Timothy Lukas Felix Joyner interview on Team USA bobsled

In the Timothy Lukas Felix Joyner interview for MILLIONS, Lukas told Joyner how he initially turned down a bobsled opportunity before making a Team USA squad in his rookie year. He also traced his route from a Division III school to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, described winning a football championship in Brazil, and explained why he started Level Up Athletes.

How did Timothy Lukas become a University of Illinois walk-on?

Timothy Lukas began at a Division III school, where competing against starters helped him build confidence, then walked on at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He told Felix Joyner that his older sister, who attended Illinois, encouraged the move, while a meeting with coach Ron Zook gave him a path to a tryout.

Building confidence at a Division III school

Lukas said he had done well as a young player without fully understanding what stronger competition would demand. As a freshman at his first school, coaches put him on the scout team against starters and called him into drills. He took it as a sign that they had noticed his play, even if they knew his number before his name.

By his sophomore year, he felt he had proved himself at that level. Rather than treating it as a destination, he used it as a step toward testing himself against a different standard.

The Illinois tryout

At Illinois, Lukas said he met Ron Zook, sent over his tape and prepared for a workout. He recalled that two players made it from a group of 40. The experience also showed him how much work he still had to do: he said it took him a couple of years to learn to read defenses and take better care of himself as an athlete.

Watching Illinois players he admired reinforced that point. Their talent was clear to him, but so was the work behind it. Lukas later advised young recruits to take classes and references seriously alongside training, especially if they are not among the highest-profile prospects.

What did Timothy Lukas say about football setbacks and his career abroad?

Timothy Lukas said football setbacks taught him to identify what he could change and take a smaller step forward, even when he could not see the full route ahead. After a shoulder injury at Illinois, he worked in California, won a championship as a quarterback in Brazil, played arena football and signed contracts with the BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes.

Returning after a shoulder injury

Lukas said the Illinois injury left him thinking he might be finished for a year. He described doubt, injuries and uncertain opportunities as the parts of his career that stay with him more than his accomplishments. His response was to ask whether a setback came from circumstances outside his control or from something he needed to change.

That approach shaped how he set goals. First, he wanted to prove himself at a Division III school; then he wanted to see whether he could walk on and compete at Illinois without a scholarship. He told Joyner that progress after a setback might begin with walking, getting back into the gym or sending a message rather than immediately returning to full speed.

Brazil, arena football and the Canadian Football League

In Brazil, Lukas said he won a championship playing quarterback and learned some Portuguese. He then worked his way through arena football before signing with the BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. His time in Canada was brief, and he returned to arena football afterward.

Later, he said, he won back-to-back national championships, earned a master’s degree and started a business. He did not present that route as a plan he had known from the start. For aspiring professionals, his advice was to seek workouts and contacts, work on grades and avoid treating a lack of connections as a reason to stop trying.

Why did Timothy Lukas start Level Up Athletes?

Timothy Lukas started Level Up Athletes to give younger players the guidance he wished he had received earlier. He said the work began with personal training, particularly in the United Kingdom, and expanded into global film rooms where coaches, students and players from different countries and levels learn from one another.

Coaching younger players in the United Kingdom

Lukas described wanting to help players who are hungry to improve, willing to ask questions and prepared to work. He remembered needing help with details such as sharpening his routes when he was younger. In the United Kingdom, he said he has worked with athletes one-on-one and in small groups as the football scene there grows.

Global film rooms and learning to run a business

His film rooms had reached participants from six countries by the session he described. Lukas said he brings together people with different sporting backgrounds, including NFL players and athletes seeking contracts, so they can discuss habits useful beyond sport. He mentioned the consistency of making a bed each morning as one example.

Building the business was harder than he expected. He said athlete outreach, engagement and branding required him to learn while handling several roles himself. His central advice was to find mentors and ask questions, even when making the first contact feels uncomfortable. As Lukas put it:

You cannot be only in it for yourself

He said the people an athlete learns from, helps and stays connected with matter more than trying to claim every achievement alone.

What did Timothy Lukas say about playing arena football?

Timothy Lukas said arena football demanded quick decisions in confined space and made the Canadian Football League field feel unusually open when he moved there. He also said its close walls could be punishing: during a warm-up near a wall while playing for Rapid City, he suffered a black eye and missed time in camp.

Adjusting from arena football to the CFL

Lukas described arena play as faster because so much happens in so little space. His roles could include playing receiver and handling more than one job on offense. After roughly two and a half years of arena football, he recalled arriving at his first CFL practice and noticing the room available beyond the sideline.

The Rapid City collision

While warming up for a fade route, Lukas thought he had room to make the catch near the wall. He said the collision felt like being hit by a truck and left him with a black eye for about two and a half weeks. He got up and continued, but missed camp time afterward. For him, playing close to those walls was a direct test of whether a player could handle the league’s conditions.

How did Timothy Lukas make a Team USA bobsled squad?

Timothy Lukas initially turned down a bobsled opportunity because he saw himself as a football player. A mentor urged him to reconsider, and an Olympic coach recruited him to a rookie camp in Lake Placid. Lukas said he finished among the top three at a camp of about 35 athletes and made a Team USA bobsled squad in his rookie year.

The call from Lake Placid

The opportunity came through a mentor whose connections included the sport. Lukas said the program was looking for a brakeman: an athlete who helps push the sled at the start. He slept on the idea as his mentor suggested, then received a call from a coach in Lake Placid and agreed to attend camp.

Making the squad surprised him. He said he had never imagined himself near an Olympic sport and was careful not to claim that he made an Olympic team. At camp, he trained and competed for a week before advancing to a place where he could race.

Racing in Park City and crashing in practice

Lukas said he was selected as a rookie to race a two-man sled in Park City. He recalled reaching the bottom with his teammate and valuing the chance to compete while still learning a technical sport.

Practice also left a mark. Lukas said a driver took a turn that led to a crash, burning his shoulder and leaving him with a scar. He called it a story he would carry from an opportunity he had nearly refused.

What did Timothy Lukas say about Chicago food and pregame music?

Timothy Lukas named Chipotle as his regular food choice and said he looks forward to Paradise Pup and Portillo’s when he visits home near Chicago. His approach to music has changed too: after years of using hip-hop for training, he began trying calmer music before performing on a trainer’s advice.

Food he misses near Chicago

Lukas said he had not been home in a year and was looking forward to seeing family. Paradise Pup and Portillo’s were among the places he wanted to revisit. His answer made food part of what he missed about home, not a claim about a particular meal or game-day routine.

Learning to perform while relaxed

He said he had long listened to artists such as J. Cole and Big Sean, connecting their songs about work and difficult periods to his own training. A trainer in Southern California suggested trying classical music, jazz or something lighter. The point, Lukas said, was to trust preparation rather than rely on feeling agitated to perform well.

He still sometimes uses hip-hop when training, but also listens to quiet or meditation music. The change helped him think about staying present and letting his body move without trying to manufacture intensity.

Who is Timothy Lukas?

Timothy Lukas is a football athlete who played wide receiver at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and has experience with the BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. His background also includes global and arena football, and he has been a Team USA bobsled development athlete.