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The NFL has been home to a number of great defensive athletes over the years, but one man stands above the rest. Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis has been the all-time leader in tackles since 1994. Lewis registered 1,568 tackles during his 17-year career in the NFL. He also recorded a franchise record with 2,059 total tackles for the Baltimore Ravens defense.
Ray Lewis will go down as the best linebacker in Baltimore Ravens history and his leadership on the football field remains unmatched. Baltimore leaned on their defense to win two Super Bowls, and Ray Lewis was the pillar on which they were built.
Let's take a look at Ray Lewis' historic career and how he became the NFL's all-time leader in tackles.
The legendary 17-year NFL career of Ray Lewis
The Baltimore Ravens selected Miami (FL) linebacker Ray Lewis with the 26th overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft. Ray Lewis was the second-ever draft choice for the Ravens franchise.
Ray Lewis immediately became the leader on defense for the Ravens during his rookie season. During his rookie season, he led the Baltimore Ravens in tackles and would go Lewis went on to lead the team in tackles a total of 14 times in his 17 seasons.
Ray Lewis had eight seasons where he went over 100 solo tackles for the Baltimore Ravens defense. He only went one season without recording a sack from his linebacker position. The Hall of Fame linebacker led the NFL in tackles three times throughout his 17-year career.
One thing that NFL fans and players respected about Ray Lewis is that he gave 100% effort on every play. It didn't matter if the Baltimore Ravens were winning by 20 points or losing by 30 points.
Ray Lewis had one famous quote that stuck with him all the way to the NFL Hall of Fame:
"Wins and losses come a dime a dozen. But effort? Nobody can judge that. Because effort is between you and you."
The effort that Ray Lewis put out helped him put together a phenomenol stat line over the course of 17 years, not to mention the numerous awards that he won.
Here are the career stats for the NFL's all time leader in tackles.
Ray Lewis' NFL Career Stats
- Total tackles: 2,059
- Tackles for loss: 99
- Pass deflections: 96
- Sacks: 41.5
- Interceptions: 31
- Touchdowns: 3
Ray Lewis brought home eight awards throughout his 17 years in the NFL. He won the 2000 NFL AP Defensive Player of the Year, 2000 Super Bowl MVP, and 2003 NFL AP Defensive Player of the Year.
Lewis was also selected to 13 Pro Bowls, 7 First team All-Pro, Pro Football Hall of Fame 1st team all 2000's Team, 2011 NFL Top 100 players, 2012 NFL Top 100 players, the NFL 100 All Time Team. His biggest accomplishment was being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.
