The Helsinki Wolverines of the Finnish Maple League have signed veteran defensive back Darius Lewis.
The well-travelled defender comes to the Maple League after playing across many countries in his career, joining a Wolverines team on a mission to knock off the back-to-back champion Kuopio Steelers.
Most recently, the 5’9″ defensive back has been on a whirlwind of a season initially playing for the Tychy Falcons of Poland. Lewis was an impact defender, special teamer, and running back for the Falcons before a coaching change led to a roster shake-up. Lewis then played two games in the European League of Football for the Istanbul Rams before being released. Now he joins a contender Helsinki squad looking to knock off the back-to-back champions of the Maple League.
However, Lewis knows Scandinavian football well, having spent the 2021 and 2020 seasons in Sweden helping the Carlstad Crusaders win back-to-back championships. During the 2020 campaign, the Gaithersburg, Maryland native recorded 24.5 tackles along with 4 tackles for loss and a pick. In the title game, he led the Crusaders with 5.5 tackles including 5 solos and a sack.
Prior to arriving in Sweden, the 28-year-old was a two-year starter at Northern Arizona (NCAA D1 FCS) where he amassed 117 tackles. His international resume includes stops in Germany (Straubing Spiders, Albershausen Crusaders), Ukraine (Uzhgorod Lumberjacks), Turkey (Koc Rams), and Hungary (Budapest Wolves). During his time in Europe, Lewis has collected five total championships in Sweden, Hungary, Germany, and Turkey.
Read more about Darius Lewis’s football journey.
