players on the roster of the Calgary Stampeders were not permitted to vote for Lewis. He was the only player to rank in the top five in more than three categories. During the 2012 CFL Playoffs Lewis sent out the following Tweet "I just bought OJ’s gloves on eBay. Now all I need is a white girl named Nicole." The Tweet was soon deleted by Lewis. Lewis was fined an undisclosed amount by the CFL for violating its

social media policy A social media policy is a policy which advises representatives of an organization on their use of social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news agg ...

. Lewis subsequently made apologies on two successive days, and announced he was donating the paycheque from his next game (the 2012 Western Final) to a women's charity. Lewis finished the season with over 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns. It was the 9th consecutive season in which he recorded 1,000 yards. In Week 8 of the

2013 CFL season The 2013 CFL season was the 60th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 56th season of the Canadian Football League. The pre-season began on June 12, 2013 and the regular season began on June 27, 2013. Regina, Saskatch ...

Lewis suffered a fractured fibula as he was tackled by BC linebacker

Solomon Elimimian Solomon Elimimian (born October 21, 1986) is a former Canadian football linebacker and the current president of the Canadian Football League Players' Association (CFLPA). He spent nine seasons with the BC Lions and was named the CFL's Most Out ...

. He was expected to miss around 6 weeks due to the injury. However, he instead sat out the rest of the season, which also left his 1,000-yard receiving streak at nine. Lewis saw a diminished role in

, highlighted by his consecutive games with a catch streak snapped in week 5 against the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

. He was held without a reception in a regular season game for the first time since June 20, 2004, with the streak ending at 166. He posted career-low totals in receiving yards and failed to score a touchdown in any game of the season, also a career low. Despite the frustrating season, Lewis helped the Stampeders qualify for the

102nd Grey Cup The 102nd Grey Cup was a Canadian football game played November 30, 2014, between the West Division champion Calgary Stampeders and East Division champion Hamilton Tiger-Cats, to determine the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the ...

, a game in which he set up Calgary's first touchdown with a 13-yard catch that brought the ball to the one-yard line. He won his second

championship following the Stampeders' 20–16 win over the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

. After 11 seasons with the Stamps, Lewis was not re-signed following the 2014 season, and became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

on February 10, 2015.

Montreal Alouettes

On February 25, 2015, Lewis 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 disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

of the

agreed to a one-year contract. Following a somewhat mediocre 2015 season Lewis was re-signed by the Alouettes. He had a resurgent year in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, accomplishing his tenth 1,000 yard season of his career, and his first since 2012. Lewis lead the team with 102 receptions and 1,136 yards receiving. At 34 years of age the Alouettes and Nik Lewis agreed to a two-year contract extension, keeping him with the club through the 2018 season. On August 24, 2017, Lewis surpassed Geroy Simon's career reception mark to become the all-time CFL receptions leader after recording his 1,030th catch. On October 27, 2017, Lewis told Lee Jones of TSN that he had played his last game after his Alouettes fell to the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

, 12–37. On May 17, 2018, Lewis officially announced his retirement. Lewis was inducted into the

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about the CFL, ...

as a player in 2021.

Statistics

Coaching career

BC Lions

Lewis served as the

running backs coach In American football, a position coach is a team official in charge of coaching a specific position group. Position coaches have more specialized duties than the head coach, associate and assistant coach, and the Offensive coordinator, offensive a ...

for the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

during the

2019 season Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...

Calgary Stampeders

On January 3, 2023, it was announced that Lewis had been hired as the receivers coach for the

References

External links

Personal & Foundation Official Website

Montreal Alouettes bio

Calgary Stampeders bio

CFL bio and statistics
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Nik 1982 births Living people American football wide receivers BC Lions coaches Calgary Stampeders players Canadian Football League Rookie of the Year Award winners Canadian football slotbacks Canadian football wide receivers Montreal Alouettes players People from Mineral Wells, Texas Players of American football from Texas Southern Arkansas Muleriders football players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees

Professional career

Calgary Stampeders

Montreal Alouettes

Statistics

Coaching career

BC Lions

Calgary Stampeders

References

Further reading

External links