MARVIN LEWIS BIOGRAPHY

Born Sept. 23, 1958, Marvin Lewis attended Fort Cherry High School in McDonald, Pa. (near Pittsburgh), where he was an all-conference quarterback and safety. He also earned high school letters in wrestling and baseball. He played his college football at Idaho State University as a linebacker where he earned All-Big Sky Conference honors for three consecutive years and earned a spot in the Idaho State University Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

After earning his bachelor’s in physical education and master’s in athletic administration he signed on as a coach at Idaho State in 1981. After the 1984 season, he was named the linebackers coach at Long Beach State and went on to coach linebackers at the University of New Mexico and the University of Pittsburgh from 1987 to 1991. In 1992 he made the jump to the NFL as the linebackers coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers and remained in that position until being promoted to the defensive coordinator position with the Baltimore Ravens in 1996. After five seasons in Baltimore, he served one season as the Washington Redskins defensive coordinator before being hired as the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003. Lewis had a distinguished 16-year career with the Bengals, guiding the franchise to seven playoff appearances and four AFC North titles. With 131 wins, he has the most victories in team history. In his third season, Lewis guided Cincinnati to their first division title in 15 years.

Bringing decades of NFL coaching experience, former Cincinnati Bengals head coach and defensive mastermind Marvin Lewis began to serve as special advisor to head coach Herm Edwards in 2021. Lewis is in his third year with ASU after originally joining Edwards’ staff as special advisor to Sun Devil Football on May 28, 2019. Lewis returned to coaching at the end of the 2019 season serving as the program’s interim defensive backs coach for the Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl before teaming up with Antonio Pierce as co-defensive coordinator in 2020. 

Marvin Lewis and Herm Edwards

Lewis – a veteran coach of over 25 years in the National Football League - and Pierce teamed up to coach an aggressive and opportunistic Sun Devil defense last season. Arizona State forced 13 turnovers in only four games, highlighted by a seven-turnover performance in the Territorial Cup victory. In that game, the Sun Devils held the University of Arizona to just seven points, its lowest total in the series since 2003. 

Despite playing in only four games during the pandemic-shortened season, the Sun Devil defense stacked up statistically other top defenses. ASU was the first nationally in turnover margin, forcing 13 total turnovers compared to just five for the opponent. The Sun Devils finished first in the Pac-12 in scoring defense (23.2), fumble recoveries (8), and yards per completion allowed. Defensive back Evan Fields four forced fumbles led the conference and was tied for first in the country. 

With an already storied football legacy looking back Lewis has accumulated a very impressive list of accomplishments by setting the Bengals’ franchise record for career wins (131), Lewis also set the club’s head coaching standards for longest tenure (16 seasons), playoff appearances (seven), consecutive playoff appearances (five) and division titles (four). The seven playoff berths the Bengals achieved with Lewis equaled the number the club had in the 35 seasons prior to his arrival. 

Lewis developed an impressive “coaching tree” during his Bengals tenure. Five of his former assistants have become NFL head coaches. The list includes former Bengals offensive coordinators Jay Gruden (former head coach of the Washington Redskins) and Hue Jackson (Cleveland Browns, 2016-18), former defensive coordinators Leslie Frazier (Minnesota Vikings 2010-13) and Mike Zimmer (former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings 2014-21), and former Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph (Denver Broncos 2017-18).