Monday Reading

Giants

RT

Lombardo NJ.com: NFL free agents 2019: Ranking Giants best right tackle options | How would Ja'Wuan James, Donovan Smith, Daryl Williams and more fit?
https://www.nj.com/expo/sports/g66l-2019/02/ee20e5ec982216/nfl-free-agents-2019-ranking-giants-best-right-tackle-options-how-would-jawuan-james-donovan-smith-daryl-williams-and-more-fit-.html

NFL

King FMIA: Kyler Murray and One Coach’s Argument For Why The Small QB Will Have a Massive Impact in the NFL

“4. I think, as unlikely as it sounds that Odell Beckham Jr., will be traded, as Jay Glazer (who formerly trained Beckham at his NFL-centric gym in Los Angeles) predicted the other day, I am putting stock in it. I have learned a few things about NFL news-gathering, and one is to not doubt Jay Glazer. He doesn’t report pablum, and remember what could be the genesis of this: Glazer had teams calling the Giants about Beckham last year. Could teams flush with cap cash be tempted anew? We’ll see.”

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/02/17/kyler-murray-nfl-draft-lincoln-riley-peter-king-fmia/

Breer MMQB: For First-Time Head Coaches Brian Flores and Zac Taylor, It’s a Post-Super Bowl Scramble

On Murray;

“AFC Exec 1: “This kid is way better than Lamar Jackson—better arm, more accurate, better anticipation, better processor, better athlete. I think he’s better across the board than Lamar, Lamar’s just bigger. But that’s not irrelevant. … If I told you he was 6' 3", you’d be all in, but he’s not. He’s shorter than Russell Wilson, and Russell is a lot stockier. … He’s a really good player. He does all the quarterback stuff really well. He’s a great athlete. My hang up is his size.”

AFC College Scouting Director: “He’s a hard one. He’s really good, he throws the ball well, there are no throws that he can’t make on any level. And I don’t think him being small is that big a problem, but when you’re small and you run like he can, I’m not sure how you wouldn’t be a little concerned. … You have to build it around him, but he’s pretty good. … And you gotta be real with yourself too, if you want to take him. You may have a second-round grade on him—I think a lot of people do—but if you think you’re getting him in the second round, you’re probably not.”

AFC Exec 2: “At first glance, the passing skills are there. He’s good. So it’s just the size and can you tailor the offense to him. … The weight is big, because with his body type, you’re not sure he can get a lot bigger. Russell, Baker [Mayfield], those guys have a thickness to them, they’re broad-shouldered. That’s not this guy’s body type. Even as lines have changed, he’s still beneath the norm. And until we get him on a scale and measure him, that’s going to be the perception. … He also had a really good offensive line, great system, so we didn’t see him getting hit as much. How’s he going to throw from the pocket at our level at his height?”

On Manning:

“Interesting nugget I picked up: I’m told Giants QB Eli Manning has been working out at the team facility, as he usually would this time of year, over the first month-and-a-half of the offseason. That doesn’t mean that he’s gotten information that he’ll absolutely, lock-stock-and-barrel be the team’s quarterback in 2019. But logically, if he thought the team was moving on, it’s fair to surmise that he’d find somewhere else to work out. It makes some sense for the Giants to stick with him too, incoming rookie or no incoming rookie. Manning is due $17 million in cash this year, which is $1 million more than Tyrod Taylor got to be Baker Mayfield’s placeholder, then backup last year. Would the Giants really do better with a bridge quarterback than Manning (so long as he’s amenable to some mentoring) in 2019? I’d say no. Either way, we’ll know if the Giants brass has been forthright on this by March 17, when a $5 million roster bonus is due (the rest of his money comes via a $11.5 million base and $500,000 workout bonus).”

https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/02/18/brian-flores-dolphins-zac-taylor-bengals-super-bowl-coaches-kyler-murray-scouts-kaepernick-reid

