Fred Lewis (basketball, born 1921)

Frederick Bott Lewis Jr. (January 6, 1921 – December 27, 1994) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was the head basketball coach at Syracuse University from 1962 to 1968. He compiled a 91-57 (.615) record during his tenure. He took his team to the National Invitation Tournament two years after the team finished the season with a record of 2-22. Prior to coaching at Syracuse, he coached at Southern Mississippi University, where he compiled an 89-38 record. He coached at Amityville High School, where he compiled a 63-40 record from 1950 to 1953.

Fred Lewis

Lewis in 1948
Personal information
Born	(1921-01-06)January 6, 1921 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	December 27, 1994(1994-12-27) (aged 73) Sacramento, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school	James Madison (Brooklyn, New York)
College	LIU Brooklyn (1940–1943) Eastern Kentucky (1945–1946)
Playing career	1945–1952
Position	Forward / guard
Number	20, 5, 11
Coaching career	1947–1985
Career history
As player:
1945–1948	Sheboygan Redskins
1947–1948	Birmingham Skyhawks
1947–1948	Indianapolis Kautskys
1948	Indianapolis Jets
1948–1949	Baltimore Bullets
1949–1950	Philadelphia Warriors
1949–1950	Hartford Hurricanes
1951–1952	Washington Capitols
As coach:
1947–1948	Birmingham Skyhawks
1957–1962	Southern Miss
1962–1968	Syracuse
1984–1985	Sacramento State
Career highlights and awards
All-NBL First Team (1947) NBL Rookie of the Year (1947)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

One of his teams almost became the first team in NCAA history to average 100 or more points per game. Lewis's 1965-66 team, led by Dave Bing, participated in the NCAA Tournament and won against Davidson College in the first round before Syracuse lost to Duke University. He was replaced by Roy Danforth. He died in Sacramento, California, in 1994.[1]