Built for this: Lewis Ward’s road to history

Ottawa REDBLACKS kicker Lewis Ward was born in Royal Leamington Spa in England, not far from Coventry, knowing virtually nothing of Canadian football, or the possibilities ahead of him.

Like most young kids in England, it was the other kind of football that Ward loved, rooting loud and proud for Liverpool FC, much to the chagrin of his father, who shares his passion for Birmingham City – a club that played just over 30 minutes from their home.

Ward was his team’s goalkeeper, and remembers being able to place the ball wherever he wanted around the field on goal kicks, and using his great athleticism to be successful at the position.

In the eighth grade, however, Ward and his family moved to Kingston, Ontario, where he was finally introduced to the Canadian game. Once he was involved, his love for the game grew at an exponential rate, as did his talents.

“I was in high school when I realized I was one of the better athletes, and that I had the potential to move to university,” Ward said. “I contacted different universities, and I got a spot at the University of Ottawa, and it has been a progression of continuing to move forward.”

Ward spent five seasons with the Ottawa Gee-Gees, hitting 79 percent of his attempts, and all but two of the 137 PATs asked of him, but was skipped over in the CFL Draft.

Famously, he worked security at TD Place in his spare time away from football, even working the 2017 Grey Cup. Heading into the season, the REDBLACKS were in need of a kicker, and circled back to Ward and brought him in for a look.

Training camp was a success, which Ward continued into the preseason, hitting all of his attempts. His first CFL game was solid, hitting three of four in a 40-17 REDBLACKS victory, but what was to come was simply inexplicable.

By August, Ward hadn’t missed in 22 kicks setting a rookie record, and in September, his 33rd straight make broke a record held by Rene Paredes for the most consecutive field goals in league history.

“He texted me when I broke the record, so getting that from a person like him was special, especially in your rookie year,” Ward said. “We had similar situations, coming out of university undrafted, so getting [validation] from his was a driving factor.”

For the rest of the season, Ward connected on every single field goal, finishing the year 51 of 52, smashing the CFL single-season record for percentage, and setting a new pro-football record.

“It was pretty cool,” Ward said. “Richie was a veteran, and when you have guys like that around you, you don’t want to disappoint them. It’s a motivating factor, especially as a rookie, to prove to those guys what you’re all about.”

Ward continued building on his lengthy streak in the 2019 season, running it all the way up to 69 before finally missing, confirming that he was, in fact, human.

With the streak over, Ward never changed how he thought about each kick, and remained locked in hoping to build on his early success.

“It goes back to when I started kicking,” Ward said. “I’m always striving for excellence, and working on things. The more I try to do right by my teammates, the more success we’ll have, but also the more success I’ll have. Field goals mean something; you can never take a play off.”

In 2024, Ward has once again been exceptional for the REDBLACKS, nailing 12 of his 13 kicks, including a walk-off victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Week 4.

Little has changed on the field, but away from the game, Ward is preparing for his biggest test yet: fatherhood. Already, there are plans to get his baby boy on the field, kicking the ball and trying different sports as soon as possible.

“I’ve seen some videos of two-year-olds kicking soccer balls, and I’ve sent some of them to my fiancé,” Ward said. “She laughs at it, but I’m going to put him in all the sports I can, and get him active from an early age. I was given a soccer ball from the time I could walk, it just builds confidence and athleticism in any child.”