Former Kansas Men's Basketball Standout Delvy Lewis Passes Away at 68

March 6, 2012

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Former Kansas men’s basketball standout Delvy Lewis passed away Monday afternoon. The 68-year-old Lewis battled cancer for more than nine years.

A native of Topeka, Kan., and a graduate of Washburn Rural High School, Lewis was a three-year starter at point guard for head coach Ted Owens at Kansas from 1964-66. Under his leadership, KU won the 1964 and 1965 Big Eight Holiday Tournaments, where he was named MVP of the 1965 event. His senior season, 1966, he helped guide KU to the Big Eight Conference regular-season title with a 13-1 record.

Lewis was a starting guard on the memorable KU team which lost to Texas Western in Lubbock, Texas, in the 1966 NCAA Midwest Regional Final.

“Delvy was a great leader and a great competitor,” Owens said. “By sheer force of hard work he made himself an all-league player. His courage and his faith are what I’ll remember about him. I’m so glad he was able to come to our (1965-66 team) reunion at Allen Fieldhouse in December.”

“Delvy Lewis was one of the real ‘class’ guys in the history of KU basketball,” longtime radio voice of the Jayhawks Max Falkenstien said. “He battled health problems for many years but his strong religious beliefs sustained him.”