The realization of a career in the game of football is the stuff dreams are made of. America’s game has long been the pursuit of young boys from pop warner leagues to the Friday night lights. The reality is that it consists of a lot of late nights at the facility, uprooting your life through promotions & demotions, and a lot of travel miles out in between.
In other words, it’s a lot of work.
There’s nothing that creates bonds of brotherhood like hard work.—the time spent working together, laboring towards a shared common mission. You see it in the military and among first responders—you see it in sports.
Sean Lewis pursued his playing career at Wisconsin, changing positions from quarterback to tight-end just to remain in that Badger brotherhood. Following graduation, Lewis worked various jobs, including as a personal trainer and a “dull” office supply sales job. He quickly realized he needed to get back in and pursue a career in coaching.
Now reflecting back on 20 years in the journey, he can only show a deep understanding of how tough it is for fellow coaches and how memorable for a player those years truly will be for a young man living through the experience.
“My guys don’t owe me anything.” Lewis repeated to emphasize the point. “My guys don’t owe me anything. I’m not deserving of anything.”
As this years Aztecs team nears December 27 and the New Mexico Bowl vs #23 North Texas, the talk should be about his guys turn-around this season. Maybe even a little bit about the heavy weight matchup between two very good teams. Instead it has mostly been centered around changes in his staff and wether players will opt out of participating in the post season game. From the looks of things on the national stage can you blame anyone?
“This is a special group that for the next 19 days we’ll get to be together, and after that they probably won’t be back together until 2035 when we have the ten-year reunion for this team, and they’re doing that as older men, right?”
Ten year reunion you say? It was ten years ago back in 2015 that this proud SDSU program earned their 2nd Mountain West Championship and first of a back to back set. The team led by former coach Rocky Long was celebrated this past season before the Aztecs game against CAL. Lewis watched from up close and saw exactly what those moments meant to a great Aztecs championship team.
Those teams with household names of Pumphrey, Penny, Kazee and Siragusa, were teams pre-pandemic, pre-portal, and pre-NIL. I try not to think what would become of that group during this era of football. Thankfully, we don’t have to. But that is not the case for Lewis.
“When we break it down for the final time on December 27th, this team will go their separate ways. They’ve done everything that I’ve asked them to do. And I would like to believe at this point in time, if you’re going to do the work with us because of the work that we’ve done, then let’s go do that.”
News broke with the departure of Rob Aurich heading for Nebraska. What just squeaked out on Thursday was the news of edge rushers coach Roy Manning also following his coordinator to Lincoln as part of Aurich’s staff.
This season SDSU constructed a team that saw several weak-points addressed from the previous year, especially in the trenches on both offensive and defensive lines. The hiring of first ever general manager Caleb Davis was an invaluable resource for Lewis to build with. But it was the promotion from within of Rob Aurich that also played a part into that.
The defense that we regard as one of the best in the nation was full of returning players that prompted for the promotion of Aurich. A similar sentiment could be said as the positive reactions pour in for Demetrius Sumler in the interim DC role to replace him. This time around with so many seniors set to graduate, it will be interesting to see just who stays in the program for next season, but also honors their brotherhood and plays in this season’s bowl game.
“If guys make other choices, I’m good with that too. I understand what it is. I embrace what it is. I know the job that I’ve signed up for, and I love finding the solutions of where we’re at — whether it’s roster construction or it’s staff construction.”
“I hope that we’ve done enough work collectively together that they want to go play again together.”
These next few weeks will be huge for Lewis. Last week’s high school signing day solidified just his third season of recruits shaped in his vision. The bowl game with newly appointed interim DC Sumler will give him a great evaluation to decide if that move is long-term or not.
The football success on and off the field this season has been impressive and should be celebrated by San Diego football fans—especially when held up in comparison to some of the absurdity we see from national ‘blue blood’ programs around the news cycle this week.
Locally for a sports city that’s been suppressed by the professional teams of the past, Lewis’ candor all season long has been refreshing and a welcomed pivot from the slogans and coach speak from his year-1 on the Mesa. It’s been clear the players see it, hear it, and believe in his leadership.
But will they believe enough to stick around when the spoils of the power conferences come to break up the brotherhood? Lewis isn’t banking on it, and that’s okay.
“It’s helping these young men grow. But to say they owe me anything — they don’t owe me a damn thing. They don’t owe me a damn thing.”
Check out Everything Sean Lewis said Addressing New Mexico Bowl and State of the Program for more quotes of the head coach leading into bowl season. More to come as we get closer to the game and more in depth with all the post season happenings.
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