Purpose drives man to heights that logic cannot fathom. That’s the case with the legendary Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. A troubled childhood, absence of parents, lack of money, and sibling responsibilities led to a deep desire to achieve something in his life. The journey began with becoming a stronger, fitter version of himself. The linebacker worked hard to develop his muscles. During high school, he wrestled more. And football was not in the picture.

On March 23, he shared some vintage photos from his time at Kathleen High School. It showed him during the wrestling bouts. For those of you who don’t remember, he was a good wrestler and even won the Florida Wrestling State Title. While reminiscing on his college days and the journey beyond, the legend revealed one thing that sometimes gets overlooked during a hard journey. God! The Almighty!

Ray Lewis credited his unwavering faith as the reason behind his success. He captioned the first photo, “God is a specialist; He is well able to work our failures into his plans. Often the doorway to success is entered through the hallway of failure.” That’s his way of staying faithful to one’s purpose and believing that God will show the way. Lewis was shown the path, and he never wavered from it.

He shared another photo with a victorious pose after a wrestling bout. He aptly captioned the second photo, “To know the will of God is the greatest knowledge! To do the will of God is the greatest achievement.” He put all his confidence in the lord and worked his way upwards, reaching the pinnacle of success.

The belief in the almighty propelled him into the league where he overcame several challenges. In 17 seasons with the Ravens, he won almost every award there was. His aura is still strong as more platforms acknowledge his greatness.

Ray Lewis inducted into the Madden Ring of Honor

Here is a summary of what Ray Lewis achieved in his career. 2 Super Bowls, Super Bowl MVP, 2 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, 13 Pro Bowls. It goes on and on and on! In 2018, the football world accepted his greatness with open arms as they welcomed him into the Hall of Fame. Another place opened their gates to cement his legacy.

His popularity became so evident that EA Sports had to make him the cover athlete of the Madden NFL video game. The athlete created records with Madden even when he played. He was the first defensive player on the cover. The only NFL player to have 40 sacks and 30 interceptions (41.5 sacks and 31 interceptions). So the sense of greatness was always there, but even he had to go through the Madden curse. Gracing the cover in 2004, he played the year smoothly, but in 2005, he injured himself and played only six games.

There was somewhat of a vindication in 2025, when Madden announced him as the newest entrant to the Madden Ring of Honor. Not only that, they will also give Ray Lewis a 99 overall card in the ultimate team mode, along with special events.

Overall, his legacy has been overwhelmingly positive for the Ravens and for the football world as well. Such types of players make the game special in the hearts of fans. And for everything he has done for the sport, he rightfully deserves these honors.