Former Buccaneers outside linebacker David Lewis, a key defensive cog during the franchise’s initial heyday and later coach at Tampa Catholic, died Tuesday.
Lewis, who was still serving on the Crusader staff, was 65 years old. A cause of death was not immediately known, but Lewis had struggled with health problems in his later years, survived a heart attack, and then had a pacemaker implanted.
The news of his death sparked a torrent of tributes on social media, many of TC’s former students.
“You had to experience David Lewis, because he really was a bigger than life personality,” said former Crusaders coach Bob Henriquez, an old friend of Lewis’s and a training colleague. “Just as he interacted with the children, he had a way to connect with them.”
He had trained primarily from a golf cart in recent years, but was still indispensable, said current Crusaders coach Jeris McIntyre. Despite his stature as a former crusader head coach and revered ex-Buc, no task fell short of the burly old statesman widely known as “Coach Lew.”
“He would make sure every day that the water was there and from the parents, if he had to fetch it himself,” said McIntyre, a 1999 TC graduate.
“He was more than humble; Very, very humble. He didn’t talk about himself much, but he always said, ‘Hey, I’ve been there, I’ve done that,’ but he didn’t brag about himself or anything like that. “
Lewis, a second-round pick from the USC Bucs in 1977, was among the constellation of defensive stars on the 1979 team that reached the NFC title, crowning the franchise’s “worst to first” transformation.
“It was intimidating,” said former Bucs teammate Richard “Batman” Wood, who also coached with Lewis for several years at Tampa Catholic.
“For me, he was one of the best outside linebackers who played soccer. You never saw a boy operate better. I mean, (legendary Bucs tight end) Jimmie (Giles) could tell you that he was a great player, working against a guy like David every day. “
A 1980 Pro Bowl pick, Lewis was traded to the Chargers for a third-round pick in 1982. He spent two more seasons in the NFL before embarking on his long coaching period, most of which he spent in Tampa. Catholic.
He served as the Crusaders’ coach from 1986-90, accumulating a 33-19 record with a district title. He then stayed to help Henríquez, his predecessor, who remained on the crusaders’ bench, apart from brief stints at a couple of other area schools.
“He was a great, great personality,” said Henríquez. “It won’t be the same there without him.”
Lewis is survived by his wife and daughter, and died by a son.
“I just think of a happy and joyful man who just enjoyed life and did so much for so many, so many young people and people he touched in his life,” Wood said.
“He touched the lives of many young men, and not just the boys who played with him like me.”
