Sherman Lewis, who won four Super Bowl championships as NFL assistant, dies at 83
Lewis was also an All-American and Heisman Trophy finalist as a running back for Michigan State.
Sherman Lewis, who won four Super Bowl championships as an assistant coach, died on Friday at 83 years old. His death was confirmed by Michigan State University, where Lewis was an All-American running back in 1963. Lewis was the running backs coach for the San Francisco 49ers under head coach Bill Walsh for nine seasons and won Super Bowl titles during the 1984, 1988 and 1989 seasons.
He went on to become the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers on Mike Holmgren’s staff for eight seasons, winning another championship in 1996. Despite that success, Lewis was never hired as a head coach in the NFL. He interviewed for several openings and was endorsed for such jobs by Holmgren.
At the time Lewis appeared to be a strong candidate for head-coaching positions, the NFL had not yet adopted the Rooney Rule that required teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head-coach openings. (That mandate was implemented in 2002. ) We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Sherman Lewis.
Lewis, a first-team All-American in 1963, served as an assistant coach at MSU before a decorated NFL coaching career that included four Super Bowl titles. We send our deepest condolences to the Lewis family. pic.