Greg Lewis got the chance to continue the impressive (and building) legacy of Washington Husky football players to get at least 1000 rushing yards in a season. And in 1989, this was the first time he achieved this (we’ll get to his other remarkable accomplishments soon enough, right now, let’s not get too distracted and let’s focus in on his incredible 1989 season).
That’s right, Lewis was the fifth Washington Husky to run for at least 1000 yards in a season. We’ve mentioned a few names in the past, such as Hugh McElhenny, Rob Rowland, Joe Steele (perfect football name), and Jacque Robinson (also, great football name, it sounds so strong). Now let’s talk about another one of the greatest Huskies of all time.
During the 1989 season, Lewis ran for just shy of 1200 yards (he had 1197 and I really wish he’d had three more for a round, clean, even number here) on 266 carries (good for a 4.5 yards per carry average) and a total of 10 touchdowns.
That’s really, really strong. Especially if you adjust for inflation and the lack of modern offensive schemes. Truly one of the best rushing seasons in Washington’s history.
Washington Husky football history: Greg Lewis was the fifth Husky to run for at least 1000 yards in a season
Lewis managed to run for at least 100 rushing yards in a game on five different occasions, including a season opener where he gained 133 yards against the Texas A&M Aggies (I, for one, as a Texan, am here for these sorts of impressive feats) and then the Apple Cup (it’s a tradition at this point), where Lewis managed to gain 115 yards against the Washington State Cougars.
In the Freedom Bowl (great bowl game name, someone bring this back) against the Florida Gators, Lewis came close to getting to 100 yards in the game. You remember those three yards I said I wished he’d had. Yeah, those would have been helpful here so we could talk about how he had 100 or more rushing yards in SIX different games. But hey, great season for Lewis. He’s got a lot to be proud of here.