Quick Facts
Biography
Dion John Lewis (born September 27, 1990) is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Pittsburgh.
Lewis has also played for the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts. His Patriots teammate, receiver Julian Edelman, has nicknamed Lewis both "Jitterbug" and "Little Dirty". Lewis had not played for two seasons before signing with the Patriots in 2015, and was a significant contributor to the New England offense before a season-ending injury in Week 9.
Early years
A native of Albany, New York, Lewis attended Albany High School, from which he transferred to the Albany Academy and later to Blair Academy, where he led his team to a 17-1 record (.944) his final two seasons, including two MAPL championships and a New Jersey Prep state title. He averaged 12.4 yards per carry as a junior, rushing for 979 yards on 79 carries with 14 touchdowns. As a senior at Blair Academy, Lewis averaged an astounding 14.1 yards per carry, rushing for 1,243 yards on 88 carries. He eclipsed the 250-yard rushing mark four times and scored 26 total touchdowns, including 23 rushing, two on punt returns and one receiving. Lewis was also a three-year letterman in track & field at Blair Academy, where he competed in sprints (11.09 100m and 23.06 200m), long jump (20'2") and relays (44.29 4x100).
College career
During twelve regular season games of the 2009 season at the University of Pittsburgh, Lewis accumulated 1,640 rushing yards rushing and 17 rushing touchdowns. He rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns in an October 2009 victory over Big East rival Rutgers for which he was named Big East Conference Offensive Player of the Week and featured in Sports Illustrated. Following this and later performances, he was mentioned in several news outlets as a possible Heisman Trophy candidate. Lewis had his sixth 100-yard plus rushing game of the season against Syracuse.
He rushed for more than 1,799 yards during the 2009 season and broke Craig Heyward's record at Pittsburgh for rushes in a single game with 47 against University of Cincinnati in the Big East Championship game, totaling 194 rushing yards, three touchdowns, as well as five catches for 34 yards.
Lewis was the only freshman and one of four running backs named among 15 "Players to Watch" for the 2009 Walter Camp Player of the Year award. He was also among 16 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award, and was one of ten semifinalists, and the only true freshman, for the Doak Walker Award. Lewis was also honored as a "Midseason All-American" by CBSSports.com and SI.com.
Lewis set the Big East freshman rushing record previously held by Tony Dorsett. The lightly recruited running back was third nationally in rushing (1,799 yards, 5.5 avg) and broke LeSean Mccoy's record for most points by a Pitt Freshman on December 5, 2009 for the Big East championship against the Cincinnati Bearcats. He broke Dorsett's record for most rushing yards by a Pitt freshman during the 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl, after which he was named the game's MVP.
Following the conclusion of the regular season, Lewis was named the National Freshman of the Year by the Sporting News and CBSSports.com, as well as the Offensive Freshman of the Year by College Football News. He was also named a second team All-American by the Associated Press, Sporting News, CBSSports.com, Sports Illustrated, Rivals.com, and Scout.com. Lewis was the only freshman named to the first or second AP All-American team. Lewis was named both the Big East Conference Rookie of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year as well as the Eastern College Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year.
Heading into the 2010, the Sporting News, in its 2010 College Football Yearbook, called Lewis "the game's most complete runner" and listed him as one of the five leading candidates for the Heisman Trophy. The Sporting News also listed Lewis as a first-team preseason All-American. Early January, Lewis declared he would enter the 2011 NFL Draft and forgo his junior and senior seasons.
College Stats
| Year | Team | Att | Yards | Average | TDs | Receptions | Yards | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Blair Academy | |||||||
| 2009 | Pittsburgh | 325 | 1,799 | 5.5 | 17 | 25 | 189 | 1 |
| 2010 | Pittsburgh | 219 | 1,061 | 4.8 | 13 | 27 | 216 | 0 |
| College Totals | 544 | 2,860 | 5.3 | 30 | 52 | 405 | 1 | |
Professional career
Philadelphia Eagles
Lewis was selected with the 149th pick in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He was signed to a four-year contract worth $2.2 million on July 27, 2011.
Cleveland Browns
On April 11, 2013, Lewis was traded to the Cleveland Browns for linebacker Emmanuel Acho. He missed the entire season due to a fractured fibula. He was cut by the Cleveland Browns on August 30, 2014.
Indianapolis Colts
Lewis signed with the Indianapolis Colts on September 9, 2014. He was released on September 16.
New England Patriots
- 2015 season
On December 31, 2014, the New England Patriots signed Lewis to a future/reserve contract. Lewis made the team's 53-man roster and saw his first game action on September 10, 2015, in the Patriots' 28–21 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, after two years of not playing. Starting for the first time in his career in place of a suspended LeGarrette Blount, Lewis recorded 120 yards from scrimmage. Despite facing competition from Blount, Lewis continued a successful start to the season with 138 and 67 total yards respectively in weeks one and two. Week two also saw Lewis score his first touchdown as a Patriot and record six receptions.
On October 8, 2015, after just three games, Lewis signed a two-year contract extension with the Patriots, running through the 2017 season. The contract includes a $600,000 signing bonus and $1.8 million in incentives in 2016 and 2017. In his first game after signing the contract, a 30-6 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Lewis rushed 6 times for 34 yards and caught 8 passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. On October 29, in a 36-7 win over the Miami Dolphins, Lewis rushed five times for 19 yards and caught six passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. On November 8, Lewis suffered a torn ACL against the Washington Redskins, causing him to miss the remainder of the 2015 season. He was placed on injured reserve on November 9, 2015.
- 2016 season
On August 30, 2016, Lewis was placed on the Reserve/PUP list to start the 2016 season after requiring a second knee surgery. He was activated to the active roster on November 12, 2016 prior to Week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks. On January 14, 2017, in the Patriots' 34–16 Divisional Round win over the Houston Texans, Lewis became the first player in the Super Bowl era to score touchdowns on a run, a reception, and a kickoff return in the same postseason game.
