HBCU legend and iconic hoops coach honored in Philadelphia

Courtesy of the MEAC

ORANGEBURG, S C – Robert “Bobby” Lewis, a legendary HBCU basketball player at SC State during the mid-60s was memorialized Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, during a special service at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park, 1500 Pattison Ave. at Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA.

Lewis died on Sept. 19, 2024. He was 78.

During his playing days at SC State (1964-1968), Lewis was known for his flamboyant dribbling, passing, and playmaking. A playground legend in his hometown of Philadelphia, PA, he lifted the HBCU basketball team to prominence under head coach Ed Martin, serving as team captain in his junior and senior campaigns.

The 5-10 guard averaged around 12 points his first two seasons at SC State before his average soared to 19.1 points as a junior when he helped the Bulldogs to the NCAA Division II Region Finals in 1967. He capped his Bulldog career averaging 30.9 points, 8th best in the country, and 11.8 assists as a senior.

Lewis was a three-time All-SIAC (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) performer and tournament MVP in 1967. That same year, he was selected as team captain and flag bearer for the United States team in the FIBA Small Player’s World Cup Games. The team, coached by the late John McClendon, won the gold medal. He was named a first-team Small College All-American by UPI in his final season at SC State. He was inducted into the SCSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.

Following his SC State career, Lewis was drafted by the Dallas Chaparrals of the ABA in 1968. He also played professionally for the Gillette Corporation USA All-Stars and the Wilmington Blue Bombers. He later became an iconic figure in Philadelphia as a coach, mentor, and basketball clinician in Philadelphia, touching the lives of hundreds of youths.

Bobby Lewis was inducted into the South Carolina State Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Philadelphia Black Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. Lewis was also nominated for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. “He’s the most exciting player ever recruited by [South Carolina State coach Ed Martin] and the darling of the fans,” said a reporter for the Orangeburg, S.C. newspaper the Times and Democrat in a 1966 story.

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