CONWAY, Ark. _ Former University of Central Arkansas standout wide receiver Dezmin Lewis was back on the football field Sunday, this time without pads or a helmet.

Lewis is part of Team USA's flag football team competing at the 2022 World Games being played in Birmingham, Ala. The 11th edition of the World Games is an international multi-sport event featuring sports or disciplines not contested in the Olympic Games and is being held from July 7-17. The Games will feature 30 official sports in 54 disciplines and will be contested at 30 venues in and around Birmingham.

Lewis, who ranks in the Top 5 in nearly every receiving category at UCA and was invited to both the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Game, is one of 12 players on the USA roster. They, along with a women's squad, will compete against seven other countries in the World Games, with the championship game set for Wednesday.

"It's pretty cool to get to compete against athletes from other countries,' said Lewis, who is an assistant football and basketball coach at Lewisville (Texas) High School. " There are some outstanding athletes in this competition, so it's going to be a challenge.'

Lewis is fairly new to the sport after being invited to play by friends in the Dallas area.

"They asked me to come and play with them and then the coach of the USA team saw me and invited me to a tryout for that team,' said Lewis. "I made the team and now we get to compete in the World Games. It's pretty crazy how it all happened.

"And this is a really big deal. I had no idea how big it was. There are some unbelievable athletes competing, some that could play at any level of football.'

The sport of competitive flag football is five-on-five. with the teams playing two 20-minute halves on a field with dimensions of 25 yards by 50 yards. The tournament is being played at historic Legion Field. The World Games flag football bracket will feature teams from Austria, Mexico, Panama, Italy, Denmark, Germany and France, which was USA's opening opponent on Sunday.

Lewis, originally from Mesquite, Texas, finished his career at UCA with 197 career receptions (second in school history) and 2,618 receiving yards (third), along with 24 touchdowns. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL Draft. 

"It's exciting to get a chance to compete again,' said Lewis, who was a graduate assistant at UCA after his playing career ended. "It's something new but it's still competing on the football field. We want to go win the whole thing.'

The 2022 World Games will feature nearly 3,600 athletes from 110 countries.