Ray Lewis - Biography

Who is Ray Lewis?

Ray Lewis is a former football player by profession and American by nationality. He played as a football linebacker for 17 years for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). 

Ray Lewis – Bio, Age, Parents, Siblings

Ray Lewis’ birth took place on May 15, 1975, in Bartow, Florida, USA. He was born as Raymond Anthony Lewis Jr. to his father Elbert Ray Jackson and his mother Sunseria Lewis. He is not the only child of his parents and his siblings- brother Keon Lattimore and sisters Lakeisha Jenkins, Laquesha Jenkins, and Kadaja Holloway.

His father was a  record-setting high school wrestler but was incarcerated for drug-related offenses and was absent most of Ray Lewis’ life. Because his stepfather was extremely abusive towards his mother, he got a deck of 52 playing cards to start his push-up regimen so that he could get stronger to protect his mother.

Ray Lewis in high school (snakkle)

Education, Ethnicity

For education, Lewis attended Kathleen High School. After graduation, he studied at the University of Miami where he played for the Miami Hurricanes football team. His ethnicity is African-American.

Ray Lewis – Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Divorce

Ray Lewis has a relationship with girlfriends Tatyana McCall, Kimberly Arnold, and Sharnika Kelly. Altogether he has six children (4 sons, and 2 daughters) from four different women, but he himself never married and hence has never been divorced.

His daughters are named Diaymon Lewis and Kaitlin Lewis and his sons are named Ray Lewis III, Rayshad Lewis, Ralin Lewis, and Rashaan Lewis. His sons have followed in his footsteps and have pursued their own college football careers.

Ray Lewis – Career

Early Career

While in high school, Ray Lewis played in his high school football team as an  All-American linebacker. He had a successful career in college football, leading his team in tackles and accumulating the fifth most tackles in Miami in just three seasons.

After the 1995 season, Ray Lewis decided to enter the 1996 NFL Draft. He was selected by Baltimore Ravens in the 26th overall in the first round of the draft. 

Also read: Keelan Doss - Football player 

With Baltimore Ravens

In the 1996 rookie season, Ray Lewis earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week and  USA Today's All-Rookie team honors. After a few successful seasons, Lewis led the team in record-setting defense to victory in Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. 

He played his second super bowl in 2012 and finished the season with 57 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pass deflection in 6 games. Ray Lewis retired after the 2012 season.

Stats

Ray Lewis’ NFL career stats from 1996 to 2012 are 228 Games, 2061 total tackles, 41.5 sacks, 31 Int interceptions, 2- Rec, 117 PD, etc.

Others

Ray Lewis has also been working with numerous charity organizations. He founded Ray Lewis 52 Foundation, a  nonprofit organization determined to provide personal and economic help to disadvantaged youth. 

Also read: Marshawn Lynch - Football player 

Ray Lewis – Awards, Nominations

Over the years Ray Lewis has won Defensive Player of the Year (2000, 2003),  Super Bowl MVP (2000), and earned the titles  Pro Bowler (13 times),  AP First-Team All-Pro player (7 times), AP Second-Team All-Pro Selection (3 times), All-American (1994, 1995).

His autobiography I Feel Like Going On: Life, Game, and Glory was published in 2015. In season 28 of Dancing with the Stars, Ray Lewis teamed up with Cheryl Burke.

Ray Lewis – Murder Controversy

On January 31, 2000, after a Super Bowl XXXIV party in Atlanta, a fight broke out between Lewis and his companions against another group. It resulted in the fatal stabbings of Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar. 

The murder weapon, a knife, did not have any fingerprints or DNA, the white suit which Ray Lewis had worn during the murder was never found and Baker's blood was found inside Lewis's limousine. 

Also read: David Bakhtiari - Football player 

After two weeks of trial, murder charges against Lewis were dismissed. He admitted his guilt to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice. He was given 12 months probation and fined $250,000 by the NFL.

In April 2004, Lewis reached an out-of-court settlement with Lollar’s 4-year-old daughter India Lollar and also reached an undisclosed settlement with Baker's family. Although the charges were dropped, the public accusations followed Ray Lewis for years to come.

Also read: Vince Wilfork - Former Football player 

Ray Lewis – Net Worth, Salary

His net worth is estimated at $30 million while his annual salary is known to be around $7 million. 

Ray Lewis – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

On social media, he is active is Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with thousands of followers. He also has an official website- raylewis.com.

Also read: DeAngelo Williams - Former Football player