Former Jets running back, 4-time Super Bowl champion dies at 83

Longtime NFL assistant coach Sherman Lewis, who played for the New York Jets during their time in the AFL, passed away on Friday at 83.

Lewis coached in the NFL for over 20 years, rising to prominence as the San Francisco 49ers’ running backs coach under Bill Walsh in the 1980s. The former All-American running back won three Super Bowl titles during his time in San Francisco.

Lewis won a fourth ring with the Green Bay Packers, serving as their offensive coordinator from 1992 through 1999. He remained in the NFC North upon leaving Green Bay, holding offensive coordinator roles with the Vikings and Lions.

“It is criminal that Sherm Lewis (a longtime offensive coordinator) never got an NFL head coaching job,” the Philadelphia Tribune’s O.J. Spivey wrote on X.

Former Jets RB Sherman Lewis passes away at 83

Lewis began his coaching career as a Michigan State assistant in 1969. He remained in East Lansing through 1982, when he jumped to the NFL and took a role on Walsh’s staff.

However, Lewis’ final coaching job is arguably his most memorable. Jim Zorn and the Washington Redskins hired Lewis as an offensive consultant in the fall of 2009.

At the time, Lewis was happily retired and calling Bingo games at a senior center. But less than a month after the Redskins brought him in, he became Washington’s offensive play-caller.

The Redskins went 2–8 with Lewis calling plays, losing four games by three points or fewer.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame honored Lewis in the Awards of Excellence Class of 2023.

Lewis, who played for the Jets during the 1966 season, was a standout two-sport athlete at Michigan State. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting that year behind Navy quarterback Roger Staubach and Georgia Tech quarterback Billy Lothridge.

Lewis was also an accomplished track athlete, winning three Big Ten titles: the 1962 300-yard dash, 1962 long jump, and the 1963 long jump.

FanSided extends its condolences to Lewis’ family, friends, and loved ones.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow