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Defensive Coordinator
Born: September 23, 1958, McDonald, PA
5th Year w/Ravens
20th Year Coaching
Idaho State
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Marvin Lewis
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�It�s only a matter of time before Marvin is a successfull NFL head coach. The best thing that happened to our staff this offseason is that Marvin decided to stay with us,� Ravens head coach Brian Billick said. Lewis is in his sixth season as the Ravens�defensive coordinator, which is the longest tenure with Baltimore among the coaches.
The Ravens shattered the single season record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game season with 165 (previous record was 187, held by 1986 Chicago Bears). The 2000 defense achieved a number of other significant accomplishments, including setting the NFL�s 16-game rushing yards allowed record with 970 and extending their consecutive games without allowing a 100-yard rusher to 33 games. The unit finished first in the league in six key defensive categories: points allowed, rushing yards allowed, rushing average allowed, total take-aways, fumble recoveries and shutouts.
The Ravens� four shutouts were the most by an NFL team since the Steelers recorded five shutouts in 1976. The defense held opponents scoreless in 41 quarters (out of 64, or 64%). It allowed one TD or fewer in 14 of the team�s last 18 games.
Baltimore�s defensive cornerstone, LB Ray Lewis, was named the NFL�s Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl XXXV Most Valuable Player, becoming the second player in NFL history to accomplish the feat. He was also only the second linebacker to win Super Bowl MVP. The defense sent three players to the 2000 Pro Bowl: DT Sam Adams, LB Ray Lewis and S Rod Woodson.
Marvin was honored last spring by Southwest Visions, Inc. with its First Annual �Vision� Award. Southwest Visions, Inc. is a non-profit housing and community development organization dedicated to providing quality affordable housing to the citizens of southwest Baltimore. The Ravens� defensive coordinator received other honors and awards this off-season. He was named �Man of the Year� by The Washington Observer in his hometown of Pittsburgh. The Professional Football Writers Association also honored Lewis as the �Assistant Coach of the Year� at the Ed Block Courage Awards dinner in March. He also was inducted into his alma mater�s (Idaho State) Hall of Fame in September 2000.
Lewis addressed NFL coaches at the league�s spring meeting in May, 2001, on �Preparing for Your Next Challenge.� Marvin�s efforts in the community have continued to be extensive during the off-season. He made numerous appearances at local events and golf tournaments and gave many speeches, among those his annual speech for Muscular Dystrophy of Baltimore.
Lewis spent four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1992-95) coaching some of the best linebackers in the NFL, including Pro Bowlers Kevin Greene, Chad Brown, Levon Kirkland and Greg Lloyd. From 1993-95, the Steelers� defense ranked among the top three in the NFL each season. Of Pittsburgh�s 97 sacks in two seasons (�94-95), the linebackers made 63.5, including 37.5 of a team record 55 sacks in �94.
Lewis, 43, is in his 21st year in coaching. He began his career coaching linebackers at his alma mater, Idaho State (1981-84). The Bengals finished 12-1 in Marvin�s first season and won the NCAA Division 1-AA championship. Lewis spent two years (1985-86) at Long Beach State before taking a post at New Mexico (1987-89), where he tutored inside linebackers the first two years and moved to the outside in �89. In 1990, he accepted a position coaching outside linebackers at Pittsburgh (1990-91).
Marvin received his bachelor�s degree in physical education from Idaho State in 1981 and his Master�s in athletic administration in 1982. He earned All-Big Sky Conference honors (1978, �79, �80) as a linebacker and also played quarterback and free safety during his college career.
Lewis attended Fort Cherry H.S. in McDonald (PA), where he was an all-conference quarterback and safety, and earned letters in wrestling and baseball. He and his wife, Peggy, have two children: daughter Whitney (16) and son Marcus (11). They reside in Finksburg, MD.
1981-84 (Idaho State); 1985-86 (Long Beach State); 1987-89 (New Mexico); 1990-91 (Pittsburgh); 1992-95 (Pittsburgh Steelers); 1996-2001 (Baltimore Ravens).
| RAVENS' 2000 DEFENSE AT A GLANCE |
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| � Set the NFL�s 16-game scoring record by allowing just 165 points. |
| � Set the NFL�s 16-game rushing yards allowed record with 970 (the first team under 1,000). The last team to allow fewer rushing yards in a season was the 1964 AFL Buffalo Bills, which allowed 913 yards in 14 games. |
| � Allowed just 3,967 total net yards, second behind Tennessee�s 3,814. The last AFC team to allow under 4,000 yards was the 1977 New England Patriots. |
| � Recorded four shutouts, one shy of the post-merger NFL record held by the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers. |
| � The defense allowed one or fewer TDs in 14 of the last 18 regular season games (18 of last 22 including playoffs). Held opponents scoreless in 41 quarters (out of 64, or 64%). Opponents scored only one offensive touchdown in four playoff games. |
| � Led the league in forced turnovers with 49. The 26 fumble recoveries were five shy of the NFL record of 31 by the 1963 Minnesota Vikings. |
| � Of 194 offensive possessions by the opponents, 88 (45.4%) were �three and out�, defined as the number of drives that did not produce a first down. The NFL average was 36.3%. |
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Last updated on 9/6/00.
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