Northern Arizona University assistant football coach Jeff Lewis<\/b>, a former Lumberjack quarterback who is member of the NAU\u2019s Athletics Hall of Fame, died Saturday in Phoenix. The cause of death has not yet been determined.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday is very sad day for the Lumberjack football family,\u201d said head coach Jerome Souers<\/b>. \u201cJeff was one of the best Lumberjacks of all time and a valuable member of our program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis served on the NAU football staff during the 2012 season as the wide receivers coach.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis loss is felt throughout NAU Athletics, where Jeff\u2019s impact as a player, a coach and an outstanding person will always be remembered,\u201d said Lisa Campos<\/b>, vice president for Intercollegiate Athletics. \u201cWe were deeply grateful for his return to the football program and wish our time together could have been longer. Our thoughts go out to his family at this difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis had a standout career as quarterback for the Lumberjacks from 1992-95, and was inducted in the NAU Hall of Fame in 2003.\u00a0He played in the NFL for the Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints from 1996-2002 after being a fourth-round selection of the Broncos in the 1996 Draft. He was part of two Super Bowl teams during his career, including the Broncos\u2019 Super Bowl XXXII championship team.<\/p>\n
Lewis finished his career at NAU ranked second on the school’s all-time lists for passing yards (9,639), touchdowns (67), completions (785) and attempts (1,315). He earned third-team All-American and second-team All-Big Sky honors as a junior in 1994.<\/p>\n
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, at the Christ Church of the Valley,\u00a019030 N. Pima Road in Scottsdale.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"