D.D. Lewis obit

Former Cowboys LB D.D. Lewis, who won two Super Bowls with Dallas, has died at 79

Lewis played in the most playoff games in Cowboys franchise history during his career.

 

He was not on the list.

D.D. Lewis, who won two Super Bowls and played in the most playoff games in Dallas Cowboys history, died Tuesday at Plano Medical City according to his daughter Melna Bourland.

He was 79.

Lewis, a linebacker, played in five Super Bowls and 27 playoff games. His best playoff performance was in the 1975 NFC Championship, when he picked off two passes in a 37-7 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

Lewis is also noted for his quote about the Cowboys’ former home.

Texas Stadium has a hole in its roof so God can watch his favorite team play,” Lewis famously once said.

“He was an awesome dad, he was the best dad,” said Melna Bourland, his daughter. “He would be a big jokester, he loved to do pranks on me and my sister and he loved to laugh and he was just the best dad anybody could ever have.”

Dwight Douglas Lewis was born in Knoxville, Tenn. A 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker, he was a sixth-round draft pick by the Cowboys out of Mississippi State in 1968.

Lewis was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and an All-American in 1967, and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

After his rookie season with the Cowboys, he served a military commitment, returning for the 1970 season. Lewis backed up Hall of Fame linebacker Chuck Howley before taking over at weakside linebacker upon Howley’s retirement in 1973.

Lewis, whose final season was in 1981, was part of the Cowboys’ Silver Anniversary team.

“D.D. was a great player,” former teammate Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson said. “He kept Thomas Henderson from the weakside because he played it so well. D.D. was a tough guy and I wanted his job Day 1, but I never could get it because he played [coach Tom] Landry’s defense and I couldn’t interrupt that. So I ended up on the strong side, which was better for me because I got to box every down.”

Added another former teammate, Hall of Famer Cliff Harris: “D.D. was such a steady force for the Dallas Cowboys. We knew we could count on D.D. He was the weakside linebacker in our complex Flex defense and I knew or we knew whatever his responsibilities in that Flex defense was, he was going to perform. A great athlete and it’s sad to see him leave this earth early. I feel for his family.”

Lewis is survived by two daughters, Melna and Victoria, from his first wife, Margaret. He also has a grandson, Jackson. He was married to Diane Lewis, who had a son Brook, D.D.’s stepson, at the time of his passing.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

He played college football at Mississippi State University and was selected in the sixth round of the 1968 NFL draft. Lewis was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

Born in Knoxville, Tennessee on October 16, 1945, Lewis was the youngest of 14 children. Lewis was named Dwight Douglas after two great generals in World War II, Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur. He attended Fulton High School, where he was a Tennessee All-State linebacker in 1963.

Lewis starred at Mississippi State University from 1965 to 1967 as a two-way player and three-year starter. He led Mississippi State in tackles and assists all three of his varsity seasons and was named team captain his senior year.

Despite being on teams that went 7–23, Lewis earned All-Southeastern Conference honors twice and was a first-team All-American selection his senior year.

Repeatedly referred to as the top linebacker in the Southeastern Conference, Lewis made a distinct impression on rival coaches. Hall of Fame coach Bear Bryant called D.D. Lewis "the best linebacker in the country". Bill Yeoman applauded Lewis' ability to recover and pursue and said he was the finest linebacker he had seen that year. Following the 1967 season, Vince Dooley said he was the best linebacker Georgia had faced – "He's terrific."

Lewis won numerous awards: SEC All-sophomore team (1965), All-SEC (1966–67), SEC defensive player of the year (1967), UPI second-team All-American (1967), and outstanding athlete (1968). At the end of his senior year, Lewis was selected to play in the Senior Bowl, the Coaches All-America Game, and the Blue–Gray Game.

 

Awards and highlights

2× Super Bowl champion (VI, XII)

First-team All-American (1967)

Second-team All-American (1966)

SEC Defensive Player of the Year (1967)

2× First-team All-SEC (1966, 1967)

SEC All-Sophomore Team (1965)

Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (1987)

Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame (2006)

Career NFL statistics

Games played  186

Games started  135

Interceptions    8

Interception yards       97

Fumble recoveries       14