Carl Lewis Net Worth, Money and More
Networth: $20 Million
US track legend and once the fastest man on earth, Carl Lewis ruled the world of track and field unrivaled for almost two decades. He is the man responsible for helping track and field garner its current professional status. The world first took notice of Lewis in 1979 when he was ranked 5th in the world in long jump by track and field news. He has 9 Olympic golds; 1 Olympic silver and 8 world championship gold medals to his credit. When he retired in 1997, 19 years after his first world ranking, he was a phenomenon. Since then he has added numerous feathers to his already brimming hat- he volunteered to coach track and field program at his Alma mater, University of Houston; produced and acted for film and television; tried to run for a seat in New Jersey Senate and was voted as the “Sportsman of the century” by International Olympic committee.
LEWIS: ORIGINS
Lewis was born on July 1, 1961 in Birmingham, Alabama to William and Evelyn Lewis, a couple which coached local athletes and ran a small sports club. At the age of 15, he stood 5 ft 5 inches tall and was considered one of the best long jumpers in New Jersey. By his senior year in high school, he had grown above 6 ft and emerged as one of the best long jumpers in the world. Out of the numerous admission offers he received from various universities, he chose to join the University of Houston where he first met Coach Tom Tellez who were to remain his coach throughout his career. After the US boycott of the 1980 Olympics, he again participated in the 1988 Olympics held in LA with the sole aim of matching Jesse Owens’ record four gold victories in the 1936 Olympics. He not only accomplished what he intended to, he did it by smashing one world and one Olympic record, as the entire world watched enthralled and acknowledged that a legend has arrived.
SHOW ME THE MONEY!
In the fall of 1979, a young Carl admittedly told his coach, Tellez that he wants to be a millionaire and wouldn’t ever want a real job. Lewis has always been very blunt about his material ambitions in public. He became the first athlete to become a millionaire from competition alone. His net worth is estimated to be around $20 million.
BUSY-NESS
In addition to being the master of track and field, he is also a jack of many other trades which often get over-shadowed by his massive athletic achievements. He has played himself in 47 film and TV productions, portrayed other characters in 8 others and produced two films. He owns a branding and marketing company titled C.L.E.G. and co-owns a sportswear shop in Houston, Texas with brother, Mack. He is also an UN Goodwill Ambassador and official supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities. He also runs Carl Lewis Foundation that aims to empower youth, adults and families through track and field activities.
HOUSE OF THE LEGEND
Carl Lewis lives a low profile life, mainly in Santa Monica, California. He also owns houses and offices in New Jersey from where he bid for senate. He recently sold his contemporary Mediterranean house complete with swimming pool, spa, fish pond and fruit trees in Pacific Palisades for $2.5 million. He also had an office near his Palisades residence that had a gym of its own with state of the art machines. During his glory days his annual income was estimated to be around $5 million- $7 million and 15 years later, he still maintains a 6-figure earning annually. However, most of the remuneration goes into a trust fund so that he can maintain his amateur status.
CAR LEWIS
A fancy car is the third most important element of the sacred luxury triangle of the filthy rich. Why should Carl be any different? His first car was a green Mercury Cougar and from there, like his career, his car-graph too has kept ascending over the years. In 2007, a guardian correspondent reported that Lewis owned a black Maserati and a vintage Mercedes Convertible and his garage is stocked with expensive wines.
In another interview to the The Telegraph he shed some light on his personal life describing himself as a loner. He loves to shops and goes to three malls a week to find clothes and novelties for the house. He collects china and crystal and spends time by rollerblading, cycling or taking a beach walk with his dog. His weekend destinations include the Trendy Skybar on Sunset Boulevard and the Ivy restaurant.
RELATIONSHIPS
Although Carl Lewis has always maintained that he is straight, many believe him to be deeply closeted. Speculation and questions about his sexual orientation has haunted him throughout his brilliant career and even afterwards. It adversely affected his marketability and cost him some lucrative endorsements like Nike. His flamboyant clothing and his famous 1994 campaign for Pirelli tires featuring him in red stilettos didn’t help either.
Ironically, the first and probably the only time he ever mentioned having a girl-friend was also in context of the homosexuality rumors which he claimed was started by a female Jamaican athlete who was bitter after their break-up.
LOVE HIM OR HATE HIM, YOU CAN’T IGNORE HIM
Controversies have always followed this track and field giant. From being perceived as rude and arrogant to the American National Anthem controversy, this man had it all. He has always been quite vocal in condemning performance enhancing drugs and its users. However, he himself came under the radar after he tested positive in 1988 Olympics for minimum amounts of sever banned drugs and stimulants. He claimed that it was the result of a herbal dietary supplement that he was consuming and his claims were accepted by the USOC and overturned it’s decision to disqualify him.
CARL LEWIS- THE MAN
Carl Lewis the athlete has always overshadowed Carl Lewis, the man. A typical Carl Lewis interview features questions about his Olympic moments, his motivations in life and his future career plans. With the massive list of achievements and accolades that the man has to his credit, you can’t really blame the media, can you? This makes it very difficult to gauge this man on a personal front, but as he puts it simply –
“I AM EXACTLY LIKE EVERYBODY. I WAS JUST ABLE TO RUN FASTER”.
