Nine-time Olympic Gold Medalist Carl Lewis' brush with fame
April 12, 2008 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
PHILADELPHIA (April 12, 2008) - Nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis had a brush with fame on Friday when he boarded his flight headed for the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport, as he ran into Philadelphia Soul quarterback Matt D'Orazio, the AFL's second-ranked quarterback.
D'Orazio was traveling with the undefeated Soul (6-0) for their game against the defending champion San Jose SaberCats. He appeared to be the final passenger boarding the American Airlines flight when he felt the presence of someone behind him.
"I turned around and there he was," said D'Orazio of Lewis, who was a track-and-field star for the U.S. Olympic team for over a decade. "We talked for a little bit. He's a real nice guy."
According to D'Orazio, Lewis, who grew up in Willingboro, NJ, said he moved back to the Philadelphia area about six months ago. He was heading to his house in the Dallas area to escape the weather in the Northeast. According to CarlLewis.com, Lewis also has a home in Los Angeles, CA.
"He told me he forgot how the weather could be here," added D'Orazio, who enters the weekend having completed 70 percent of his passes for 1,002 yards with 21 touchdown passes and no interceptions for a 133.8 passer rating.
Lewis, of course, was flying first class, while D'Orazio went to take his seat with the rest of his teammates in coach.
Lewis won nine gold medals spanning four Olympic Games (1984-96) and one silver in 1988 for 10 Olympic medals for the United States. He was the World Athlete of the Year three years in a row starting in 1982, was the World Athlete of the Decade for the 80's and was part of five Olympic Games ('80, '84, '88, '92, '96).
The Soul had a brief layover in the Ft.Worth/Dallas airport before finishing their journey to San Jose. D'Orazio did not run into anyone else famous the rest of the way. Although, he was sandwiched between the league's top wide receiver Chris Jackson and 2007 All-AFL first-team offensive lineman Mike Mabry on his flight from Ft. Worth to San Jose.
The Philadelphia Soul, YOUR Team...YOUnited, strive to remain undefeated when they travel to California and face off against the San Jose SaberCats (3-3) on Saturday, April 12 at 10:30 p.m. (et). The game can be seen live on Comcast SportsNet, heard live on 950 ESPN and stream live at www.950ESPN.com.
The Soul are celebrating their fifth anniversary this season. The team has drawn an AFL-best 514,226 fans combined during the past four years. Following last season, the Soul were recognized with the Commissioner's Award as the Organization of the Year and were an honorable mention for the PRISM Award in the category of fan appreciation. Season tickets for the Soul's 2008 season are on sale now. Tickets start as low as $90 for a nine-game plan including a postseason home game. For more information call (888) PHIL-AFL or log on to www.philadelphiasoul.com.
• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League (1987-2008) message board...
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 12, 2008
- Nine-time Olympic Gold Medalist Carl Lewis' brush with fame - Philadelphia Soul
- Rampage Host Streaking Orlando Predators Sunday at 2 p.m. - Grand Rapids Rampage
- Crush Give Cleveland First Loss Ever At Home 69-66 - Colorado Crush
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
