Who was Darren Lewis? All we know about former Texas A&M star who died at 55 

Former Texas A&M running back Darren Lewis died on Friday, the program announced. The Aggies' all-time rushing leader was battling cancer and was aged 55.

Lewis was born on Nov. 7, 1968, in Dallas, Texas. He attended Carter High School and took a liking to the gridiron. The running back was considered by many as the best high school player in the class of 1987.

After an impressive high school football career, Lewis committed to Texas A&M, where he went on to set many records. He played four seasons with the Aggies before declaring for the 1991 NFL Draft.

During the Draft proceedings, Lewis said he was exposed to cocaine at parties and was assured by agents that he would test clean. However, he was the only player at the NFL Combine who tested positive for cocaine.

The Chicago Bears picked Lewis in the sixth round. However, his draft stock fell drastically after testing positive for drugs.

Nonetheless, Lewis went on to play three seasons for the Bears before being released by the team in November 1993. This was a month after he was arrested and charged with battery following a domestic dispute. He never returned to football.

However, he struggled with a cocaine addiction for most of his adult life and lost his home in 1995. He was arrested on shoplifting charges in 1998 and again in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Eventually, he landed in state prison on robbery charges and was released in 2010.

As per reports, Lewis married Tammie Thibodeaux on July 6, 2012. In 2014, Lewis was sentenced to 27 years in prison for a string of armed robberies, including shooting a cashier in the leg, which he later admitted was an accident.

During his time in prison in Pollock, Louisiana, Lewis developed a mass on his shoulder which later ruptured. It was later revealed that he had metastatic squamous cell carcinoma, a skin cancer that spreads to different organs.

Darren Lewis' condition didn't improve and he passed away on Friday.

A glimpse into Darren Lewis' college football career and honors

Across four seasons with Texas A&M, Darren Lewis racked up a whopping 5,012 rushing yards, which remains the program record. He also rushed for 44 touchdowns.

Lewis won the SWC Offensive Player of the Year in 1988. He was also named in two First-Team All-SWC selections and a First-team All-American selection.

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