The football world is mourning the loss of Sherman Lewis — the former New York Jets player turned NFL coaching mastermind who helped build multiple championship dynasties and collected four Super Bowl rings during a legendary career on the sidelines.
Lewis died Friday at the age of 83, according to Michigan State University, where he first made a name for himself as a college football superstar before launching a decades-long NFL career.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Sherman Lewis,” the university said in a statement. “We send our deepest condolences to the Lewis family.”
While many younger fans may remember Lewis from his years coaching NFL powerhouses, longtime football fans remember him as one of the brilliant offensive minds behind some of the league’s greatest teams.
Lewis played briefly for the Jets during the AFL era in the 1960s, suiting up as a defensive back and return specialist after earlier stops in the Canadian Football League. But it was his coaching career that turned him into a football icon.
Over 26 seasons in the NFL, Lewis won an incredible four Super Bowls.
Three of those championships came with Joe Montana’s San Francisco 49ers dynasty in the 1980s, where Lewis worked under legendary head coach Bill Walsh as running backs coach. He later added a fourth ring with the Green Bay Packers in 1996 while serving as offensive coordinator on Mike Holmgren’s staff.
Despite his success and respected reputation around the league, Lewis never got the chance to become an NFL head coach — something many football insiders long considered one of the league’s biggest missed opportunities.
After his time in Green Bay, Lewis continued coaching with the Vikings, Lions, and Washington before finally stepping away from the NFL after the 2009 season.
Before all the Super Bowls and NFL fame, Lewis was already a college sports phenomenon.
At Michigan State, he rushed for more than 1,500 yards and scored 16 touchdowns while becoming one of the most electric players in the country. In 1963, he finished third in Heisman Trophy voting behind Navy quarterback Roger Staubach.
Lewis also dominated in track and field, winning Big Ten titles in both the long jump and the 300-yard dash.
His accomplishments eventually earned him a place in the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.
Now, fans across the football world are remembering Lewis not just for the championships, but for the lasting impact he had on generations of players and coaches throughout the NFL.
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