Daniel Nathan Lewis (February 14, 1936 – March 6, 2015) was an American football halfback,

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

in the National Football League for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

(1958–1964), the Washington Redskins (1965), and the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

(1966). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the University of Wisconsin.

Early years

Lewis was born in 1936 in

Freehold, New Jersey Freehold, New Jersey may refer to: * Freehold Borough, New Jersey, the county seat of Monmouth County * Freehold Township, New Jersey Freehold Township is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is both a r ...

. He played high school football at Freehold High School in

Freehold Borough, New Jersey Freehold is a borough and the county seat of Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

College

Lewis played

for the Wisconsin Badgers. As a junior in 1956, he totaled 606 yards from scrimmage, including 554 rushing yards on 100 carries for an average of 5.5 yards per carry. As a senior in 1957, he gained 782 yards from scrimmage, including 611 rushing yards on 95 carries for an average of 6.4 yards per carry. His 1957 tally of 611 rushing yards ranked fourth best in the Big Ten Conference.

Professional football

Lewis was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round (73rd overall pick) of the

1958 NFL Draft The 1958 National Football League draft had its first four rounds held on December 2, 1957, and its final twenty-six rounds on January 28, 1958. Both sessions were held at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia. This was the 12th and final year in ...

. He played seven years with the Lions form 1958 to 1964. He led the team in 1962 with 488 rushing yards and again in 1963 with 528 rushing yards. He was the first African American to lead the Lions in rushing. At the end of his career with the Lions, he ranked fourth in franchise history with 2,698 rushing yards. In September 1965, Lewis was traded to the Washington Redskins in exchange for a draft choice. Playing at fullback, Lewis ranked second on the Redskins with 343 rushing yards in 1965. Lewis was cut by the Redskins after the 1965 season. He signed with the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

in the off-season but was released before the start of the

1966 NFL season The 1966 NFL season was the 47th regular season of the National Football League, and the first season in which the Super Bowl was played, though it was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The league expanded to 15 teams with the additi ...

. He signed as a free agent with the

in September 1966. In his final NFL season, Lewis appeared in 13 games for the Giants, rushing for 164 yards on 32 carries.

Family and later years

Lewis and his wife, Marian, had three sons. After retiring from football, Lewis worked as Detroit's deputy director of city planning. In March 2015, he died in Detroit of complications from diabetes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Dan 1936 births 2015 deaths Freehold High School alumni People from Freehold Borough, New Jersey People from Freehold Township, New Jersey Players of American football from New Jersey Sportspeople from Monmouth County, New Jersey American football running backs Detroit Lions players Washington Redskins players New York Giants players Wisconsin Badgers football players