Marvin Lewis eyes another one of his golf classics.
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If the Marvin Lewis Community Fund is one of Cincinnati's treasures, and it is, then this weekend is home to one of the city's annual crown jewels and Lewis sits down in a Hobson's Choice podcast to reflect on what it all means to him.
Lewis is pretty reticent when comes to football (and we tried), but not when it comes to his foundation. He hosts his 13th annual celebrity golf tournament at Shaker Run Golf Club in Lebanon, Ohio Sunday, a day that ends with the centerpiece of his foundation when he awards college scholarships worth $20,000 each to eight high school seniors in the Tri-State area.
That's just a piece of what MLCF has generated for the community in an endeavor that has received national acclaim while raising more than $10 million for youth education.
After being nominated by All Sports United for the fourth annual "All Stars of Giving" award, Lewis reveals his efforts are inspired by his days in Baltimore as the defensive coordinator of the Ravens.
A few podcast highlights:
On what attracted him to community involvement: "(Former Ravens head coach) Brian Billick inspired me. I had opportunities in Baltimore to take part in a (Muscular Dystrophy Association) event . . . The poster child for Maryland MDA became a young friend and watching her mature and grow up and battle muscular dystrophy had an effect on me."
On the impact of the essays and students he and his wife read and interview for the scholarships: "(The essays) are incredible. Eye opening. Shocking . . . They all have a different makeup. Maybe a different adversity they've had to overcome. They've come from different backgrounds, different schools. Some private school, some public school. Some in Indiana. Some in Kentucky. Some in Ohio.
"Maybe it's the icing on the cake for some. Maybe it's the difference of staying in the dorm or not staying in the dorm. Or whether it's their first choice of school. How much money do they have to take out in a loan? It makes a difference in their lives."
And some football. Lewis said he feels comfortable how they'll replace Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu at wide receiver: "I am, actually. I feel like we will have upgraded at that position and that's key. To continue to get better just like every positon on the field."
After having one of the five best records in the NFL the last five seasons, Lewis says the final piece "is obviously working our way through the playoffs and that's what counts. Everybody understands that, but we have to earn our way back there first."
Fangman, who received two degrees from Thomas More College this spring, returns to volunteer Sunday for his third straight Marvin Lewis Golf Classic selling split the pot tickets and Mulligans as well as attending one of the tees.
Marvin Lewis Community Fund hosts its annual Golf Classic at Shaker Run 05/17/2015
