He previously served as an executive in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 years, including tenures with the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs.
[1] Following his NFL career, Lewis played three seasons in the United States Football League (USFL) with the Denver Gold (1983) and Houston Gamblers (1984–85).
After the USFL's collapse, Lewis continued his playing career in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
There he was a member of the Ottawa Roughriders (1986, 1987–88), Montreal Alouettes (1986), Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1989) and Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1989).
[4] The following year, he was hired by the XFL's Houston Roughnecks as assistant director of pro personnel under fellow ex-AAF GM Randy Mueller.