Art Lewis

Art "Pappy" Lewis (February 9, 1911 — June 13, 1962) was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the New York Giants and the Cleveland Rams, and was the head coach during the 1938 season. He also served as the head coach at West Virginia University from 1950 through 1959.

Early life and college career

Born February 18, 1911 in Pomeroy, Ohio, Lewis was a standout tackle at Middleport High School in Middleport, Ohio. At the age of 21, he enrolled at Ohio University, where he played offensive tackle from 1932-1935 and earned All-American honors his senior year. He capped off his college football career appearing in the 1935 East-West Shrine Game. It was in college that he got his nickname "Pappy".

Professional career

Lewis was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round (ninth overall) of the 1936 NFL Draft. After playing one year, Lewis left to coach at Ohio 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 the 1939 season.

Collegiate coaching

After serving in the Navy during World War II, Lewis became the head coach of Washington and Lee University. Here he found his talent as a recruiter but his overall record was 11-17. He had coached one year at Mississippi State University when he was appointed the head coach at West 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 WVU. The team went 8-1 in the regular season, captured the Southern Conference title and started a three year winning streak against arch-rival Penn State University. The tenth ranked Mountaineers then journeyed to the Sugar Bowl to face eighth ranked Georgia 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 won 59% of the games he coached during his tenure at West Virginia. Lewis also won a bold 79.57% of in-conference games. He was able to attract such players as Sam Huff, Chuck Howley, Joe Marconi and others. The 1958 and 1959 seasons saw a major drop off and Lewis resigned as head coach.

Later life

After leaving West Virginia, Lewis accepted a position with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a talent scout and stayed with them until his death. Lewis died of a heart attack 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.

Pro coaching record

Coaching record at West Virginia