The Drive with Jack’s tribute to Sherman Lewis
PHOTO: Among those attending the Sherman Lewis Celebration of Life on Michigan State’s campus to remember the Spartans icon were these friends: (L-R) James Ridgell, MSU alum; Tyrone Willingham; Bobby Williams; Larry Kirksey, NFL coach; Charlie Baggett; Tom Izzo; Kip Lewis, Sherm’s son; Jimmy Raye; Gene Huey, college and NFL coach; and Eric Lewis, Sherm’s son who is the DC/safeties coach at Navy.
Visit my homepage: TomShanahan.Report
— Click here for book review and purchase link: THE RIGHT THING TO DO, The True Pioneers of College Football Integration in the 1960s and here for a purchase link to RAYE OF LIGHT, Jimmy Raye, Duffy Daugherty, the Integration of College Football and the 1965-66 Michigan State Spartans.
— Watch a three-minute video to learn about our documentary at the fundraising stage, GAME CHANGERS OF THE CENTURY, and the Investment Deck.
— Documentary synopsis: Duffy documentary snynopsis.pdf – Google Drive
— I will debate anybody, anytime, anywhere Duffy Daugherty led college football integration
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By TOM SHANAHAN
The Drive with Jack’s Wednesday show was a tribute to Sherman Lewis, the Michigan State pioneer athlete from segregated Louisville, Kentucky.
Ep. 3072 Wednesday: Tribute to Sherman Lewis
The show begins with host Jack Ebling discussing the surprise departure of school president Kevin Guskiewicz on Wednesday morning for the position as Clemson’s president. The Lewis tribute begins after the first 15 minutes.
Lewis was coach Duffy Daugherty’s first Underground Railroad player to earn All-American honors as a halfback in 1963. He finished third to Navy’s Roger Staubach in the Heisman Trophy. But his most important contribution to Michigan State football was setting a standard for the Black players from South on the Spartans’ 1965 and 1966 national title teams.
“Sherman Lewis embodied the excellence and trailblazing spirit that defined Michigan State football under College Football Hall of Fame coach Duffy Daugherty,” said National Football Foundation president Steve Hatchell. “As an All-American Spartan and later one of the game’s most respected coaches, Sherman left an indelible mark on college football and inspired generations through his leadership, character and success. Our thoughts are with his family and the entire Michigan State community.”
The guests on the show included Michigan State’s jimmy Raye, who considered Lewis a mentor as an athlete and coach. Raye, recruited out of segregated Fayetteville, N.C., was the South’s first Black quarterback to win a national title. Daugherty also launched his coaching career. Lewis was hired in 1969 and Raye joined the staff in 1972.
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Thomas Shanahan | @Thomas-Shanahan-23
Other guests College Football Hall of Famer Clinton Jones, former MSU player Tom Staley, Michigan State play-by-play announcer George Blaha, former Sports Information assistant Mike Pearson and Lewis’ son, Kip Lewis. I was a guest with my segment about an hour and 15 minutes into the show.
My stories on Sherman Lewis passing away on May 15 at age 83.
Sherman Lewis, a Michigan State trailblazing athlete and coach, dies at 83 – Tom Shanahan Report
Here’s how Sam Cunningham greeted Sherman Lewis at the Pearly Gates Gridiron – Tom Shanahan Report
MORE QUOTES ON SHERMAN LEWIS
“Sherman Lewis was a true Spartan legend. His legacy extended beyond the football field, where his electrifying play gained All-American recognition. He was the first player from the segregated South to play a substantial role for coach Duffy Daugherty and the Spartans.
“Sherman went on to become a highly successful assistant coach under Duffy, a career that extended into the NFL as a four-time Super Bowl champion. As a mentor and lifelong friend, he set the standard for many future Spartans players and coaches to come. REST IN LOVE my brother.”
— Michigan State Hall of Famer Jimmy Raye, the South’s first Black quarterback to win a national title.
Sherm Lewis is a Giant in his death as he was a Giant in his life. He had a profound influence on me as a freshman at MSU, not only by his performance on the field, but his character and demeaner off the gridiron. He was small in stature but huge in his accomplishments as a husband, father, a great coach and a sincere dedicated friend. In his quiet demeaner, he exhibited that ‘Louisville, Kentucky Spirit” we saw in Muhammad Ali’s confidence and determination.