ATLANTA
Ledbetter AJC: Falcons 2018 unit-by-unit analysis: The defensive line
https://www.ajc.com/sports/football/falcons-2018-unit-unit-analysis-the-defensive-line/xdrXiyfYhaUj54jQmg3UIO/amp.html

BALTIMORE
Mink Ravens.com: Under-the-Radar Ravens Roster Decisions Remaining
https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/under-the-radar-ravens-roster-decisions-remaining

Walker Baltimore Sun: Ravens positional review: Wide receivers and tight ends
https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-positional-review-receivers-0218-story.html

CHICAGO
Arkush Chicago Daily Herald: Is there a case for the Bears letting Callahan, Amos leave in free agency?
https://www.dailyherald.com/amp-article/20190217/sports/190219083/

CINCINNATI
Dehner Cincinnati Enquirer: Offseason moves Bengals should make: Vontaze Burfict and defense
https://amp.cincinnati.com/amp/2849439002

DALLAS
Moore Dallas Morning News: Fixing the Cowboys' offense: To advance past divisional round, Dallas must shed its disdain for creativity
https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2019/02/17/fixing-the-cowboys-offense-to-advance-past-divisional-round-dallas-must-shed-its-disdain-for-creativity

DENVER
Klis 9News Denver: JOE FLACCO HAS THESE 9 HALL OF FAME QBS FOR NEXT-CHAPTER INSPIRATION
https://www.9news.com/amp/article?section=sports& subsection=nfl& topic=denver-broncos& subtopic=mike-klis& headline=joe-flacco-has-these-9-hall-of-fame-qbs-for-next-chapter-inspiration& contentId=73-4be576ba-636a-44ca-bbfe-b034f922248e

INDIANAPOLIS
Erickson Indianapolis Star: Snap Counts: Defensive end, cornerback clearly positions of need for Colts
https://amp.indystar.com/amp/2868804002

LOS ANGELES RAMS
Simmons Rams.com: Offseason Outlook: With Talib and Peters, Rams have answers at outside CB for 2019
https://www.therams.com/news/offseason-outlook-with-talib-and-peters-rams-have-answers-at-outside-cb-for-2019

NEW ORLEANS

NEW YORK JETS
Crabbs The Draft Network: THE NEW YORK JETS ARE THE 2019 NFL DRAFT’S FULCRUM
https://thedraftnetwork.com/2019/02/17/the-new-york-jets-are-the-2019-nfl-drafts-fulcrum/

PITTSBURGH
Madden Pittsburgh Tribune Review: Antonio Brown only thinks he runs the Steelers
https://triblive.com/sports/mark-madden-antonio-brown-only-thinks-he-runs-the-steelers/

AAF

Luca Houston Chronicle: San Antonio Commanders lose after late rally by Orlando Apollos
https://www.chron.com/sports/texans/article/San-Antonio-Commanders-lose-after-late-rally-by-13623997.php

Colleges/Draft

Solak The Draft Network: SOLAK MOCK DRAFT 5.0

“6. New York Giants: Josh Allen, EDGE, Kentucky
I’ve spent a fair number of blurbs here ripping on Allen, which feels unnecessary — I just don’t think he’s as high-level a player as some of other draft analysts do. That said, he has everything you can’t teach: size, length, explosiveness, and bend. And his development from 2017 to 2018 spells a nice outlook for his rookie season and beyond: dude has really learned how to attack set points, run a tighter arc, and finish his reps.
It’s trickier to mock for the Giants, as we know they’re not going QB in the Top 10 — that’s the need they really have to fill. But, like most teams who really struggle in any given season, they’re wanting in the trenches. I don’t think they’re going to invest heavily in a right tackle, even though they should; EDGE is a more feasible approach for that front office.”

https://thedraftnetwork.com/2019/02/18/solak-mock-draft-5-0/

QB
Waldman RSP: Matt Waldman’s RSP Boiler Room No.202: QB Daniel Jones (Duke), Fast and Slow Processing
https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/2019/02/18/matt-waldmans-rsp-boiler-room-no-202-qb-daniel-jones-duke-fast-and-slow-processing/

