The story begins in California,
Long Beach to be exact…

At the age of 15, Yvonne Snow gave birth to her first child on May 19, 1984 whom she named Marcedes Alexis Lewis. While raising her son alone, Yvonne and her newborn faced the world bound and determined to make the best of their situation while striving for excellence. At three years old, Marcedes welcomed his younger brother Ashley into the family. From a young age, Marcedes took a lead role by helping to watch over Ashley as his single mother struggled to make ends meet while working three jobs.

In 1993, at the age of eight, Marcedes gained a role model and father figure when Yvonne met, and eventually married, Michael Withers. The family soon expanded with the birth of a third brother, Cody in 1994, and sister, Niki in 1996. In order to give their children a better life, Yvonne and Michael relocated the family to Lakewood, California when Marcedes was 13 years old.

Marcedes’ passion for football blossomed at the age of eight as he progressed in Long Beach Poly Pop Warner. It wasn’t until the summer prior to starting high school that he began to play organized basketball. While attending Long Beach Polytechnic High School, Marcedes flourished on the football field as well as the basketball court. This commitment to excellence helped him earn three varsity letters in each sport. With his dominant skills, massive size and dedication, Marcedes and his teammates rallied to win two varsity championships in basketball and three in football while at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. Marcedes’ high school success gave him endless opportunities to attend some of the best colleges in the U.S., which recruited him for both football and basketball.

In 2002, Marcedes began his collgiate career at UCLA as a two-sport standout. After one year of year-round athletics, the travel for games began to take a toll and his grades began to drop. At the culmination of his freshmen year in college Yvonne encouraged Marcedes to focus solely on his first passion, football, making it the last semester he played basketball for UCLA. This decision paid off in 2005 when Marcedes won the John Mackey Award for the best tight end in college football, making him the only athlete in UCLA history to receive the honor. He was also ranked first amongst UCLA tight ends with a recorded 1,571 yards receiving and 21 touchdowns. Academically, Marcedes was selected to the Dean’s Honor Roll during his most successful semesters at UCLA where he majored in History, with Economics being his favorite class.

In 2006, Marcedes Alexis Lewis was selected 28th in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. After five years in the League, his hard work and determination paid off in January 2011 when he made his debut as an AFC Pro Bowl starter. This memorable experience was topped off with a 28 yard reception touchdown. With the end of his contract looming, the Jacksonville Jaguars assigned the franchise tag to Marcedes on February 24, 2011.

Just like his childhood hero, Michael Jordan, Marcedes is committed to giving back to his community. The Marcedes Lewis Foundation was established in 2009 with the purpose of helping students by providing academic and sports scholarships. Additionally, in June, the Foundation hosts its annual football camps in Long Beach, California, welcoming up to 500 children, free of cost!

Age: 33
Born: 5/19/1984

Height: 6-6
Weight: 267

Birth Place: Long Beach, California
League: National Football League
Transactions: Originally drafted in the first round (28th overall) of the 2006 draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Received the franchise tag on February 24, 2011 from the Jaguars.
Pro Bowl: 2011 starter
Experience: 12th season
Team: Green Bay Packers
Position: Tight End
Jersey Number: 89
College: UCLA
High School: Long Beach Polytechnic High School, CA

2011 PRO BOWL

Yards: 28
Touchdown: 1
AFC starter as tight end

2016 STATS

Receptions: 20
Yards: 169
Average: 8.5

CAREER STATS

Receptions: 358
Yards: 4,289
Touchdowns: 32
NFL Totals: 161 games

AWARDS

  • 2011 Jacksonville Jaguars Team Captain
  • 2010 Selected to the NFL Pro Bowl
  • 2009 Selected as an alternate NFL Pro Bowl
  • 2005 John Mackey Award (Best TE in College Football)
  • 2005 All-American Team
  • 2005 All-Pac 10 Team
  • 2004 John Mackey Award Finalist (Best TE)
  • 2004 All-American Team
  • 2004 All-Pac 10 Team
  • Prep Star Dream Team (Best Prep TE)
  • Super Prep All-American
  • Super Prep Elite (rated #4)
  • Parade All-American
  • Student Sports Hot 100 List (#30)

NFL

Recorded 14 career receptions of 25-plus yards, the most by a Jaguars TE in team history…Ranked first in the NFL in 2009 among tight ends with 16.2 avg…per reception and fourth with eight receptions of 25-plus yards…One of only three tight ends in franchise history and 12players overall with 100-plus receptions…Produced career-high numbers in 2008 with 41receptions and followed with career-high 518 receiving yards in 2009…Named to Player Leadership Council in 2008…Only player in 2007 to start all 16 games…Highest drafted tight end in Jaguars history. …Signed to play with the Green Bay Packers for the 2018 season” to the end on the NFL section

COLLEGE

Winner of 2005 Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top collegiate tight ends…Started 47 of 52 games in 4 seasons…Set school record for tight ends with career totals of 126 receptions for 1,571 yards and 21 touchdowns…Unanimous All-America and All-Pac 10 selection as a senior, finishing with 59 receptions for 741 yards and 10 touchdowns…Second among Division I-A tight ends with 4.8 receptions per game as a senior…Started 10 of 12 games as a junior and recorded team-high seven receiving touchdowns…Started 8 of 13 games as a sophomore and ranked second on team with 30 receptions for 377 yards and 3 touchdowns… Was heavily recruited in college as a basketball player.

HIGH SCHOOL

Earned three varsity letters in football and basketball at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, CA…Played quarterback as a prep freshman and moved to tight end with the varsity team his last three seasons…Parade All-American…SuperPrep Elite 50 (No. 4)…SuperPrep All-American (No. 1 jumbo athlete)…Rated No. 2 player in Far West (CA/HI/NV) by SuperPrep…PrepStar Dream Team and No. 1 tight end in nation… Member of Student Sports Hot 100 (No. 30)…Rated No. 1 tight end in nation and five-star prospect by PacWest Football…Rated No. 1 tight end in West by PacWest Football.com…Ranked No. 22 nationally in The Insiders Top 101…Five-star prospect by Max Emfinger and member of All-America team…No. 1 TE prospect by Max Emfinger…Tom Lemming All-American (No. 33) and No. 6 player in West…Rated No. 2 tight end in nation by Tom Lemming…The Sporting News Hot 101 (No. 35)…Ranked No. 30 nationally by Student Sports…Second-team All-State (Cal Hi Sports)…First-team All-CIF Southern Section…CIF-SS Division I co-Offensive Player of the Year…All-CIF SS Division I first team…Member of L.A. Times All-Star Team…First-team L.A. Times All-Southeast/South Coast…Member of Tacoma News Tribune Western 100…Orange County Register Fab 15 first team…Member of Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West first team (nine votes)…Long Beach Press-Telegram Dream Team…Member of Las Vegas Sun Super 11…Selected to play in the 2002 North-South Shrine All-Star game…Caught 44 passes for 710 yards and 11 touchdowns for CIF Division I champions…On defense, he made seven quarterback sacks at defensive end…A very versatile athlete…Pre-season SuperPrep All-American (No. 1 tight end in nation and No. 1 player in Far West)…As a junior, he earned All-State and All-CIF acclaim…Made 22 receptions for 313 yards and four touchdowns…Also a star basketball player, he earned three varsity letters as a power forward…As a senior, he was named second team All-CIF and to the Long Beach Press-Telegram “Dream Team”…He was also a member of the Press-Telegram basketball “Dream Team” as a junior…Averaged over 19 points and 11 rebounds per game his junior season.