Gaston F. Lewis

{{Short description|American baseball player and football, basketball, track, and cross country coach}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Gaston F. Lewis

| image = Gaston Lewis.jpg

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1903|8|4}}

| birth_place = Clinton County, Ohio, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1989|11|28|1903|8|4}}

| death_place = Xenia, Ohio, U.S.

| alma_mater =

| player_sport1 = Football

| player_years2 = {{Circa|1925}}

| player_team2 = Wilberforce

| player_sport3 = Basketball

| player_years4 = c. 1925

| player_team4 = Wilberforce

| player_sport5 = Baseball

| player_years6 = c. 1925

| player_team6 = Wilberforce

| player_sport7 = Track

| player_years8 = c. 1925

| player_team8 = Wilberforce

| player_positions =

| coach_sport1 = Football

| coach_years2 = 1929–1933

| coach_team2 = Alabama State

| coach_years3 = 1934

| coach_team3 = Wilberforce

| coach_years4 = 1935–1937

| coach_team4 = Wilberforce (assistant)

| coach_years5 = 1938–1946

| coach_team5 = Wilberforce

| coach_years6 = 1947–1956

| coach_team6 = Wilberforce State / Central State (OH)

| coach_sport8 = Basketball

| coach_years9 = 1934–?

| coach_team9 = Wilberforce

| coach_sport10 = Track

| coach_years11 = 1934–?

| coach_team11 = Wilberforce

| admin_years1 = 1957–1969

| admin_team1 = Central State (OH)

| overall_record = 123–65–12 (football)

| bowl_record = 4–1–1

| tournament_record =

| championships = Football
1 Black college national (1948)
3 Midwest Athletic Association (1948, 1950–1951)

| awards =

| coaching_records =

}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

| name = Gaston Lewis

| position = Pitcher

| bats =

| throws = Left

| debutleague = Negro league baseball

| debutdate =

| debutyear = 1922

| debutteam = Bacharach Giants

| finaldate =

| finalyear = 1926

| finalteam = Dayton Marcos

| teams =

Bacharach Giants (1922)
Dayton Marcos (1926)

}}

Gaston Frederick "Country" 'Lewis (August 4, 1903 – November 28, 1989) was an American Negro league baseball player and a college football, college basketball, track, and cross country coach. He served as the head football coach at Alabama State University (1929–1933), Wilberforce University (1934, 1938–1946), and Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio (1947–1956).

Biography

A native of Clinton County, Ohio, Lewis grew up on a farm in Caesarscreek Township, Greene County, Ohio, graduated from Wilberforce University, and earned a master's degree at Ohio State University. He played for the Bacharach Giants in 1922 and for the Dayton Marcos in 1926.{{cite web|url=https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/player.php?playerID=lewis01gas |title=Gaston Lewis |publisher=seamheads.com |date= |accessdate=August 16, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=lewis-000gas |title=Gaston Lewis |publisher=baseball-reference.com |date= |accessdate=August 16, 2021}}

1935, Lewis was succeed as head football coach at Wilberforce by Hank Corrothers, but remained as an assistant coach for the team.{{cite news |author= |title=Corrothers Named Wilberforce Coach |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/dayton-daily-news/157816404/ |newspaper=Dayton Daily News |location=Dayton, Ohio |date=June 29, 1935 |page=9 |access-date=October 25, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }} After the resignation of James McCrary in 1938, Lewis was once again appointed head coach of the team.{{cite news |author= |title=Lewis Named Wilberforce Grid Mentor |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-dayton-forum/157814226/ |newspaper=The Dayton Forum |location=Dayton, Ohio |date=September 9, 1938 |page=7 |access-date=October 25, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}

Lewis served as the manager of the track and field competition at the 1967 Pan American Games, and was an assistant track and field coach for the 1968 United States Olympic team. Lewis died in Xenia, Ohio in 1989 at age 86.{{cite news |last=Baxter |first=Joan |date=February 3, 2017 |title=A little history on Country Lewis |url=http://www.xeniagazette.com/opinion/15567/a-little-history-on-country-lewis |work=Xenia Daily Gazette |location=Xenia, Ohio |access-date=January 12, 2018 }}{{cite news |last=Jackson |first=Marion E. |date=June 15, 1956 |title=Meet The Coach |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31768619/alabama_tribune/ |work=Alabama Tribune |location=Montgomery, Alabama |page=7 |access-date=May 21, 2019 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{cite web|author=Quanita Fair |url=https://wilberforcepayne.libguides.com/c.php?g=763792&p=5478044 |title=History of Wilberforce University: Gaston Lewis |publisher=Wilberforce-Payne Unified Library |date= |accessdate=August 28, 2021}}

