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The 2019 College Football Hall of Fame ballot came out on Monday. 76 players and coaches from the past 60 years or so were included. One name that should be familiar to Oregon State fans and Corvallis residents on the list was former Beavs’ defensive line standout, Jess Lewis.
Lewis played for the Beavs from 1966 to 1970. He was an All-Conference selection twice in the Pac-8 days and an All-American in 1967. The Cascade High School product was also named the team MVP in 1969.
Among 16 candidates on the 2019 College Football Hall of Fame ballot are ex-Oregon State coach Dennis Erickson, ex-OSU defensive tackle Jess Lewis, West Linn native Cade McNown (UCLA) and Winston native Troy Polamalu (USC) #GoBeavs
— kerry eggers (@kerryeggers) June 4, 2018
Lewis was also a national champion heavyweight wrestler in 1969 and 1970 after competing at the 1968 Olympics. Lewis was drafted in 1970 by the Houston Oilers but left football after just one season.
Lewis later spent a number a number of years as the athletic grounds maintenance supervisor at OSU before retiring in July 2013.
Lewis was also on the ballot in 2018 but didn’t make the final cut for the induction class this year. The 2019 class will be announced on Monday, Jan. 7, 2019, just before the national championship game.
Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of tape of the Beavs from the 1960s, much less a highlight tape of Lewis. But there is a full game of the 1967 Beavs playing against Washington State. Enjoy the nostalgia.
Here’s hoping Lewis gets into the induction class this year. The man’s been through a lot, and I’m sure seeing him enshrined in the hall would make him and a lot of people in the state of Oregon happy.