Troy University Athletics
A Better Purpose: Chris Lewis’ Next Chapter
11/15/2025 12:13:00 PM | Football
TROY, Ala. -- "Give me the ball."
Chris Lewis has only said those words twice.
"When I was playing here at Troy, I wasn't normally that vocal," Lewis said. "I was the kind of player that just said, 'watch me.' Coach Sumrall used to tell me each week I needed to be more vocal."
The second time Lewis asked for the ball came against South Alabama in 2023. With a defender draped all over him, he pulled in a touchdown grab that gave Troy a lead it wouldn't relinquish—and a spot on SportsCenter's Top 10. It was his second of three touchdowns in the first half.
The first time came in high school. With less than 30 seconds left on the clock, Lewis beat double coverage to haul in a game-winning touchdown that sent his team to the state playoffs.
"I caught it, turned around, and looked at the fans," Lewis said. "They were going crazy."
Lewis started playing football at age 5, often getting knocked down by his older brothers before learning how to stand tall. What began as backyard competition turned into pure dominance on the field.
"I was like Lamar Jackson out there with my little league team," he said, laughing. "I would score four or five times a game. I played defense, too, so I was probably Ed Reed and Lamar Jackson."
Though he also played basketball and once dreamed of the NBA, Lewis said his football potential became clear in high school.
"We had a lot of really good players," he said. "Being one of the better players made me realize I had a chance to be really good."
After beginning his college career at Kentucky, Lewis transferred to Troy to reunite with head coach Jon Sumrall in 2023. His breakout season featured 32 catches for 735 yards and 11 touchdowns, highlighted by a string of jaw-dropping plays that made him one of the Sun Belt's most dynamic receivers.
"After transferring from Kentucky, I was just trying to prove to myself I could still play with the best of the best," Lewis said. "What went through my head when I lined up every play was, 'somebody's got to die, and it's not going to be me.'"
Then came the diagnosis—just two days before the 2023 Birmingham Bowl.
Cancer. Osteosarcoma.
"I didn't really have any emotions at the time," Lewis said. "I was just cold. My sister and everybody were sitting there crying, but I didn't know how to process it."
The reality didn't sink in until Lewis returned to Troy and watched his teammates run out of the tunnel at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
"When people say Chris Lewis, they attach football to me," he said. "Football was a really big part of my life, and it just got ripped away so quickly."
Supported by family, coaches, teammates and fans, Lewis faced 10 weeks of chemotherapy and surgery to remove a tumor behind his left knee. The cancer was gone—but his playing career was over.
"Being a football player, I knew I had support," Lewis said. "Knowing I couldn't play anymore and still getting all the love and support I did made me feel really good."
Now, Lewis has found a new way to stay connected to the game he loves—as a student assistant on Troy's coaching staff.
"I can still find plays that fit our scheme and fit against whatever the defense is running," he said. "I still feel like I have power."
Though he can't call for the ball anymore, Lewis hasn't lost his purpose—or his joy.
"Outside of football, I hope people just say I'm a joy to be around," he said. "I'm very playful, and I'm a jokester. Being in the room with me, everybody's going to be on edge because they don't know what I'm going to say."
Through it all, Lewis said he wouldn't change a thing.
"Even if I knew what was going to happen and could do something to change it, I wouldn't," he said. "What God has for my life is what He has for my life. And He has a better purpose for me."
