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.jpg) Lewis pictured inThe 1960 Monticola, West Virginia yearbook | |||||||||
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| Positions | Tackle Guard | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1911-02-09)February 9, 1911 Pomeroy, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | June 13, 1962(1962-06-13) (aged 51) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 226 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Middleport (Middleport, Ohio) | ||||||||
| College | Ohio (1932–1935) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1936: 1st round, 9th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Playing | |||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||
| Postseason | 0–1 (.000) (Bowl) | ||||||||
| Career |
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Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference  | |||||||||
Arthur Everett "Pappy"Lewis (February 9, 1911 – June 13, 1962) was an American professionalfootball player and coach. He playedcollege football as alineman atOhio University from 1932 to 1935 and then in theNational Football League (NFL) being a first-round draft choice by theNew York Giants in 1936 and theCleveland Rams from 1938 to 1939. Lewis also served as the interim head coach for the Rams for the last eight games of the 1938 season becoming the youngest head coach in NFL history. He was the head football coach atWashington and Lee University from 1946 to 1948 and atWest Virginia University from 1950 to 1959, compiling a career college football record of 69–55–2. At West Virginia, Lewis led theMountaineers to fiveSouthern Conference titles and an appearance in the1954 Sugar Bowl.
Born February 18, 1911, inPomeroy, Ohio, Lewis was a standout tackle atMiddleport High School inMiddleport, Ohio. At the age of 21, he enrolled atOhio University, where he playedtackle from 1932 to 1935 and earnedAll-American honors his senior year. He capped off hiscollege football career appearing in the 1935East-West Shrine Game. It was in college that he got his nickname "Pappy".
Lewis wasdrafted by theNew York Giants in the first round (ninth overall) of the1936 NFL draft.[1] After playing one year, Lewis left to coach atOhio Wesleyan University but left a year later to join the Cleveland Rams as an assistant coach/player. He became the interim head coach mid season. This made him the youngest head coach in NFL history at the age of 27. He coached the team to a 4–4 record and stayed with the team as a player for the1939 season.
After serving in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II, Lewis became the head coach ofWashington and Lee University. Here he found his talent as a recruiter but his overall record was 11–17. He coached one year as an assistant atMississippi State University and then was appointed the head coach atWest Virginia University. His first couple seasons were rather lackluster but the team turned around during the 1952 season going 7–2 and finishing second in conference play The 1953 season was his greatest season at West Virginia. The team went 8–1 in the regular season, captured theSouthern Conference title and started a three-year winning streak against arch-rivalPenn State. The tenth ranked Mountaineers then journeyed to theSugar Bowl to face eighth rankedGeorgia Tech where they lost 42–19. Under Lewis, the Mountaineers continued to dominate the Southern Conference winning the conference title four more times. Much of his success as a coach was credited to his recruiting abilities. He was able to attract such players asSam Huff,Chuck Howley,Joe Marconi and others. The 1958 and 1959 seasons saw a major drop off and Lewis resigned as head coach.
After leaving West Virginia, Lewis accepted a position with thePittsburgh Steelers as a talent scout and stayed with them until his death. Lewis died of a heart attack on June 13, 1962, at the age of 51. He is considered one of the greatest coaches in West Virginia history and was inducted into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1966. He has ten great-grandchildren, Caroline, Grace, and young Michael, Drew, Taylor, Sydney, Rissa, Molly, Casey and Tessa.
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| CLE | 1938 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 4th in NFL Western | – | – | – | – |
| CLE Total | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | – | – | – | – | ||
| NFL Total[2] | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | – | – | – | – | ||
| Total | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | – | – | – | – | ||
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington and Lee Generals(Southern Conference)(1946–1948) | |||||||||
| 1946 | Washington and Lee | 2–6 | 1–4 | T–13th | |||||
| 1947 | Washington and Lee | 5–5 | 3–2 | 5th | |||||
| 1948 | Washington and Lee | 4–6 | 2–2 | T–8th | |||||
| Washington and Lee: | 11–17 | 6–8 | |||||||
| West Virginia Mountaineers(Southern Conference)(1950–1959) | |||||||||
| 1950 | West Virginia | 2–8 | 1–3 | 14th | |||||
| 1951 | West Virginia | 5–5 | 2–3 | 9th | |||||
| 1952 | West Virginia | 7–2 | 5–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1953 | West Virginia | 8–2 | 4–0 | 1st | LSugar | 13 | 10 | ||
| 1954 | West Virginia | 8–1 | 3–0 | 1st | 12 | ||||
| 1955 | West Virginia | 8–2 | 4–0 | 1st | 17 | 19 | |||
| 1956 | West Virginia | 6–4 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1957 | West Virginia | 7–2–1 | 3–0 | 2nd | |||||
| 1958 | West Virginia | 4–5–1 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1959 | West Virginia | 3–7 | 2–2 | 6th | |||||
| West Virginia: | 58–38–2 | 33–9 | |||||||
| Total: | 69–55–2 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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