RB
Marino The Draft Network: 3 RUNNING BACKS WITH MOST TO PROVE AT COMBINE
https://thedraftnetwork.com/2019/02/17/3-running-backs-with-most-to-prove-at-combine/

TE
Pflum BBV: Irv Smith Jr. could give Giants flexibility at tight end
https://www.bigblueview.com/platform/amp/2019/2/17/18223166/2019-nfl-draft-prospect-profile-irv-smith-jr-te-h-back-alabama-scouting-report-ny-giants

LB
Moriarity SB Nation: Dakota Allen could be the first ‘Last Chance U’ player to get drafted into the NFL
https://www.sbnation.com/platform/amp/college-football/2019/2/17/18226346/dakota-allen-texas-tech-last-chance-u-nfl-draft

History


Giants Birthdays 2-18

Maury Buford P W-DEN 1988 NYG 1988 2-18-1960

Chicago Tribune 9-06-1988

“Alive and kicking: The signing of former Bear Maury Buford by the Giants shows how fickle life can be for a punter. He`s replacing Sean Landeta, who was put on injured reserve following a miserable performance Monday night against Washington that came on the heels of a long preseason holdout. Bear fans will recall that it was Landeta who whiffed a kick here in the playoff game that helped vault Chicago into the Super Bowl. Landeta`s boo-boo was ruled a fumble, and he ended up outkicking Buford that day with a 38.1-yard average compared to 37.3. Then last year Buford got the boot, and though he flunked tryouts this summer with Atlanta and Denver, we suspect Maury had Mike Ditka in mind when he told the Giants: ''This is an opportunity for me to show coaches that I`m not washed up.'’

Jay Foreman LB W-HOU 2005 NYG 2005 2-18-1976

Homer Jones WR D20-Texas Southern 1963 NYG IR 1963 NYG 1964-1969 2-18-1941

The Giants appeared to have lost out on Jones. His college coach revealed that Homer had signed a secret hush, hush contract with the Oilers on February 2, 1963. That made him ineligible to compete in the NAIA track championships. Jones signed for a $10,000 one year contract and a $2,000 signing bonus.

Jones traveled to Colorado Springs to take part in the Oilers training camp. Once there he was unable to perform deep knee bend exercises that were a tip off to the Oilers of a knee issue. Apparently Jones had suffered a knee inury during the season at Texas Southern, although other reports indicated he injured it again in a pick up game prior to training camp. Apparently in the Oilers rush to sign Jones and Jones's desire to sign a contract that the earlier issue was unknown. Here the story takes one of two paths, either the Oilers were unhappy giving bonus money to a player with a undisclosed pre-existing injury and released him knowing surgery was needed and not wanting to put up money for more surgery or they sent him back to Houston for further evaluation. The second part of that story has him showing up at the Oiler office in Houston for his operation and finding him bewildered when people there knew nothing of his presence. Apparently no one had sent the office information about his need for an operation and Jones showed up unannounced. Seeking a friendly voice Jones called New York and spoke with Wellington Mara and asked for advice. Mara advised him to get his release from the Oilers contract. Someone unknown within the organization gave it to him and Jones was on his way to New York for his $200 operation described as simple knee surgery.

Jones arrived late in training camp, had his knee operation, and then worked himself into shape. The vehicle for this was the Giants Taxi Squad. The Taxi Squad called by Wellington Mara "my greatest luxury" was a group of 8 or 9 players who were paid $200 per week. The term had been coined by the Browns Paul Brown who in the era of small rosters found a way to keep around a few extra players to use as replacements or of whom to develop skills for future use. He did not pay them but they were instead employed by a local taxi company to keep them around. In turn the taxi company would receive promotions for being associated with the Browns. Soon other teams began to keep players around without the pretense of finding them other employment.

