University of Houston Athletics
Alumni Spotlight: Lewis Siblings
12/1/2022 9:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Championship caliber student-athletes, siblings embody Cougar program nearly 40 years later
This season, the Houston track and field and cross country program will spotlight multiple alumni and their accomplishments both while as student-athletes and as accomplished members of the community.
The athletic genes in the Lewis family are unmatched and the University of Houston track and field program saw that firsthand through the spectacular accomplishments of Carl and Carol Lewis.
Carl Lewis is currently the head coach of the Cougar track and field program and is a nine-time Olympic gold medalist. Carol Lewis is a four-time US Champion, former American record holder in the long jump and was a bronze medalist at the 1983 World Championships.
Carl and Carol Lewis' mother Evelyn Lawler was a track and field star and their brother Cleveland played professional soccer for the Memphis Rogues and New Jersey Americans in 1978 and 1979, respectively.
Both Carl (1998) and Carol Lewis (2002) are Houston Hall of Honor members.
Carl Lewis, 1980-81, student-athlete
Carl is known as one of the greatest athletes in the world winning 10 Olympic medals, nine of those gold, and 10 world championship medals. He still holds the school records for the indoor 55-meter dash (6.07) and both indoor and outdoor long jump records 8.56m (28'-1") and 8.62m (28'-3.5"). A six-time All-American, Lewis won six national championships and nine individual conference championships during his two seasons at Houston.
Lewis came to Houston to run for head coach Tom Tellez in 1979. A year later, he appeared on the national scene when he qualified for the United States team for the 1980 Olympics in the long jump and 4x100 relay team. Since then, he competed in four Olympic Games as a member of team USA.
He held the world record in the men's 100-meter dash in 1991, until Leroy Burrell broke the record in 1994. The two were also a part of the US 4x100 relay team that broke the world record during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Carl's achievements are unprecedented in track and field: He is one of two athletes to win nine Olympic gold medals. Similarly, he is one of two to win four golds in the same event. He also won 10 medals, including eight golds, at the World Outdoor Championships, the most by any athlete in the world. Growing up in Willingboro, N.J., Carl came from an athletic family, and yet he blossomed late in his high school career.
The following year, as a freshman at the University of Houston, he qualified for the Olympic team in the long jump. Because of the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics, Carl had to wait four years for his Olympic glory.
By 1984, he had already ranked number one in the world in both the 100 meters and long jump for three consecutive years. In Los Angeles, he matched Jesse Owens' 1936 feat with four gold medals in the same events -- the 100m, 200m, long jump and 4x100m relay. Lewis' talent was matched by his longevity. At the 1988 Olympics, he won the 100 meters and long jump. In 1992, he again won the long jump as well as the 4x100m, anchoring the U.S. team to a world record of 37.40.
In 1996, in his final Olympics, Lewis had a dramatic farewell, winning his fourth-consecutive gold medal in the long jump. At age 30, he had one of his greatest achievements, breaking the world 100m record with a time of 9.86 while winning the event at the 1991 World Championships. At that same meet, he had one of his greatest disappointments, losing his long jump streak of 65 consecutive victories to Mike Powell. It was an occasion on which Lewis recorded his longest jump ever -- 29' 1 1/4" -- while Powell was breaking Bob Beamon's legendary record with a jump of 29' 4 1/2".
In the summer of 2022, Carl was named the head coach of the track and field program here at Houston. Carl played a key role in the Cougars' 2017 Men's 4x100-meter relay NCAA Championship. Working with the sprinters, Carl's team of John Lewis III, Mario Burke, Jacarias Martin and Cameron Burrell ran 38.44 to break the school record and claim the gold medals. Carl's athletes in the sprints and jumps claimed nine individual American Athletic Conference Championships in 2017, while Burrell finished as the runner up at each of the indoor 60-meter dash and outdoor 100-meter dash national championships.
Carol Lewis, 1982-85, student-athlete
Carol Lewis was a 12-time NCAA All-American in the long jump and 55-meter hurdles and also in the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays. She would go on to win the NCAA National Championship in the long jump in both the indoor and the outdoor meets in 1983 and 1985.
Carol would take her talents to an international level after competing with the Santa Monica Track Club when she qualified for the long jump at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, Russia. With the United States boycott of the games, Carol would have to wait to compete, but would get her shot four years later at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and then again in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea.
Carol took silver in the long jump at the 1980 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in Sudbury, Ontario, and she would have continued international success in the event, winning bronze at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland and the 1985 IAAF World Cup in Canberra, Australia.
