Overview
- Sherman Lewis’ death at 83 was confirmed by Michigan State University on Friday, and no cause was disclosed.
- He starred at Michigan State as a first-team All-American in 1963, finished third in Heisman voting, and won Big Ten track titles.
- After two brief pro stops in the CFL and AFL, he coached at MSU before joining Bill Walsh’s 49ers in 1983 and winning three Super Bowls.
- He coordinated Mike Holmgren’s Packers offense from 1992 to 1999, winning Super Bowl XXXI, then led offenses in Minnesota and Detroit before a 2009 consulting role in Washington.
- Despite endorsements from Walsh and Holmgren, he was never hired as an NFL head coach, a point often tied to pre-2002 hiring practices, and he later received the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2023 Award of Excellence.