“I watched Sherm play in awe of his skill, even as a little guy. And then he went to have a stellar career as a professional footballer in the NFL, the Canadian Football League and as a coach in the NFL as one of the pioneer Black coaches, laying the ground for Jimmy Raye. Charlie Baggett and Tyrone Willingham.”
— Michigan State College Football Hall of Famer Clinton Jones
“I owe my start in coaching to Sherman Lewis and a few others. Sherman provided me with a brilliant model of coaching and perseverance in the coaching profession. His words remain with me today.”
–Michigan State alum Tyrone Willingham, the first Black head coach to take a team to the Rose Bowl (Stanford’s 1999 Pac-10 champion)
“The Pro Football Hall of Fame created its Awards of Excellence program in 2022 with individuals like Sherman Lewis in mind. His lengthy tenure as an assistant coach helped shape the careers of hundreds of pro players, several who later were honored with a Bronze Bust in Canton, Ohio. You cannot tell the complete story of the NFL without appreciating “Coach Sherm.”
— Rich Desrosiers, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Chief Communications and Content Officer
“A pioneer is one of great courage, resourcefulness, intelligence and toughness. Sherman was all of that and more. We need more people to emulate this man.”
— Dan Fouts, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback
“Sherm was like a magnet. People were attracted to him the minute they met him! He was so caring and thoughtful of others. RIP in my Spartan Brother!”
— Charles Baggett, Michigan State’s quarterback (1973-75) and long-time Michigan State and an NFL assistant coach.
“I knew Sherman was a special from the moment I met him as a Spartan assistant. It was a thrill to broadcast games with him with his razor-sharp mind and great football feel. We had been friends for years and every day I learned something from him that told me he would have been awesome head coach for us. One day at a practice, he looked at a diamond in the rough running back and said, ‘He reminds me of Marcus Allen.’ The young man was future Spartan star and Steelers All-Pro Le’Veon Bell. Rest in Peace Sherman Lewis — an amazing man.”
— George Blaha, Michigan State football play-by-play broadcaster who worked games with Sherman Lewis as his analyst
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These two stories reveal how little Bear Bryant cared about Black athletes prior to the 1970s:
— My FWAA first-place story on the 1962 Rose Bowl and segregation
— Bo Knows: Matthews bares his thoughts on Bear Bryant’s 1970 recruiting audible – Tom Shanahan Report
— My nod to Larry David: My Dinner with The Bear – Tom Shanahan Report
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I invite you to follow me on Twitter @shanny4055
I’ll put my facts on the true pioneers of college football integration versus Bear Bryant fairytales against anybody, anytime, anywhere. Watch here.
Click here for my story on the 1962 Rose Bowl and Segregation and Alabama.
— Tom Shanahan is an award-winning sportswriter with two books on college football integration, “RAYE OF LIGHT, Jimmy Raye, Duffy Daugherty, the Integration of College Football and the 1965-66 Michigan State Spartans,” and “THE RIGHT THING TO DO, The True Pioneers of College Football Integration in the 1960s.” They are the most accurate accounts of college football integration in the 1950s and 1960s. They also debunk myths about the 1970 USC-Alabama game. The false narrative co-opted the stories of the true pioneers who stood up to Jim Crow and the KKK.
— Two children’s books also explain Michigan State College Football Hall of Fame coach Duffy Daugherty’s impact on integration through the Underground Railroad and the Hawaiian Pipeline: “DUFFY’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD” and “HOW DUFFY PUT HAWAII ON AMERICA’S FOOTBALL MAP.”
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PURCHASE LINKS, non-fiction books
— RAYE OF LIGHT, August Publications or on Amazon.
— THE RIGHT THING TO DO, August Publications or on Amazon.
PURCHASE LINKS, children’s books
— DUFFY’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD: Order from Barnes and Noble here and Amazon here.
— HOW DUFFY PUT HAWAII ON AMERICA’S FOOTBALL MAP. Order here:
How Duffy Put Hawaii On America’s Football Map by Tom Shanahan, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®
Amazon.com: How Duffy Put Hawaii On America’s Football Map eBook : Shanahan, Tom: Kindle Store
Tags: Bear Bryant, Michigan State, Pearly Gates, Sam Cunningham, Sherman Lewis, USC
