It all came down to a Florida-Georgia game for this 189-pounder of a young high schooler. “I gotta make this to even get some looks of colleges” who weren’t yet paying attention to him at all. Yet, it did little to nothing to sweeten the pot. So, Ray Lewis made a trip to the one place he grew up as a fan of instead– Florida State University, only to botch up his one chance at a college scholarship with a “Thank you, but no thank you” response to their backup offer until his junior year. 

Blowing up the only offer he received, Lewis entered his final high school game. In the second round of the playoffs, despite getting “punched,” the LB posted 23 tackles, 100-plus yards rushing, kickoff returns, and punt returns. Interestingly, that’s when he found a sliver of luck. “That moment when I got the phone call from Dennis Erickson to give me the scholarship was probably one of the greatest moments of my life.” This Sunday, Ray Lewis posted a throwback video on his Instagram account from his interview with Dan Patrick, captioning it, “You‘re always being watched.🫵🏾” to recall that turn of events.

In the clip, he talked about why he believes in the same. Talking to Patrick, Lewis recalled, “Four days before signing day at the University of Miami. I didn’t have any scholarship offers, and nobody had called. I didn’t know what’s next. My last high school game was against Fort Myers and they had the number one recruit (Jammi German) in the nation at the time. Dennis Erickson and Art Kehoe was sitting in the stands at that game. And they were down there to recruit him and see him play. 

“And in that game, I had 23 tackles, 100-plus yards rushing, kick off returns, punt returns. Oh my gosh! I gave it everything I had; which is why I tell my kids all the time ‘You’re always being watched. Don’t ever take a play off. Four days before signing day, at University of Miami, he (his head coach) called me on the intercom to come to the office. He says, ‘Miami just offered you that last scholarship.’ The person that was there just blew out his knee riding a four-wheeler. They gave me that scholarship that Monday and told me I had to be in Miami by that Thursday.”

Once in Miami Gardens, it didn’t take long for Lewis to pick up where he left in high school. In his freshman season, he started the final six games for the Hurricanes to total 81 tackles in that stretch. But he showed his evolution as a sophomore when he led the nation’s No. 1 defense and the Big East in tackles with 153 total. As a junior, the Hurricane wrapped up his Miami chapter with 160 tackles to finish second in the Butkus Award voting and combining for fifth-most tackles in school history. Just like that, one man’s tragedy changed Ray’s career and the Ravens’ history forever. 

Ray Lewis on why every snap counts

Unlike high school, where Ray was overlooked by colleges, his work at Miami made him a top prospect in the 1996 draft. Lewis was picked by the then-new NFL franchise, Ravens, 26th overall to become their second pick ever. Just 4 years in, the Ravens’ legend won his and the franchise’s first Super Bowl in 2000, where he led the team’s defense still called one of the greatest for a single season in league history.

During the Super Bowl XXXV, Lewis dragged the Giants’ offense, finishing with the Super Bowl MVP with five tackles in the 34-7 victory. The one-franchise loyalist capped his 17-year Ravens career with the second Super Bowl title referenced above, the crowning moment of a storied run.

“But it’s a family, man, for life. For life! We’re a family, man. And that’s what it’s really all about: When you see people win championships, they do it based on love,” Lewis said after the win.

So, what started with uncertainty eventually turned into a legendary career. And that is the reason Ray advises young footballers to “never take a play off.” You never know who’s watching!