The Giants made great use of this way to stash talent. They even found a way to keep number one pick in 1962 Jerry Hillebrand whose development was slowed by injury on the taxi squad. In 1963 in addition to Jones, there were Bob Anderson HB Army, KR Johnny Counts, LB Louis Guy, and LB Al Gursky all who saw limited time on the Giants active roster and 1964 starting MLB Lou Slaby.

Generally players would spend a year on the squad and either make it or move on, Jones would be an exception in that he would spend almost two years on the taxi squad, not joining the Giants active roster until the near the end of the 1964 season. During the time he was inactive he became the subject of interest for several reasons. One reason was his inability or unwillingness to run pass patterns. If he had to run a down and out he would run it down and in, then walk back to the huddle or the coaches or both and shrug and grin. Jones said "It wasn't quite that bad, I just wouldn't break it off sharp enough, instead of going inside down and in, I would do an inside fly." People associated with the Giants said it took Jones three years to learn to run a fly pattern, a straight line down the field. But in addition to his world class speed there was just something likeable about him, Wellington Mara talked how popular Jones was with the young kids at training camp, "the little kids liked him, they'd come to his room at camp and he'd make model airplanes for them."

Jones was so agreeable some of his teammates nicknamed him "tuna" as in prime meat to be gobbled up by defensive backs in scrimmage. Close to earning that coveted roster spot in 1965, Jones in scrimmage one day after a reception found first Spider Lockhart and second Clarence Childs ready as confident defensive backs to knock him down. Jones instead flattened Lockhart, then Childs in succession. No one called Jones "tuna" again.

The first day he came to his first Giant training camp he reported he lost his new car. A few weeks later it was stolen again.

Another source of interest was his enormous hands. Don Smith the Giants PR director enjoyed introducing strangers to Jones whose handshake according to William Wallace of the Times left the other party "feeling that he had put his hand in a animal trap." Wallace said Jones fingers "almost reached to the other person's elbow."

Rosters at that time were 36 in 1963 then 37 men in 1964. The Giants in 1963 had Frank Gifford at FL, Del Shofner at SE; if they needed a third WR due to injury Joe Morrison could shift from HB or Aaron Thomas could move over from TE an either of them could perform with great skill. So there was no room for a wide receiver in training. In 1964 Jones did play in exhibitions but with Tittle under duress from a suddenly porous offensive line, little connection was made. Jones did get a chance to work at FL with Gifford out in preseason and caught a TD pass late in a 34-10 defeat to Green Bay. In terms of roster competition, things were even more crowded than in 1963, the Giants had the vision of rebuilding their backfield with the addition on multitalented first round pick Joe Don Looney of Oklahoma, multipurpose second round pick Steve Thurlow of Stanford and speedy Dick James formerly of the Redskins. That meant Morrison could spend more time at FL to compliment the aging Gifford. So there appeared few opportunities for Jones.

However things fell apart for the Giants, Looney whose checkered college career was thought by one Giants official able to be cured with a NFL paycheck, had far deeper problems and was traded before training camp was over. James inability to hold onto the football hurt the Giants as much as he hurt them with his speed when he was with Washington. Morrison was as a result forced to spend more time in the backfield. Shofner was injured and missed part of the season. Gifford and R.C. Owens (acquired from Baltimore during training camp) were both at the end of their careers. With Joe Walton injured or exiled to injured reserve, Thomas had to spend more time at TE. With Giants unable to field a full team do to health and their three year hold on the NFL East decisively over, Jones was activated from the practice squad on 11-28-64.

On December 6, 1964 Jones name would appear in boxscore for the first time in a regular season game. The Giants (2-8-2) would play one of their more spirited first halves of the season and were leading the Vikings (6-5-1) 21-20 going to the fourth quarter before losing. Jones would return kicks 3 for 50 yards, but it was more a case of the Vikings kicking away from Childs who broke off a 100 yard TD return in the first quarter. A replay shows Jones heading upfield blocking for Childs on the return. He did catch two passes for 41 yards and moved into the starting lineup for the final game versus Cleveland. There he joined fellow rookies Thurlow and Ernie Wheelright to start alongside banged up veteran QB Y.A. Tittle in what turned out to be a 52-20 Browns rout that signaled a change in who was to rule the East. While the game was meaningless for the Giants, the Browns were in a tight race with St. Louis, which along with sentiment seemed to be the only justification for the great veteran Tittle starting after having benched the previous two games. Jones again caught two passes for 41 yards and returned three kicks as well.