Head coaching record

=Football=

{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Alabama State Hornets

| conf = Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

| startyear = 1929

| endyear = 1933

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1929

| name = Alabama State

| overall = 5–2–2

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1930

| name = Alabama State

| overall = 6–5

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1931

| name = Alabama State

| overall = 8–3

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1932

| name = Alabama State

| overall = 6–1–1

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1933

| name = Alabama State

| overall = 6–2–1

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Alabama State

| overall = 31–13–4

| confrecord =

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Wilberforce Green Wave

| conf =

| startyear = 1934

| endyear = single

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1934

| name = Wilberforce

| overall = 6–3

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Wilberforce Green Wave

| conf =

| startyear = 1938

| endyear = single

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1938

| name = Wilberforce

| overall = 3–2–1

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1939

| name = Wilberforce

| overall = 5–2

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1940

| name = Wilberforce

| overall = 6–1–2

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname = Orange Blossom Classic, L Vulcan

| bowloutcome = T

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1941

| name = Wilberforce

| overall = 3–4

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1942

| name = No team—World War II

| overall =

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1943

| name = No team—World War II

| overall =

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1944

| name = Wilberforce

| overall = 4–3–1

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1945

| name = Wilberforce

| overall = 6–3

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1946

| name = Wilberforce

| overall = 6–2–2

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Wilberforce

| overall = 39–20–6

| confrecord =

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Wilberforce State Green Wave / Central State Marauders

| conf = Midwest Athletic Association

| startyear = 1947

| endyear = 1956

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1947

| name = Wilberforce State

| overall = 10–1

| conference = 3–1

| confstanding = 3rd

| bowlname = Fruit, W Vulcan

| bowloutcome = W

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = national

| year = 1948

| name = Wilberforce State

| overall = 9–1–1

| conference = 3–0

| confstanding = 1st

| bowlname = Prairie View

| bowloutcome = W

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1949

| name = Wilberforce State

| overall = 5–4

| conference = 2–1

| confstanding = 2nd

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = conference

| year = 1950

| name = Wilberforce State

| overall = 6–4

| conference = 3–0

| confstanding = 1st

| bowlname = Orange Blossom Classic

| bowloutcome = W

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = conference

| year = 1951

| name = Wilberforce State

| overall = 7–2

| conference = 3–0

| confstanding = 1st

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1952

| name = Central State

| overall = 4–4

| conference = 1–2

| confstanding = 5th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1953

| name = Central State

| overall = 1–5

| conference = 0–3

| confstanding = T–6th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1954

| name = Central State

| overall = 4–4

| conference = 1–2

| confstanding = 5th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1955

| name = Central State

| overall = 4–4

| conference = 0–3

| confstanding = T–5th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1956

| name = Central State

| overall = 4–3–1

| conference = 1–1–1

| confstanding = T–2nd

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Wilberforce State / Central State

| overall = 53–32–2

| confrecord = 17–12–1

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record End

| overall = 123–65–12

| bowls = no

| poll = no

| polltype =

}}

References

External links

{{Baseballstats|mlb=818504|br=l/lewisga01}} and [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=lewis-000gas Baseball-Reference Black Baseball Stats] and [https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/player.php?playerID=lewis01gas Seamheads]
{{Find a Grave}}

Category:1903 births

Category:1989 deaths

Category:Alabama State Hornets football coaches

Category:Central State Marauders athletic directors

Category:Central State Marauders football coaches

Category:Wilberforce Bulldogs baseball players

Category:Wilberforce Bulldogs football coaches

Category:Wilberforce Bulldogs football players

Category:Wilberforce Bulldogs men's basketball coaches

Category:Wilberforce Bulldogs men's basketball players

Category:Wilberforce Bulldogs men's track and field athletes

Category:College track and field coaches in Ohio