When Carl Lewis left the University of Houston more than 40 years ago, he was 19 and an indoor world record holder Talented in the long jump and one of the best sprinters on the planet.
Lewis has since become one of the most popular figures in the sport, a famous face who has been on the top of the Olympic medal stand nine times and has appeared on television. Gentleman’s quarterly magazine cover In addition, there are also some Hollywood movies and TV shows.
Lewis, now 61, with a bald head and spiky gray hair, went back to the school he left 40 years ago and coaches the track at the complex that bears his name.
He hopes to fill the only void in his famed track and field career: a national title for his college team.
“I always felt that if I had one more year left, the trajectory of the whole program might have changed,” Lewis, who was appointed head coach in July after several years as an assistant, said in a recent interview. Told. .
The NCAA Division I Outdoor Athletics Championships are scheduled to start Wednesday in Austin, Texas.
Houston’s greatest chance at winning the title appears to be on the men’s team, with junior Shawn Maswangany leading the group as one of the country’s top sprinters. Lewis said it would be “a few years” before the women’s team had a shot at the title. 400m hurdler Sidney Townshend is the only Houston woman to make the start list for the event. She has her fifth fastest time in Division I.
“I think we still have a chance,” said Lewis, acknowledging that the team is far from in the lead.
In 2013, Lewis returned to Houston as a volunteer coach, mostly to help former teammate and then-Houston head coach Leroy Burrell and his son Cameron, who was a freshman sprinter on the team. rice field. Lewis joined the full-time staff after one season, working with sprinters and jumpers.
As an assistant, Lewis helped Houston grow into one of the university’s premier sprint groups. Cameron Burrell won the individual title in 2018 and became one of the best 100m runners in the country. The sprint group has been dubbed ‘Speed City’ and its name appears on the fences and team clothing of the outdoor track.
However, Houston just missed out on the team title. Four years ago, when the Cougars finished second to Florida in the indoor championship, it looked like the Cougars had their biggest chance. Milesplit, the athletics website, Created a weekly video series We followed the team through the 2019 outdoor season. However, the men’s team finished third behind first-place Texas Tech and Florida.
“They could have won,” Lewis said. “They just choked. I mean, they choked straight up. And you know, we were frustrated because the TV shows and all that stuff was going on.”
The following year, the NCAA canceled the U.S. Indoor Championships and subsequent outdoor season due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the 2021 men finished tied for 18th in the outdoor event. Two months after that win, the team mourned the death of Cameron Burrell. A 26-year-old man died by suicide.
Maswanganee said it was a difficult time for the team. Burrell was a role model for him, but he said coming to practice wasn’t the same.
In 2022, Leroy Burrell left Houston for a head coaching job at Auburn University. Lewis took over as head coach in July.
In August, he revealed his hopes for the Cougars. They were going for the national championship, or they should have “find something else.” A sense of urgency was instilled in the team.
When the team entered the locker room after the first indoor tournament, they were greeted by the national rankings of all events pasted on the wall. Lewis printed a sheet of the top 16 players in each event group. This is because it shows who is more likely to qualify for the national competition. He updated the wall every game throughout the season.
Kelly Ann Beckford, who finished the indoor season 10th in the 800m, said, “Every day in training, I ask myself how I’m behind the women on the list and how I can improve my time. I’m thinking about whether I need to make an effort,” he said. Time in Division I.
Houston has historically dominated the American Athletic Conference. The program ran out of space to hang the conference championship banner from the ceiling of the indoor track facility. However, the men lost to Cincinnati in the conference’s final indoor event in February, winning both the men’s indoor and outdoor titles for the first time since 2004. Both schools will be at the Big 12 conference next month.
The win was a disappointing start to Lewis’ tenure. After that game, Lewis posted a photo of the Cincinnati celebration and a trainer’s social media post saying “Let’s do it again outdoors” in bathroom cubicles, refrigerators, front doors and almost everywhere else on the team. . locker room.
“It motivated me,” said Maswangani. “It’s someone who disrespects you for what we’ve been winning over the years.”
At the outdoor conference event, the boys finished second again, while the girls moved up from third place indoors to second place. The Wichita State men’s team edged out Houston by just two points.
Still, Lewis doesn’t seem to flinch. The team has some of the best athletes in multiple Division I event groups, so winning the national championship is still within reach. Lewis made it clear on a scorching Monday practice earlier this year.
He yelled at freshman long jumper Aaron Davis II about his condition. He yelled at Davis and tried to use his body and hands to indicate his movements.
Davis wasn’t as tuned as Lewis wanted, so Lewis walked down the long jump runway and jumped himself as sand bounced off his pant leg.
“It took me a while to realize,” Lewis said, pausing to gather his thoughts. “Look, I never came here and said they could do what I do because it’s never going to happen again.”
He added: “But look, I’m losing money every day when I come out here. I mean, I’m going to give up my vacation, so I’m taking it seriously. So if you’re serious, I’d be happy to do it. It’s a waste of time, so this year is the year to get everything back on track.”