On the drafting of Olympic sprinter Henry Carr on December 1, 1964, Mara said if nothing else he can race Homer Jones in training camp.

1965

From DMN 2015

“On Oct. 17, 1965, the Giants’ Earl Morrall threw a pass from his 11 to Homer Jones, who shook the Eagles’ Irv Cross and was gone, running like he was back on a college track, just him and Bob Hayes, shoulder to shoulder. Only when he reached this finish line, alone, football in hand, he did something no one had ever done.

Fired the football into the end zone grass.
“Spiked” it, he told reporters later.
It wasn’t what he originally had in mind. His teammate, Frank Gifford, flipped a football into the stands in ’63, and Jones decided it was how he’d celebrate his first NFL touchdown. Then the commissioner said it would cost the next celebrant $500.
So Jones invented the spike instead. No one knew quite what to make of it.
Back in Dallas, a couple of hours southwest of Jones’ home of Pittsburg, a Dallas Morning News sportswriter wrote that Jones “has a funny habit of throwing the ball down when he crosses the goal line...”

“But it’s the spike, once again popular, that made Jones famous. Still gets calls about it back in Pittsburg, like last week on his 74th birthday, shortly after his induction to the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame.
Actually says he’s no fan of touchdown celebrations and even regrets his role.
“I’m sorry I did it,” he said, chuckling.
Homer was just a man ahead of his time, any way you measured.”

https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/other-sports/kevinsherrington/2015/02/21/sherrington-giants-wr-homer-jones-invented-the-spike-but-there-was-more-to-texan-than-that

1966

Homer Jones 98-yard TD pass from Earl Morrall (Video)
https://www.giants.com/video/homer-jones-98-yard-td-pass-from-earl-morrall-12764878

1967

King SI.com: Deep Impact

“HE DIDN'T HAVE AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL, BUT THE GIANTS' HOMER JONES WAS THE EQUAL OF ANY BURNER IN NFL HISTORY—INCLUDING BOB HAYES

On Monday nights during the 1967 NFL season, Fran Tarkenton, the new quarterback of the New York Giants, would drive 15 minutes from his home in New Rochelle, N.Y., to head coach Allie Sherman's house in Scarsdale to plot that week's offensive game plan. The Giants were coming off a 1-12-1 season, and Tarkenton quickly realized he had only one difference-maker: 6'2", 228-pound receiver Homer Jones, who'd sprinted for the U.S. track team in '62 while attending Texas Southern.
"We have to get the ball to Homer," Tarkenton would tell Sherman. Invariably that would be the plan. In Jones's first game with Tarkenton, he had five catches, 175 yards and two touchdowns. In his third game, four catches, 196 yards and two TDs. "He was the biggest threat I'd ever seen," says Tarkenton. "When I came into the league, Willie Galimore was a blur. Then Gale Sayers, and he was faster than Willie. Then I saw Homer. He was an ox. He was a bull! He ran faster than Gale, faster than Bob Hayes!" Tarkenton says he once bet Cowboys quarterback Don Meredith $10 that Jones could outrun Hayes, the Dallas wideout who was the 100-meter world-record holder and 1964 Olympic gold medalist. As Tarkenton tells it, Jones won.

There are players from the 1960s who believe Jones was every bit the deep threat Hayes was, and the numbers bear that out. Jones averaged 22.3 yards per catch—best ever among receivers with more than 200 receptions. Hayes, a 2009 Hall of Famer, averaged 20.0. Jones also averaged a phenomenal 49.0 yards per TD catch.

