About Osia Lewis
Osia Lewis, 57, American football player (Oregon State, Chicago Bruisers) and coach (Vanderbilt), liver cancer.
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Full Biography
|Osia Lewis (December 3, 1962 – May 31, 2020) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at Oregon State University, and professionally in the Arena Football League (AFL) for four seasons with the Chicago Bruisers and Albany Firebirds. He was a football coach from 1987 to 2020.
Early life and college
Lewis attended Tucson High School in Tucson, Arizona.
Lewis was a four-year letterman for the Oregon State Beavers from 1982 to 1985. He primarily played linebacker but also saw time at quarterback, safety and wide receiver for the Beavers. As a senior in 1985, he was named the team's Most Inspirational Player, served as team captain and earned All-Pac-10 and honorable mention All-America honors by the Associated Press. Lewis set school records for single-season defensive points, season fumble recoveries with four and career fumble recoveries with eight.
Professional career
Lewis played for the Chicago Bruisers from 1987 to 1989, earning second-team All-Arena honors in 1988. He played for the Albany Firebirds in 1990.
Coaching career
Lewis was an assistant coach for the Western Oregon Wolves of Western Oregon State College from 1989 to 1990.
He served as an assistant coach for the Oregon State Beavers of Oregon State University, working with linebackers and special teams from 1991 to 1996.
He was defensive line coach for the Illinois Fighting Illini of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign from 1997 to 2000 before serving as linebackers coach from 2001 to 2002.
Lewis was defensive coordinator of the New Mexico Lobos of the University of New Mexico from 2003 to 2007 while also serving stints as defensive line and linebacker coach.
He served as defensive coordinator of the UTEP Miners of the University of Texas at El Paso from 2008 to 2009.
He was defensive coordinator of the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League in 2010.
Lewis served as defensive line coach of the San Diego State Aztecs of San Diego State University from 2011 to 2015.
In February 2016, he joined the Vanderbilt Commodores of Vanderbilt University as a senior defensive assistant and outside linebackers coach.
Death
Lewis died May 31, 2020, from liver cancer. He was 57 years old.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osia_Lewis
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 15 questions
Questions drawn from Osia Lewis's archived record and the sources above.
1.On what date was Osia Lewis born?
- A.December 3, 1962correct
- B.November 10, 1965
- C.May 31, 2020
- D.January 15, 1960
Osia Lewis was born on December 3, 1962.
Source: Biography introduction
2.Which high school did Osia Lewis attend?
- A.Vanderbilt Preparatory
- B.Oregon State High School
- C.Tucson High Schoolcorrect
- D.Albany High School
Osia Lewis attended Tucson High School in Tucson, Arizona.
Source: Early life and college
3.For which team did Osia Lewis play college football?
- A.New Mexico Lobos
- B.Oregon State Beaverscorrect
- C.UTEP Miners
- D.Illinois Fighting Illini
Osia Lewis was a four-year letterman for the Oregon State Beavers from 1982 to 1985.
Source: Early life and college
4.What was the cause of death for Osia Lewis?
- A.Heart disease
- B.A stroke
- C.Pneumonia
- D.Liver cancercorrect
Osia Lewis died on May 31, 2020, from liver cancer.
Source: Death section
5.What position did Osia Lewis primarily play for the Oregon State Beavers?
- A.Safety
- B.Quarterback
- C.Linebackercorrect
- D.Wide receiver
Osia Lewis primarily played linebacker during his time at Oregon State University.
Source: Early life and college
6.In which professional league did Osia Lewis play?
- A.United Football League
- B.National Football League
- C.Canadian Football League
- D.Arena Football Leaguecorrect
Osia Lewis played professionally in the Arena Football League for four seasons.
Source: Biography introduction
7.Which school record did Osia Lewis set at Oregon State?
- A.Total passing yards
- B.Most touchdowns scored
- C.Career fumble recoveriescorrect
- D.Most interception return yards
Osia Lewis set the school record for career fumble recoveries with eight.
Source: Early life and college
8.Where was Osia Lewis coaching in 2010?
- A.New Mexico Lobos
- B.UTEP Miners
- C.Hartford Colonialscorrect
- D.San Diego State Aztecs
In 2010, Osia Lewis was the defensive coordinator of the Hartford Colonials.
Source: Coaching career
9.What title was Osia Lewis given by the Oregon State Beavers in 1985?
- A.Offensive MVP
- B.Most Valuable Player
- C.Team Captaincorrect
- D.Coach of the Year
As a senior in 1985, Osia Lewis served as team captain for the Oregon State Beavers.
Source: Early life and college
10.What team did Osia Lewis join in February 2016?
- A.Illinois Fighting Illini
- B.Western Oregon Wolves
- C.Vanderbilt Commodorescorrect
- D.New Mexico Lobos
Osia Lewis joined the Vanderbilt Commodores as a senior defensive assistant and outside linebackers coach in February 2016.
Source: Coaching career
11.How old was Osia Lewis when he died?
- A.56
- B.58
- C.55
- D.57correct
Osia Lewis was 57 years old at the time of his death.
Source: Death section
12.For which team did Osia Lewis play after his tenure with the Chicago Bruisers?
- A.UTEP Miners
- B.Albany Firebirdscorrect
- C.Oregon State Beavers
- D.Hartford Colonials
Osia Lewis played for the Albany Firebirds in 1990.
Source: Professional career
13.Which university employed Osia Lewis as a defensive line coach from 1997 to 2000?
- A.San Diego State University
- B.University of Illinoiscorrect
- C.University of Texas at El Paso
- D.University of New Mexico
Osia Lewis was defensive line coach for the Illinois Fighting Illini from 1997 to 2000.
Source: Coaching career
14.What honor did Osia Lewis earn in 1988?
- A.All-America
- B.All-Pac-10
- C.Most Inspirational Player
- D.Second-team All-Arenacorrect
Osia Lewis earned second-team All-Arena honors in 1988 while playing for the Chicago Bruisers.
Source: Professional career
15.Which school had Osia Lewis as a defensive coordinator from 2008 to 2009?
- A.Oregon State University
- B.University of New Mexico
- C.Vanderbilt University
- D.University of Texas at El Pasocorrect
Osia Lewis served as defensive coordinator of the UTEP Miners of the University of Texas at El Paso from 2008 to 2009.
Source: Coaching career
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