 Lewis in 2013 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Defensive coordinator |
| Team | Boston College |
| Conference | ACC |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | (1961-12-18)December 18, 1961 (age 63) Quakertown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Pittsburgh |
| Playing career | |
| 1979–1982 | Pittsburgh |
| 1983–1986 | Green Bay Packers |
| Position | Cornerback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1987–1988 | Texas A&M (GA) |
| 1989–1992 | SMU (DB) |
| 1993–1994 | Pittsburgh (DB) |
| 1995–1999 | Pittsburgh Steelers (DB) |
| 2000–2003 | Pittsburgh Steelers (DC) |
| 2004–2006 | New York Giants (DC) |
| 2007–2008 | Carolina Panthers (DB) |
| 2009 | Seattle Seahawks (DB) |
| 2010–2014 | Atlanta Falcons (DB) |
| 2015 | San Francisco 49ers (DB) |
| 2018-2019 | Pinecrest (DC) |
| 2019 | Birmingham Iron |
| 2020 | St. Louis BattleHawks (DB) |
| 2022 | Houston Gamblers (DC) |
| 2023 | Arlington Renegades (co-DC) |
| 2024–present | Boston College (DC) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 5–3 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
Tim Lewis (born December 18, 1961) is an Americanfootball coach and former player who is thedefensive coordinator for theBoston College Eagles. He playedcollege football as acornerback for thePittsburgh Panthers and was selected by theGreen Bay Packers of theNational Football League (NFL) in the first round of the1983 NFL draft. Following a neck injury that cut his playing career short after four seasons, Lewis began serving as a coach in the collegiate and professional levels and obtained his first head coaching position with theBirmingham Iron of theAlliance of American Football (AAF) in 2019. He also served as the defensive backs coach for theSt. Louis BattleHawks and co-defensive coordinator for theArlington Renegades of theXFL.
Lewis is the younger brother of formerMemphis Express General Manager Will Lewis.Louis Riddick, former NFL safety and current ESPN broadcaster, is his cousin.Robb Riddick, another of his cousins, was a running back for theBuffalo Bills for eight seasons.
Lewis joined the Pittsburgh Panthers in 1979, playing his freshman season on a team that included eight other future NFL players:Dan Marino,Mark May,Dwight Collins,Rickey Jackson,Russ Grimm,Jimbo Covert,Bill Maas andHugh Green, three of whom would eventually be inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame. In his three seasons at Pitt, Lewis intercepted four passes and returned 26 kickoffs for 679 yards.[1]
Lewis was a first round pick (eleventh player chosen overall) out of theUniversity of Pittsburgh by theGreen Bay Packers in the1983 NFL draft.[2] A standout cornerback, he was one of the more successful players on what was a relatively weak Packers team.[citation needed] He led or shared the team in interceptions in 1983 and 1985, finishing with a career total of 16. Lewis' 99-yard interception return for a touchdown against theLos Angeles Rams on November 18, 1984, remains the Packer team record.[3] His career was cut short by a severe neck injury suffered in aMonday Night game against theChicago Bears in the third week of the1986 season.[4]
Beginning his coaching career in 1987 at Texas A&M, Lewis served under his former college coach at Pittsburgh,Jackie Sherrill.[2] He would later spend time atdefensive coordinator for thePittsburgh Steelers[5] and theNew York Giants.[6] The 2013 season marked his third year as the secondary coach for the Atlanta Falcons. In 2015, Lewis became the defensive backs coach of theSan Francisco 49ers, but was let go once the season ended as part of a complete coaching overhaul.[7] He was named the head coach of theBirmingham Iron of theAlliance of American Football on June 6, 2018.[8] With two games remaining in the 10-week inaugural AAF season, Lewis and the Iron clinched a playoff berth, though due to the AAF's overall underfunding and ownership disputes, the playoffs were never played.[9]
Lewis then signed on as defensive backs coach for theSt. Louis BattleHawks of theXFL, a position he held until the league folded in 2020.[10]
Following 2021 out of football, Lewis was named defensive coordinator for theHouston Gamblers of the relaunchedUSFL.[11] Although Houston struggled in 2022 with a 3–7 record, all three levels of Lewis's defense had a player named to theAll-USFL Team; defensive backWilliam Likely, linebackerDonald Payne, and Defensive Player of the Year pass rusherChris Odom.
Lewis was officially hired by theArlington Renegades on September 13, 2022[12] Lewis served as co-defensive coordinator with Jay Hayes, both who among numerous St. Louis Battlehawks assistant coaches during the 2020 XFL season. Numerous Renegades defensive players had been coached by Lewis previously in the AAF, XFL, or USFL such asAaron Adeoye,Joe Powell,Will Hill, andDonald Payne, as well as passerLuis Perez, Lewis' quarterback for the Birmingham Iron, who was acquired via trade mid-season.[13] The Renegades only won 4 games out of 10 in the regular season, although the defense was consistently praised compared to the Renegades offense.[14][15][16][17] Despite a losing regular season record, the Renegades made it into the playoffs and recorded two upset victories to win the 2023 XFL championship. On February 14, 2024, Lewis was hired byBoston College as the defensive coordinator.[18]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| BIR | 2019 | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 | – | – | – | – | |
| BIR Total | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 | – | – | – | – | ||
| Total | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 | – | – | – | – | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
