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.
Born February 18, 1911, in Meigs County, Ohio, Lewis was a standout tackle at Middleport High School in Middleport, Ohio. At the age of 21 Art enrolled at Ohio University. He played offensive tackle from 1932-1935 and earned All-American honors his senior year. He capped off his collegiate playing career appearing in the 1935 East-West Shrine Game. It was in college that he got his nickname "Pappy".
Lewis was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round, 9th pick overall. After playing one year Lewis left to coach at Ohio Wesleyan College 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.
After serving in the Navy during WWII he became the head coach of Washington & 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 when he was appointed the head coach at West Virginia. 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. The 10th ranked Mountaineers then journeyed to the Sugar Bowl to face #8 Georgia Tech where they lost 42-19. Under Lewis the Mountaineers continued to dominate the SoCon winning the conference title 4 more times. Much of his succes as a coach was credited to his recruiting abilities. He was able to attract such players as Sam Huff, Chuck Howley, Joe Marconi and many other greats. 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 the Pittsburgh Steelers as a talent scout and stayed with them until his death. Art "Pappy" 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.
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Lewis"
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