D.D. Lewis, a fixture of the Dallas Cowboys’ “Doomsday Defense” era, has died, according to the team. He was 79.
Lewis was a college star at Mississippi State. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
Lewis played weakside linebacker for 13 seasons with the Cowboys. He started 132 of 134 regular-season games between 1973-81 during the franchise’s dynasty days under coach Tom Landry. He had eight career interceptions in 186 career games.
The Cowboys reached the playoffs in 12 of Lewis’ 13 seasons. He played in a club-record 27 postseason games and had four interceptions, including two in the 1975 season NFC Championship Game in which Dallas rolled to a 37-7 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
Lewis played in five Super Bowls, twice earning championship rings. He missed the 1969 season while serving a military stint.
On-field sidekick Lee Roy Jordan, the Hall of Fame middle linebacker of the Doomsday Defense, died on Aug. 30.
Born Dwight Douglas Lewis before going as D.D., Lewis was a native of Knoxville, Tenn.
He played three seasons at Mississippi State and was Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-American in 1967. Lewis was a second-team All-American in 1966.
“We mourn the passing of Bulldog legend D.D. Lewis,” Mississippi State said on social media. “An All-SEC standout and 1967 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, he played 13 years with the Dallas Cowboys, appeared in five Super Bowls, won two, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.”
We mourn the passing of Bulldog legend D.D. Lewis.
An All-SEC standout and 1967 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, he played 13 years with the Dallas Cowboys, appeared in five Super Bowls, won two, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001. pic.twitter.com/UaEnfYjOWd
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) September 17, 2025
Lewis was a sixth-round pick of the Cowboys in the 1968 draft.
–Field Level Media
