Former Texas A&M star dies of cancer amid difficult past

Former NFL player and Texas A&M’s all-time leading runner Darren Lewis has died of cancer at the age of 55, the university announced Friday. About a year earlier, he was granted humanitarian release after serving a 27-year prison sentence for multiple armed robberies.

The university did not disclose how it learned of Lewis’ death. The former two-time All-American running back, who remains the Southwest Conference’s best runner, struggled with a cocaine addiction after his football career while also going through a divorce and the loss of his home by 1995.

He has been sent to prison more than once, most recently in August 2014 when he pleaded guilty to three counts related to armed robberies near Dallas in 2004, 2005 and 2006. He was subsequently sentenced to 27 years in a federal prison.

His cancer was diagnosed in prison in Pollock, Louisiana. Lewis was allowed to leave prison to receive medical treatment.

According to several published reports, he was recently admitted to a hospice.

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During his four seasons with the Aggies between 1987 and 1990, Lewis rushed for 5,012 yards. The highlight of his college career was a 1,692-yard season in 1988. He also rushed for 1,691 yards in 1990.

In 1988, he was named Southwest Conference Player of the Year and was named to the All-America team for the first time.

That season, he was the second-best runner in the country behind Barry Sanders, who ran for 2,628 yards.

Nicknamed “Tank,” Lewis finished eighth in the 1990 Heisman Trophy balloting when he broke the Southwest Conference career rushing record previously held by SMU’s Eric Dickerson, who rushed for 4,450 yards. He earned his second All-America honor that season.

Lewis was selected in the sixth round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears and played three seasons for them. His reputation sank in the draft after he was the only player to test positive for drugs at the league’s combine.

Born in Dallas, Lewis played at local high school Carter High School before transferring to Texas A&M. He had the Aggies’ two best seasons before Trayveon Williams broke his record, scoring 1,760 runs in 2018.

With 5,012 career rushing yards, Lewis finished fifth on the NCAA’s all-time rushing list at the end of his college career.

After being signed by the Bears, he never tested positive. He played in 33 games, including five as a starter, and rushed for 431 yards.