Darryll Lewis played running back and cornerback at Arizona from 1987-1990. As a senior, Lewis shared the P12 Defensive POY award with some guy named Emtman from Washington and won the Jim Thorpe Award at the nation's best defensive back. Here's Anthony Gimino on why Lewis is the #8 player in Arizona football history:
Darryll Lewis started 10 games as a redshirt freshman in 1987 — at running back — and coach Dick Tomey at the time called him “our best all-around back.” The coaches, especially secondary coach Duane Akina, also saw something else in Lewis, moving him to cornerback in 1988.
“He was a spectacular competitor,” Tomey said this month. “He made play after play.”
“D-Lew” wasn’t a blazer, but he was plenty tough at 5 feet 9 and 186 pounds, excelling in bump-and-run-coverage.
“I told our guys, I don’t want the ball thrown on the same side of the field as Darryll Lewis,” Washington State coach Mike Price said in a 1990 USA Today story.
He said that a few weeks after Lewis had defeated UCLA with a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown in the final minute, lifting the Wildcats to a 28-21 win in Pasadena. Bruins quarterback Tommy Maddox had been trying to connect with split end Reggie Moore along the sideline.
Lewis’ overall performance in the third game of the season was even more remarkable. He intercepted two passes, returning one 52 yards for a touchdown, and made the game-saving tackle in a 22-17 victory over Oregon.
On a fourth-and-goal play from the 1, Ducks quarterback Bill Musgrave rolled to his right and made a dash for the corner of the end zone. Lewis came from the back of the end zone, and leveled a hit on Musgrave that turned the quarterback sideways and out of bounds inside the 1.
“It’s absolutely the last play of the game, it’s absolutely do or die … I mean, what a play,” Tomey said.
(Check out both game-winning plays in the video below.)
Lewis led the Pac-10 with seven interceptions that season, also ranking fourth in punt returns with a 10.0-yard average. His 14 career interceptions rank fifth in school history. He was the second first-team AP All-American in school history.
