When Westhill High School asked Cliff Louis to be its keynote speaker at graduation last month, a lot of students may have been wondering, “Who’s Cliff Louis?’
They were not alone.
Once he told his story, it was evident why Louis was asked to address his alma mater. Louis is an example of the possibilities when one follows a dream. A good but undistinguished football player at Westhill when he graduated in 2002, Louis went to Morgan State, grew two inches and put on nearly 100 pounds to become a starting 6-foot-8, 310-pound left tackle.
Louis was signed as a free agent by the Cleveland Browns and has bounced around the training camps and practice squads of three franchises. He is currently on his third stint with the New York Giants, and will head with the team to training camp in Albany next weekend hoping to earn a spot on the roster.
Despite his imposing size, Louis was always a gentle giant, an easygoing and popular member of the Westhill community. While his personality has not changed, his football ability has soared. Though the Giants return their entire offensive line and have a lot of depth at the position, Louis is hoping that if he cannot earn a spot in New York, he will at least attract the attention of another team.
He certainly made an impression with Westhill’s graduating class.
If you want to learn more about Louis’ story, check out my column in Saturday’s edition of The Advocate.
