Nov. 4, 1999

Roaming the defensive secondary for the Villanova University football team is a player for the ages. Senior Hezekiah Lewis is a great athlete, but an even greater person, who possesses a unique blend of athletic ability and a special love for the environment and the people around him. Lewis has been making big plays throughout his Main Line career, recording five interceptions and over 200 tackles in his three-plus seasons as a Wildcat. Even bigger than the plays he makes on the field, however, is the heart he displays off it.

The son of Hezekiah Lewis Sr., and Yolanda McCoy, Lewis grew up in San Bernardino, Calif. His mother, Yolanda, introduced him to sports at the age of eight to keep him off the dangerous streets of San Bernardino and out of trouble. Lewis played football and basketball and ran track, but it was his love for the gridiron that eventually won out. Interestingly enough, he never played in the defensive backfield until he arrived at Villanova. Instead Lewis played on both sides of the ball, as a running back on offense and as an end and outside linebacker on the defensive side of the ball.

By the end of his junior year at Cajon High School, Lewis had gotten so many recruiting letters he would have needed a suitcase to hold them all. West Point was the first school to speak with him, and other schools such as Cornell, Washington St., Colorado, UCLA and Villanova came calling soon thereafter.

"I wanted to go somewhere where a degree meant something," said Lewis. "I didn't want to focus on the NFL. That's everyone's dream, but I wanted something to fall back on. Villanova was my first and only trip. They care about their players here, and it was a comfortable environment for me. I verbally committed before I left."

Lewis was redshirted as a freshman, but worked hard and came back one year later as a major contributor to the defensive backfield. Playing in all 11 games in 1996, and starting in one, he tallied 40 tackles and recovered two fumbles. In his first career start against the University of Richmond, during his sophomore campaign, Lewis registered 10 tackles.

"The transition was difficult going from running back to defensive back," said Lewis. "In high school I was All-CIF and All-League. To go from that point to not playing in any games as a freshman was tough. I was practicing hard, but it was difficult having to sit back and watch your team go 3-8 knowing that you can't do anything to help them. Redshirting was the best choice for me though, because it gave me a chance to learn the system and learn the position."

Lewis took over the reigns as a starting corner as a junior in 1997. He helped lead a strong Wildcat defense that played a major role in the school's first-ever undefeated, untied full regular season. Villanova received the nations No. 1 ranking in Division I-AA midway through the year, a position it held for the final six weeks of the season. The Wildcats fell in the second round of the playoffs to Youngstown St., but not before they completed the finest season that Villanova University football has ever seen.

"It was the best," said Lewis. "We had so much fun every game. There was so much excitement it was unbelievable. I was never on a team that went undefeated and won a conference championship. I never had a ring."

The 'Cats finished 6-5 one season later, but Lewis was outstanding once again for the Villanova defense. He ended the year with 71 tackles and a team-high five interceptions. For his play, Lewis was named to the All-Atlantic 10 Conference second team.

"For me, I really didn't really enjoy being All-Conference," said Lewis. "I would sacrifice All-Conference any day to have a big year as a team. I would trade all that in to win a conference title or a national title. My main goal is just to go out there and give 110%."

This work ethic, that he learned from his mother, is a trait he maintains both on and off the football field. Lewis is just as much an all-star student and person as he is an all-star athlete. He has a degree in sociology and communications, a minor in business and theater, a concentration in African-American Studies, and is currently working on his masters in theater.

"My mother is my motivation for everything I do," said Lewis. "She's a strong woman and has always been there for me. My mother always made sure education was number one and that sports was number two. Actually family is number one."

If football is his first love, then acting is a close second for this Wildcat star. Lewis began acting in middle school, gave it up as a senior in high school, and then rediscovered this love upon his move to Villanova. His first productions on the Main Line included "Once on this Island", and "Mystery of Edwin Drew".

"I love acting. It is the second thing I like to do after playing football," said Lewis. "I enjoy being up on stage, entertaining people. You work so hard to be able to put something together so well. It puts joy and excitement into people's eyes."

Joy and excitement is something Lewis gives to so many people. He has never forgotten where he came from, and it shows in his involvement in so many Villanova and community activities. Lewis is president of the Black Culture Association, is on the executive board of the Television Production Club, and is a co-founder of C.A.T.S. Program (Community Action Through Sports) at Villanova.

"I came from the west side of San Bernardino, California," said Lewis. "That's not the best place to be. The education there wasn't advanced like other schools I have been to. It is frustrating to see how minority students get treated. That's why I try my best to give back."

Along with a group of about seven other student-athletes, Lewis started the Villanova C.A.T.S. program. Together, they thought of ways to give back to the community through athletics. The program began by going to speak at high schools, and has grown to the point where they now bring in students to give youngsters a taste of the college environment. Lewis and the other 'Cats wanted to be positive role models in order to help young students set positive goals and understand the resources they can use to help themselves continue their education after high school. The program continues to grow, as C.A.T.S. is currently 40 members strong.

"My mother always taught me to give back to the community, and I've learned so much from doing it," said Lewis. "There is always somebody out there that wants to help you and who cares about you. The kids enjoy and appreciate what we do for them. I want to teach them that someone always has their back- that it's not them against the world.

To know Hezekiah Lewis is to love him. He is an athlete that cares as much for others as he does for himself. This shows by his play on the football field, and shows even more through his actions off the gridiron. Lewis knows how lucky he is to have his mother and other positive role models around him. Villanova is just as lucky to have him as a role model for all to follow.