After an injury-shortened stint with the Oilers, Jones joined the Giants in 1964, but he didn't really come into his own until Tarkenton arrived. The two developed three routes for Jones: a five-yard hitch (to an isolated Jones in space), a five-yard slant-and-go and a regular fly pattern. "On the fly," says Tarkenton, "I'd drop seven yards and throw it as far as I could. I couldn't overthrow Homer." The Giants improved by six wins in '67, and Jones led all NFL receivers with 13 touchdown catches.
Knee problems ended Jones's career after the 1970 season, and because his Giants teams were so bad, he'll go down as one of those how good could he have been? players. But don't think Hayes was the peerless speed receiver of the '60s, the first great burner. Strange as it sounds, history hid one with just as much impact, in New York.”

https://www.si.com/vault/2012/09/24/106235525/deep-impact

1968

The Giants try to take advantage of Jones speed and avoid coverages designed to stop their lone deep threat

“The Giants, low on running backs and desperately in need of a surprise to compensate for a shortage of personnel, opened their first series of downs with a completely unorthodox unbalanced attack that had only one running back behind Quarterback Earl Morrall and four receivers poised on the right flank, flooding the left side of the Cowboy defense. After the Giants had run two plays successfully from this set, Lee Roy Jordan, the young middle linebacker who calls the Cowboy defensive signals, ordered a time-out and trotted over to the sidelines to confer with Coach Tom Landry and Defensive Coach Dick Nolan.
"They were trying to force us into man-to-man single coverage on Homer Jones," Jordan explained later. "We hadn't seen them use this set before. We worked it out on the sideline and used a man-to-man and sometimes a variation that gave the corner back help from the weak safety covering Jones, and I think it worked out pretty well."
It worked well enough to limit Jones to four catches for 46 yards and the Giants' only touchdown.”

https://www.si.com/vault/1966/09/26/608919/when-the-booing-stopped

Shane McDermott LS W-CAR 2015 NYG PSQ 2015 NYG 2016 2-18-1992

Danny Ware RB W-NYJ 2007 NYG 2007-2011
2-18-1985

Vince Warren WR D5-SD State 1986 NYG 1986 2-18-1963

Albuquerque Journal 10-09-2014

“If you’re looking for a Super Bowl champion in Albuquerque, Fire Station 7 is the best place to start.
That’s where you can find Vince Warren, 51, a former football standout for a state champion Eldorado High School team and member of the 1986 champion New York Giants...

Warren spent just one season in the NFL, but it ended in spectacular fashion as the Giants beat the Denver Broncos 39-20 in Super Bowl XXI on Jan. 25, 1987, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

“I wouldn’t trade that season for anything,” Warren said. “I loved it. I got drafted in the fifth round by those guys; I was their first offensive player taken. And to win a Super Bowl? It was just excellent.”
Warren was selected out of San Diego State in the 1986 draft, played only four games and never had a pass thrown his way as a rookie reserve wide receiver.
But he did make quite an impression on the local media.

A story in the Oct. 26, 1986, edition of the New York Times read: “There are few sights in sports as graceful as that of a fluid wide receiver sprinting downfield – someone like Lance Alworth or Lynn Swann in the past or Roy Green or Mark Duper now. Vince Warren is that type of receiver.”

Warren never had a chance really to live up to those lofty comparisons. A balky hamstring landed Warren on injured reserve and made him a bystander for most of the season and the Super Bowl, but Warren did manage to earn something a very select few players ever get: a Super Bowl ring.

“I still have it and I still wear it,” Warren said. “I cherish it. It means a lot. When people get in that league, that’s what they’re striving for and that’s what they’re trying to accomplish: to be the world champs. To be able to do that in your first year, it was just a very, very high achievement.”

In the blink of an eye, Warren went from being on cloud nine to being out in New York and eventually out of the league.
He was cut by the Giants after the season, then signed with the Miami Dolphins over offers from the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons in 1987. Warren never played for Miami. After a few months he was on his way back home...

