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Virginia Football Tabs Larry Lewis New Special Teams Coach

Posted: 5:40 PM Jan 12, 2013

Jeff Banks was the Virginia special teams coach for nine days before bolting to Texas A&M.

It took the Wahoos less than that to name his replacement.

Virginia announcing Saturday it has hired longtime special teams coach Larry Lewis to join the program. Lewis will also coach the Cavalier running backs.

Lewis has 32 years of collegiate coaching experience, including an eight-year stint as the head coach at Idaho State. He has also coached special teams for Weber State and Washington State.

“Larry Lewis has probably been coaching special teams for as long as anyone in college football and we’re really fortunate to have him join our staff,” London said. “On the offensive side of the ball, he has worked for some very successful and innovative coaches out west and coached two of the nation’s top running backs over the past two seasons. Larry is high energy and our players are going to enjoy his style. It is ironic that Jeff Banks played for Larry at Washington State. I guess you could say we’ve gone from the pupil to the teacher.”

Lewis comes to Virginia after working at Nevada in 2012. He served as the Wolfpack’s special teams coordinator and running backs coach. Nevada averaged 271 rushing yards per game last season, the seventh-best average among FBS programs.

Lewis coached at Colorado State for four seasons before joining the staff at Nevada. After coaching the Rams’ special teams and safeties for three seasons, he was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2011 campaign and given the responsibility of coaching running backs and fullbacks, in addition to special teams. 