A familiar face was back on the field for the Southern Michigan Timberwolves last weekend.
Nate Lewis, the only T-Wolf ever to rush for 1,000 yards in a season,
was back in the lineup after spending the last 4 1/2 months playing
professional football in Finland.
The 6-1, 225-pound running back was a
major force in Europe. Playing for the Pori Bears of the Finnish
Football Foundation, Lewis piled up 1,335 yards and scored 19
touchdowns. He led the league in rushing, was second in scoring and
third in all-purpose yards.
"It was a nice, beautiful experience
to actually get paid to play for something that you love to do," said
Lewis who
previously played professional football in Norway, Austria
and Mexico.
He learned only a few words in Finnish.
"I knew the words for good,
thank-you, how you doing? and what’s happening?" he said. "Of course.
they also teach you the dirty words."
Besides drawing a salary, Lewis was
given a car to use. The team paid for his car, apartment, telephone,
food and Internet connection. He roomed with teammate Jay Woods who
also has Mid-Continental Football League experience as a member of the
Detroit Ravens.
Lewis had opportunities to visit
other countries but never left Finland. "I didn’t know what the
practice schedule was going to be so I stayed close, but if I go back,
I’ll be sure to visit other countries. They’re so close," he said.
There was plenty to do in Finland in
and around Pori, the nation’s 10th largest city with a population of
76,000. He visited the Mid-Summerfest, the Pori Jazz Festival and
attended his first rock concern at the Sonicsphere. He spent about 2
1/2 hours in Helsinki, the capital and largest city in Finland.
"It was great," he said. "The guys were good to me. They bent over backwards to make sure I was comfortable."
Lewis’ season ended Sept. 5 when his
team did not qualify for the Euro Bowl. That meant he was able to
rejoin the Timberwolves last weekend. He had practiced with Southern
Michigan briefly last spring before leaving for Finland, but this was
his first time to really see the 7-2 T-Wolves in action.
"Our defense is really good. Our
offense has the potential to be good," he said. "We need to get our
passing game going to complement our running game."
Lewis is 32 and in his fourth season
with the T-Wolves. He always keep himself in great shape and didn’t
hesitate when the time came to rejoin Monroe’s semipro team.
"I’m not beat up," he said. "My body
held up really well during the season. I’ll be ready. I see the
potential to have a good run at a championship this year and I wanted
to be a part of it."
Lewis and the Timberwolves were to
have ended the regular season Saturday at the Kalamazoo Stampede, but
the Stampede folded two week ago, giving the T-Wolves a 2-0 forfeit
win. They will await Saturday’s other results to see who they will face
in the opening round of the MCFL playoffs.
Southern Michigan is guaranteed to be
the third seed — behind the Columbus Fire and Kings Comets — in the
six-team playoffs. The T-Wolves will play a home playoff game at 7:25
p.m. Oct. 3 at Navarre Field. Five teams are still in the hunt for the
final two playoff spots.
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