You would think being the only guy in town with a Super Bowl ring would make you pretty easy to track down. But in 2011 when Hall of Fame linebacker Harry Carson was organizing a 25-year reunion of the ’86 team, Warren was one of the hardest guys for Carson to find.
“He finally got a hold of me and said they’ve been looking all over,” Warren said. “I told him, ‘I don’t know how hard I could be to find in Albuquerque.’ But it was pretty good. They found everybody. There were only two players who did not make it. It was a really nice event, and it was nice to see some old friends and teammates.”

In Memoriam

Art Lewis RT D1-Ohio 1936 NYG 1936 Born 2-18-1911 Died 6-13-1962

WVA HOF

“Art "Pappy" Lewis will always be remembered as one of West Virginia University's most colorful and successful football coaches. His association with football spanned four decades, and Lewis left his mark everywhere he went.
 
Born Feb. 18, 1911, in Pityme, Meigs County, Ohio, Lewis was a standout tackle at Middleport High School in Middleport, Ohio. It was as a 21-year-old freshman player at Ohio University in 1932 when Lewis first acquired the nickname "Pappy" and it stuck wherever he went. Earning Little All-America honors at tackle, Lewis played in the 1935 East-West Shrine Game and was later drafted in the first round by the New York Giants (the Giants' first-ever draft selection). He played one season with the Giants.
 
After coaching one year at Ohio Wesleyan College, Lewis joined the Cleveland Rams in 1938 as an assistant coach and a year later he assumed the head coaching duties on an interim basis in the middle of the 1939 season at age 27 - the youngest head coach in NFL history. One of his greatest moments as a coach came during that season when his Rams defeated the great Chicago Bears twice.
 
Following a stint in the Navy from 1942-45, Lewis became the head football coach at Washington and Lee University. Though going just 11-17, Lewis found his niche as a recruiter (several of his recruits coming from West Virginia) and turned the school into a formidble opponent.
 
After one year as line coach at Mississippi State, Lewis was appointed head football coach at West Virginia University in 1950, a job he said he had always wanted. After guiding West Virginia to two lackluster seasons in 1950 and 1951, he steered WVU to a 7-2 record in 1952, including victories over nationally ranked Pitt and South Carolina. The Pitt win was the school's first-ever against a nationally ranked team.
 
The reason for the turnaround was simple: Lewis assembled the greatest collection of football players in school history. Sam Huff, Bruce Bosley, Fred Wyant, Joe Marconi, Chuck Howley, Tommy Allman, Larry Krutko, Gene "Beef" Lamone and Bobby Moss were just a handful of the great players Lewis brought to Morgantown.
 
In 1956, The Saturday Evening Post spent a week on the recruiting trail with Lewis to describe his tactics: "With a safety lamp on his cap, he'll go into the belly of a mine to talk to a coal-digging father about a football son. He'll drink straight vodka with an immigrant mother, go trout fishing at dawn with a boy who loves the rod, or seek out a prospect deep in the back woods where modern transportation couldn't budge. It's not for nothing that Lewis is referred to in some quarters as `America's No. 1 football recruiter.’"
 
Lewis was also an outstanding fundamental coach who wanted his football players big and tough. That formula led West Virginia to its first-ever major bowl appearance against Georgia Tech in the 1954 Sugar Bowl. The greatest win that season was a 19-14 win over Penn State, a team led by future NFL stars Lenny Moore and Roosevelt Grier.
 
Lewis led West Virginia to another outstanding season in 1955 with an 8-2 record, but late losses against Pitt and Syracuse kept the Mountaineers from a return trip to a bowl game.
 
When Huff, Bosley, Wyant and then Howley graduated, Lewis' teams began to decline in the late 1950s. In 1960, he resigned his coaching position to accept a scouting job with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
 
Lewis held that post until his death of a heart attack on June 13, 1962. Winning 58 games as a Mountaineer coach, including a 30-game Southern Conference winning streak, his win total was a WVU record that lasted 28 years. He was inducted into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1966.”