DURHAM, N.C. – Former Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis will participate in the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Texas vs. The Nation Challenge set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 6 at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas.
Lewis will play for the Texas squad, coached by Howard Schnellenberger, who guided Miami to the 1983 national championship. Former Dallas Cowboys standout Bill Bates will coach the Nation unit.
A native of Opa-Locka, Fla., Lewis closed out an outstanding career with 48 school records including career marks for total offensive yards (9,987), passing yards (10,065), pass completions (877), pass attempts (1,510), touchdown passes (67), 300-yard passing games (11) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (1.68:1). In 2009, he completed 274-of-449 (.610) pass attempts for 3,330 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions. One of just two quarterbacks in ACC history to throw for over 10,000 yards in a career, Lewis paced the league in passing yards per game (277.5), and his 3,330 passing yards rank as the second-highest single-season total in Duke history. Lewis, who earned second team All-ACC honors in 2008, is Duke’s first two-time all-conference quarterback since Ben Bennett captured first squad honors in both 1982 and 1983.
Other former ACC players scheduled to play in the game include Brent Bowden (P, Virginia Tech), Derrick Epps (TE, Miami), Toney Baker (RB, N.C. State), Cory Jackson (FB, Maryland), Kyle Jolly (OT, North Carolina), Will Barker (OG, Virginia), E.J. Wilson (DE, North Carolina) and Travis Ivey (DT, Maryland).