Carol still holds the American, North American and Pan American junior record for her winning jump of 6.81m in the at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 1982. She is also the current women's school record holder for both the indoor (6.78m) and outdoor (7.04m) long jumps at the University of Houston.
After winning the Olympic Trials in 1984, she represented the United States at the Summer Olympic Games and won her second NCAA Outdoor Long Jump championship. In August 1985, Carol set personal records while breaking the American record twice in the same competition in Zurich, Switzerland. Carol would go on to make the 1988 Olympic team before her retirement. But retirement was short. With Bachelor of Arts degrees in Communications Radio/TV and Journalism from the University of Houston, she quickly moved into the broadcast booth as a sports commentator for NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN, and FOX Sports. During that time, Carol covered every Olympic games from 1992-08, including the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy on television, and on radio for the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Carol returned to active competition to join the US National Team in the sport of Bobsled and compete in the 2002 Olympic trials. In 2006, at the Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, Carol became the first woman, first African American, and first expert commentator to work both the summer (track & field) and winter (bobsled, skeleton & luge) Olympic games.
Carol retired from sports commentary after the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. She moved with her husband to Vail, Colorado, and worked as a Certified (SHRM-CP) Human Resources professional. After ten years in Vail, she and her husband, Scott, returned to Houston, to be closer to family.
In 2015, Carol was inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame. Lewis put her stamp on the Southwest Conference by winning 10 individual and three team championships during her tenure. Lewis won multiple conference titles in the long jump (5 times), 60-yard hurdles (twice), 100-meter hurdles (twice) and one in the high jump.
During COVID, Carol completed her MBA with a concentration in HR Management and is in her second year as the HR Director at St John's School, a private K-12 School. Carol is still involved with the Olympic Movement as the Vice Chair of USA Taekwondo, serves as a board member for Girls on the Run and Greater Houston.
SUPPORT HOUSTON RISE
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference. Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win when we start Big 12 competition in July 2023. Click here to rise and be counted.
JOIN the PODIUM CLUB
The Podium Club serves as a unique and effective way to enhance the level of excitement and support for Houston Cougar Track and Field and Cross Country. Gifts to the Podium Club provide financial support directly to the programs for needs beyond their operating budgets.
Donations made to the Podium Club are used at the discretion of the head coach. For more information or to sign up, click here. To join the Podium Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (4687).
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates on #HTownSpeedCity by following @UHCougarTF on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarTF or on the team's Instagram page at @uhcougartf.
The athletic genes in the Lewis family are unmatched and the University of Houston track and field program saw that firsthand through the spectacular accomplishments of Carl and Carol Lewis.
Carl Lewis is currently the head coach of the Cougar track and field program and is a nine-time Olympic gold medalist. Carol Lewis is a four-time US Champion, former American record holder in the long jump and was a bronze medalist at the 1983 World Championships.
Carl and Carol Lewis' mother Evelyn Lawler was a track and field star and their brother Cleveland played professional soccer for the Memphis Rogues and New Jersey Americans in 1978 and 1979, respectively.
Both Carl (1998) and Carol Lewis (2002) are Houston Hall of Honor members.
Carl Lewis, 1980-81, student-athlete
Carl is known as one of the greatest athletes in the world winning 10 Olympic medals, nine of those gold, and 10 world championship medals. He still holds the school records for the indoor 55-meter dash (6.07) and both indoor and outdoor long jump records 8.56m (28'-1") and 8.62m (28'-3.5"). A six-time All-American, Lewis won six national championships and nine individual conference championships during his two seasons at Houston.
Lewis came to Houston to run for head coach Tom Tellez in 1979. A year later, he appeared on the national scene when he qualified for the United States team for the 1980 Olympics in the long jump and 4x100 relay team. Since then, he competed in four Olympic Games as a member of team USA.
He held the world record in the men's 100-meter dash in 1991, until Leroy Burrell broke the record in 1994. The two were also a part of the US 4x100 relay team that broke the world record during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Carl's achievements are unprecedented in track and field: He is one of two athletes to win nine Olympic gold medals. Similarly, he is one of two to win four golds in the same event. He also won 10 medals, including eight golds, at the World Outdoor Championships, the most by any athlete in the world. Growing up in Willingboro, N.J., Carl came from an athletic family, and yet he blossomed late in his high school career.
The following year, as a freshman at the University of Houston, he qualified for the Olympic team in the long jump. Because of the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics, Carl had to wait four years for his Olympic glory.
