Darren Lewis (November 7, 1968 – June 21, 2024), nicknamed "Tank", was an American professional

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 ...

player who was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

for three seasons with the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

of 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) in the early 1990s. He 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

Texas A&M Aggies The Texas A&M Aggies are the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "wikt:aggie#Etymology 2, Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also simply referr ...

and was a consensus

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 ...

in 1990. He was a sixth-round selection by the Bears in the

1991 NFL draft The 1991 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 21–22, 1991, at the Marriott Ma ...

Early life

Lewis was a star at Dallas football powerhouse Carter High School and was considered by some to be the top high school player in the class of 1987. While at Carter, Lewis was reported to be avoiding colleges in the

Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference also included schools from Oklaho ...

. "I don't want my football career to end because some other guy takes money," Lewis said.

College career

Lewis attended

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

, and holds two of the top three rushing seasons in Aggies' history (1,692 in 1988 and 1,691 in 1990), behind

Trayveon Williams Trayveon Thomas Williams (born October 18, 1997) is an American professional American football, football running back and return specialist for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). During his junior season at Texas A&M ...

(1,760 in 2018) and is the Aggie leader in career rushing yards (5,012 from 1987 to 1990). Lewis' 5,012 career rushing yards ranked him fifth on the NCAA's all-time career rushing list at the conclusion of his college career, but currently rank him 15th. His college career was filled with highlights and culminated with a spot on the first-team

team in 1990.

1987 season

As a freshman Lewis ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns against Baylor to lead the Aggies to a 34–10 victory, their first in

Waco Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 population of 146,608, making i ...

in 10 years. He ran for a freshman record 194 yards in a 42–24 victory over TCU, which was broken four years later by fellow Carter High alum, Greg Hill. He capped off the season by throwing a 24-yard halfback pass to Tony Thompson for a touchdown as the Aggies defeated Notre Dame, 35–10, in the 1988 Cotton Bowl Classic, and finished ranked in the NCAA top-10 for the second time in three years. His 668 rushing yards were second at the time only to Curtis Dickey for an Aggie freshman.

1988 season

In his sophomore season of 1988, the Aggies were ineligible for the

championship due to NCAA violations, but an undaunted Lewis enjoyed a record-breaking season. He rushed 100 yards or more in each of the last 10 games of the season, setting a mark for both consecutive 100-yard games and most in one season, both still A&M records. His streak included strong road performances highlighted by a 192-yard showing in Fayetteville against the

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville. The University of Arkans ...

and a 201-yard effort at the

Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, formerly and also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, was the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, United States. It seated around 50,000 fans, with a record atte ...

against

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. Against

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, Lewis helped the Aggies jump to a 28–0 lead by scoring a 15-yard touchdown and adding a 36-yard run to set up a second score. Lewis ran for 212 yards that day as the Aggies went on to beat the Longhorns 28–24 for their fifth consecutive win against their main rival. His 1,692 yards rushing that year remained a Texas A&M record until broken in 2018 by

and was second in the NCAA that year only to

Oklahoma State Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

Barry Sanders Barry Sanders (born July 16, 1968) is an American former professional football running back who played for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. Sanders led the league in rushing yards four times and in rushin ...

. Lewis was named to the All-Southwest Conference team, his first of two such honors (1988 and 1990).

1989 season

In 1989, Lewis helped new head coach

R. C. Slocum Richard Copeland Slocum (born November 7, 1944) is a former American football player and coach who is currently a special assistant to the president at Texas A&M University. He has also served as interim athletics director at the university from ...

get off to a good start by rushing for three touchdowns in a tight road victory against

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship institution of the five- ...

. Lewis also rushed for 120 yards against Houston and along with fullback Robert Wilson (115 rushing yards), helped control the ball and hold a Cougar offense that averaged nearly 60 points in their other games to just 13 against the Wrecking Crew. His strongest performance of the season was against Rice, in which he ran for 201 yards. Although his 961 total rushing yards were a down year by Lewis' standards, the total still ranked seventh best all-time at Texas A&M.

1990 season

In 1990 Lewis etched his name into the A&M record books by finishing his college career with perhaps his finest season, as he led the country in rushing and was named a first-team All American. He set a scoring benchmark against Houston, as he ran for 124 yards and four rushing touchdowns, breaking three tackles on a 12-yard run for a score in the fourth quarter in a 36–31 loss to Houston. His 232 yards against Texas Tech is second all-time in Texas A&M history and was the highest total for an Aggie in 40 years. The Aggies would go on to demolish BYU and

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

winner Ty Detmer, 65–14, in the

Holiday Bowl The Holiday Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in San Diego, California. Operating since 1978, its current conference tie-ins are with the Pac-12 Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The bowl is held at Snapdragon S ...

behind Lewis' 104 rushing yards and two touchdowns, vaulting the Aggies from unranked to a No.15 finish in the AP Poll. Lewis finished his college career with over 5,000 rushing yards, which at the time was fifth all-time in NCAA history. His 45 career rushing touchdowns were a Texas A&M record for nearly 20 years until being broken by Jorvorskie Lane in 2008. His 27 career 100 yard games are still an A&M record and his five career 200-yard rushing games are both a Texas A&M and Southwest Conference record.

Professional career

Despite his spectacular college career, Lewis' stock fell quickly after he tested positive for cocaine at the

NFL scouting combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

. He was selected in the sixth round of the

(161st overall pick) by the

. Lewis was the only player to test positive for drugs at the combine, and Chicago general manager Bill Tobin said that he thought a different player had tested positive. Tobin considered not inviting Lewis to minicamp. Lewis spent portions of three seasons with the Bears. His best NFL season came in 1992, when he appeared in 16 games and gained 382 yards on 90 rushing attempts. In October 1993, Lewis was arrested and charged with battery following a domestic dispute. The Bears released Lewis later that month after the team signed running back

Tim Worley Timothy Ashley Worley (born September 24, 1966) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, earning consensus All-American ...

. Chicago head coach

Dave Wannstedt David Raymond Wannstedt (born May 21, 1952) is an American former college and professional football coach. He has been the head coach of the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He was also the head coach of th ...

said that if something happened to starting running back

Neal Anderson Charles Neal Anderson (born August 14, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for eight seasons with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) during the 1980s and 1990s. Anderson played ...

, he was not comfortable that Lewis could take over starting duties. Lewis played in 33 games for the Bears, starting five of them and totaling 431 rushing yards in his career.

Later life

Lewis continued to struggle with a cocaine addiction, which resulted in a divorce and the loss of his house. In August 2014, he pleaded guilty to three criminal charges related to armed robberies in the Dallas area. At his sentencing the following month, Lewis was given a 27-year term in federal prison. Lewis married Tammie Thibodeaux July 6, 2012. Lewis died of cancer on June 21, 2024, at the age of 55.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Darren 1968 births 2024 deaths American football running backs Chicago Bears players Texas A&M Aggies football players All-American college football players Players of American football from Dallas Deaths from cancer in Texas