D.D. Lewis

Dwight Douglas "D.D." Lewis, a two-time Super Bowl champion linebacker who anchored the Dallas Cowboys' famed "Doomsday Defense," died September 16, 2025. He was 79.

Born October 16, 1945, in Knoxville, Tennessee, Lewis was the youngest of 14 children and a Fulton High School All-State linebacker. He was named for World War II generals Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur.

At Mississippi State University, he started from 1965–67, earned first-team All-America honors in 1967, and was that season's SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He captained the Bulldogs as a senior and later entered the school's Ring of Honor. He was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

Dallas chose Lewis in the sixth round of the 1968 NFL Draft. After military service in 1969, he became a fixture at outside linebacker, starting from 1973 through 1981. He played 13 seasons for the Cowboys, appearing in 186 regular-season games, five Super Bowls, and 27 playoff games. Dallas won Super Bowls VI and XII during his tenure.

Lewis delivered two interceptions in the 1975 NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams, a performance that sent Dallas to Super Bowl X. He was later named to the Cowboys' Silver Anniversary Team.

Durable and unassuming, he became one of the franchise's most respected leaders and served as a defensive co-captain in the late 1970s. He was widely credited with the quip about Texas Stadium: "a hole in the roof so God can watch His favorite team play."

In addition to the national College Football Hall of Fame, Lewis is enshrined in the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. He remained connected to his roots in Knoxville and to Mississippi State, where his honors reflect a collegiate career that helped define Bulldogs football.

By Legacy News Staff

(Image: AP Photo)