Sherman Lewis (1942–2026) finished third in the 1963 Heisman Trophy voting as an All-American halfback at Michigan State. He went on to play pro football in the CFL and the AFL before embarking on a decades-long coaching career, including 12 seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator. A rare position for Black coaches at the time.
Lewis died May 15 at age 83.
“Sherman has an affection for fairness, making sure that you work hard. He was a true counselor, a person that provided great support. He loves mentoring and being helpful. He enjoys helping people, especially young people in their career decisions,” said Gene Washington, a former college teammate, in a phone interview with the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.
Both Lewis, who was from Louisville, and Washington, a Texas native, were recruited by Michigan State coach Duffy Daugherty among other Southern-born Black players from a segregated Jim Crow South who came north to play college football. The legendary coach created a successful pipeline, drawing players such as Lewis, Washington, Bubba Smith and others to East Lansing.
“Duffy Daugherty was our head coach,” Washington continued. He was three years behind Lewis. “His senior year at Michigan State was my freshman year. When we got together at Michigan State, Sherman really served as a mentor to me.”
“We were the products of the South,” Washington stressed. He starred at Michigan State from 1963 to 1966, as did Lewis, a two-sport athlete in football and track who also won three Big Ten track and field titles and was a two-time All-Big Ten selection. Washington went on to play in the NFL with Minnesota (1967–72) and Denver (1973) before forging a successful post-athletic career in corporate America.
“He was a very great athlete, great competition, and a standout on the Spartan indoor and outdoor track scene,” Washington said.
After his pro football career ended, Lewis became a Michigan State assistant coach under Daugherty in 1969 and remained on staff there until 1982. He then returned to pro football as an NFL assistant at San Francisco (1983–91), Green Bay (1992–99), Minnesota (2000–01) and Detroit (2003), and later served as an offensive consultant with Washington before retiring in 2009.
Lewis earned four Super Bowl rings. Three with San Francisco and one with Green Bay. His record as an offensive coordinator on championship teams should have easily earned him an NFL head coaching opportunity. Instead, he was regularly passed over.
“I do think I’m as qualified as anybody in the league to be a head coach,” Lewis said in a January 1997 Chicago Tribune interview. “I’ve coached running backs, wide receivers and I’ve coordinated, so I’m qualified. I’ve been in six NFL championship games and won four. I’ve been in three Super Bowls and am going to a fourth. I think my record speaks for itself. I think if somebody does their homework, they will give me a good look.”
He didn’t get that look, just a couple of interviews.
“We never got into a discussion about that,” Washington recalled. “I think in terms of his background and his experiences, it should have qualified him to be a head coach. No question about that.”
But being passed over for a head coaching job should not define Lewis’ legacy. It should be only a line or two. Lewis remains in the top ten of Michigan State career football records. He was inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014, and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Awards of Excellence Class of 2023. He also received the Duffy Daugherty Award in 2002 for outstanding achievements as an MSU alumnus.
“He was just a tremendous coach, had a beautiful family, and it’s heartbreaking that we lost him,” Washington said. “I’m so sad, and I’m so glad I had an opportunity to be his friend, and to be a good friend of his.”
Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses at challman@spokesman-recorder.com.