Damione Ramon Lewis (born March 1, 1978) is an American

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach and former player who is currently the defensive line coach for Miami (FL). He played professionally as a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). Lewis played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes, known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes, are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Coll ...

before being selected by the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

in the first round of the

2001 NFL draft The 2001 NFL draft was the 66th draft annual of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft, which is officially referred to as the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at the Th ...

. He also played in the NFL for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

, and

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

. After his playing career, he became a defensive assistant for the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

Early life

Lewis attended Sulphur Springs High School in

Sulphur Springs, Texas Sulphur Springs is a city in and the county seat of Hopkins County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, its population was 15,941. Sulphur Springs is located in Northeast Texas. History Sulphur Springs [''sic ...

College career

Lewis played

at the University of Miami. After Redshirt (college sports), redshirting as a true freshman, Lewis started in his second year and produced a career-high 72 tackles, four sacks, and one forced fumble. As a sophomore in 1998 he led all Hurricanes defensive linemen with 52 tackles and registered two sacks. In 1999, as a junior Lewis posted 57 tackles, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery and was named to the second-team All-

Big East The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

. As a senior, he recorded 39 tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles. He was named first-team All-Big East and Third-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

by the

Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

. Lewis started 41 of 43 games at Miami and finished his career with 220 career tackles, 15.5 sacks, and five forced fumbles.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

St. Louis Rams

Lewis was selected by the

with the 12th overall pick in the

. On July 27, 2001, Lewis agreed to a five-year, $7.5 million contract with the Rams. As a rookie in

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, Lewis played in nine games with three starts prior to being placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

with a broken right foot, keeping him out of the Rams'

Super Bowl XXXVI Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

loss to the

. The following year, he played in 16 games with two starts (one at defensive end and one a defensive tackle). He posted 44 tackles, four sacks, 14 quarterback pressures and one pass defensed. In

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, Lewis played in 12 games (starting the first seven of the season). He registered 34 tackles, half a sack, 13 quarterback pressures, one forced fumble and one pass defensed. A sprained ankle against the Pittsburgh Steelers hampered his playing time in the second half of the season. In

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, Lewis again earned the starting job at the outset of the season, starting the first 10 contests and playing in all 16. He amassed career highs of 61 tackles and five sacks in addition to recording eight quarterback pressures, one forced fumble and two passes defensed. The next season, he played in 16 games with seven starts. However, in 2005, he was in the starting lineup for the final seven contests. He produced 45 tackles, one sack, 23 quarterback pressures, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Lewis played for the Rams for five years, starting 29 of 69 games, and recording 10.5 sacks.

Carolina Panthers

On March 14, 2006, the

signed him to a two-year deal worth about $3.5 million. In

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, Lewis played in 16 games with three starts in his first season in Carolina. He posted 30 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 11 quarterback pressures, one forced fumble and three pass deflections. Lewis contributed to defense that finished seventh in the NFL in total defense and tied for eighth in scoring defense, allowing 19.1 points per game. He also helped unit rank 11th in the league in rushing yards per game, third in third-down efficiency and seventh in sacks per pass play. The 41 sacks by defense was the fourth-highest total in team history. In

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, Lewis played 15 games with two starts, which brought his career totals to 100 career games and 34 career starts. For the season Lewis recorded 32 tackles, 3.5 sacks, a pass deflected and a fumble recovery. After the 2007 season the Panthers re-signed Lewis to a new three-year $14 million extension. In

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, Lewis became a full-time starter after

Kris Jenkins Kristopher Rudy-Charles Jenkins (born August 3, 1979) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a defensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played ...

was traded. Lewis started 15 games on the year missing one start due to injury. He had 43 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble during the year. He was released on March 4, 2010.

New England Patriots

Lewis signed with the

on April 2, 2010, and was released during final cuts on September 3, 2010.

Houston Texans

Lewis signed with the

on October 25, 2010. He was released on September 2, 2011.

NFL statistics

Coaching career

After spending

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

at FIU as the Panthers’ Assistant Athletic Director of Football/Player Development. In

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Lewis became a coach under

Pete Carroll Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as head coach for the NCAA's ...

for the

. In March 2023, Lewis was hired as a defensive analyst for the

Colorado Buffaloes The Colorado Buffaloes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado Boulder. The university sponsors 16 varsity sports teams. Both the men's and women's teams are called the Buffaloes (Buffs for short) or, rarely, the Golden ...

. In 2024, Lewis was promoted to be the defensive line coach of the Buffaloes.

References

External links

Carolina Panthers bioNew England Patriots bioHouston Texans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Damione 1978 births Living people American football defensive tackles Carolina Panthers players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Miami Hurricanes football players New England Patriots players People from Sulphur Springs, Texas Players of American football from Hopkins County, Texas Seattle Seahawks coaches St. Louis Rams players