CLIFTON LEWIS TO BE INDUCTED INTO DELAWARE SPORTS HALL OF FAME TYLER BIRNBAUM 05/19/09 Former UMES two-sport athlete joins 12 in the Class of 2009 WILMINGTON, Del. - Former University of Maryland Eastern Shore two-sport standout Clifton "Gator" Lewis will be inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame at a banquet at the Chase Center Wednesday, May 20. Lewis, who played football and baseball for the Hawks from 1949-52, is one of 12 inductees to be honored by the board of governors of the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame. Transferring from Tennessee State after one season, Lewis quarterbacked two undefeated UMES teams under College Football Hall of Fame coach Skip McCain. At UMES, then known as Maryland State College, Lewis lost just one game over his three seasons, that coming in 1951. An eight-time letterwinner in four sports at Howard High School in Newark, Del. Lewis returned to his high school alma mater to serve as its assistant and head football coach for 20 years. He also coached basketball and track at Bancroft Junior High School. While there, Lewis developed many of Delaware's outstanding track and field performers of the 1950s and 1960s. After retiring from coaching, Lewis became a high school administrator. He is highly respected by athletes and students in Delaware and the region as a strong advocate of discipline and sportsmanship. Wilmington City Council honored Lewis by naming a municipal park for him, and officially recognized his many contributions to athletics and education with a proclamation in October of 2004. The 2009 inductions mark the 34th consecutive year the hall of fame has enshrined new honorees. To date, 274 people in 29 sports have been given the distinction.