By 1984, he had already ranked number one in the world in both the 100 meters and long jump for three consecutive years. In Los Angeles, he matched Jesse Owens' 1936 feat with four gold medals in the same events -- the 100m, 200m, long jump and 4x100m relay. Lewis' talent was matched by his longevity. At the 1988 Olympics, he won the 100 meters and long jump. In 1992, he again won the long jump as well as the 4x100m, anchoring the U.S. team to a world record of 37.40.
In 1996, in his final Olympics, Lewis had a dramatic farewell, winning his fourth-consecutive gold medal in the long jump. At age 30, he had one of his greatest achievements, breaking the world 100m record with a time of 9.86 while winning the event at the 1991 World Championships. At that same meet, he had one of his greatest disappointments, losing his long jump streak of 65 consecutive victories to Mike Powell. It was an occasion on which Lewis recorded his longest jump ever -- 29' 1 1/4" -- while Powell was breaking Bob Beamon's legendary record with a jump of 29' 4 1/2".
In the summer of 2022, Carl was named the head coach of the track and field program here at Houston. Carl played a key role in the Cougars' 2017 Men's 4x100-meter relay NCAA Championship. Working with the sprinters, Carl's team of John Lewis III, Mario Burke, Jacarias Martin and Cameron Burrell ran 38.44 to break the school record and claim the gold medals. Carl's athletes in the sprints and jumps claimed nine individual American Athletic Conference Championships in 2017, while Burrell finished as the runner up at each of the indoor 60-meter dash and outdoor 100-meter dash national championships.
Carol Lewis, 1982-85, student-athlete
Carol Lewis was a 12-time NCAA All-American in the long jump and 55-meter hurdles and also in the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays. She would go on to win the NCAA National Championship in the long jump in both the indoor and the outdoor meets in 1983 and 1985.
Carol would take her talents to an international level after competing with the Santa Monica Track Club when she qualified for the long jump at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, Russia. With the United States boycott of the games, Carol would have to wait to compete, but would get her shot four years later at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and then again in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea.
Carol took silver in the long jump at the 1980 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in Sudbury, Ontario, and she would have continued international success in the event, winning bronze at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland and the 1985 IAAF World Cup in Canberra, Australia.
Carol still holds the American, North American and Pan American junior record for her winning jump of 6.81m in the at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 1982. She is also the current women's school record holder for both the indoor (6.78m) and outdoor (7.04m) long jumps at the University of Houston.
After winning the Olympic Trials in 1984, she represented the United States at the Summer Olympic Games and won her second NCAA Outdoor Long Jump championship. In August 1985, Carol set personal records while breaking the American record twice in the same competition in Zurich, Switzerland. Carol would go on to make the 1988 Olympic team before her retirement. But retirement was short. With Bachelor of Arts degrees in Communications Radio/TV and Journalism from the University of Houston, she quickly moved into the broadcast booth as a sports commentator for NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN, and FOX Sports. During that time, Carol covered every Olympic games from 1992-08, including the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy on television, and on radio for the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Carol returned to active competition to join the US National Team in the sport of Bobsled and compete in the 2002 Olympic trials. In 2006, at the Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, Carol became the first woman, first African American, and first expert commentator to work both the summer (track & field) and winter (bobsled, skeleton & luge) Olympic games.
Carol retired from sports commentary after the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. She moved with her husband to Vail, Colorado, and worked as a Certified (SHRM-CP) Human Resources professional. After ten years in Vail, she and her husband, Scott, returned to Houston, to be closer to family.
In 2015, Carol was inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame. Lewis put her stamp on the Southwest Conference by winning 10 individual and three team championships during her tenure. Lewis won multiple conference titles in the long jump (5 times), 60-yard hurdles (twice), 100-meter hurdles (twice) and one in the high jump.
During COVID, Carol completed her MBA with a concentration in HR Management and is in her second year as the HR Director at St John's School, a private K-12 School. Carol is still involved with the Olympic Movement as the Vice Chair of USA Taekwondo, serves as a board member for Girls on the Run and Greater Houston.
SUPPORT HOUSTON RISE
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference. Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win when we start Big 12 competition in July 2023. Click here to rise and be counted.
JOIN the PODIUM CLUB
The Podium Club serves as a unique and effective way to enhance the level of excitement and support for Houston Cougar Track and Field and Cross Country. Gifts to the Podium Club provide financial support directly to the programs for needs beyond their operating budgets.
Donations made to the Podium Club are used at the discretion of the head coach. For more information or to sign up, click here. To join the Podium Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (4687).
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates on #HTownSpeedCity by following @UHCougarTF on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarTF or on the team's Instagram page at @uhcougartf.
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