Twice as nice: Lewis the running back joins Lewis the kick returner

By: Gary Lawless Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014

A Leo Lewis clone would have made coach Bud Grant and Blue Bombers fans happy back when the "Lincoln Locomotive" was tearing up CFL fields in the 1950s and '60s.

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A Leo Lewis clone would have made coach Bud Grant and Blue Bombers fans happy back when the "Lincoln Locomotive" was tearing up CFL fields in the 1950s and '60s.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/10/2014 (3464 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Leo Lewis clone would have made coach Bud Grant and Blue Bombers fans happy back when the “Lincoln Locomotive” was tearing up CFL fields in the 1950s and ’60s.

That can’t happen in real life, yet, but it can as we sculpt our All-Time Blue Bombers Team. Last week Lewis was chosen as the kick returner on our team and this week he was named to another position — running back.

Lewis edged Charles Roberts, with Willard Reaves, Gerry James and Fritz Hansen also posting strong results in the poll.

Lewis was one of the best all-round players to ever don a Blue Bombers uniform. He ranks second in franchise rushing with 8,861 yards and was also a threat at receiver; his 4,251 receiving yards are tops by a Winnipeg running back. Lewis also served as a backup quarterback and a placekicker in emergency situations.

Legendary Bombers coach Grant called Lewis the best football player he ever coached, CFL or NFL. A member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Lewis won four Grey Cups with the Bombers over an 11-year career and was voted one of the CFL’s Top 50 players (29th overall) by TSN.

Lewis is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

Voters have selected Ken Ploen as the quarterback, Chris Walby as the offensive lineman, Greg Battle as the linebacker, Bob Cameron as the kicker and Lewis as kick returner and running back of the Free Press/TSN 1290 All-Time Bombers Team.

Voting began Monday and fans were given the choice of five running backs as chosen by the All-Time Blue Bombers Team panel, comprising Grant, former player and GM Paul Robson, Hall of Fame football writer Ed Tait, Andrew (Hustler) Paterson from TSN 1290 and myself.

Next up is defensive lineman. The Free Press print and digital editions as well as www.tsn1290.ca will run stories Monday outlining the careers of the finalists selected by our panel.

Voting will take place on both websites.

Vote a maximum of once per day and help choose the Blue Bombers player you consider the best at the following positions, which have been presented in this order: Quarterback, offensive lineman, linebacker, kicker, kick returner, running back, defensive lineman, defensive back and receiver.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @garylawless