Lewis West enters his second season at Alabama State and has almost 40 years of coaching experience.
After losing the starting safeties from the previous season, West took over a group of first-time starters and molded them into a group that was became a solid reason for the improved defensive play over the course of the season.
The Hornets defense finished second in the SWAC in scoring defense (24.8 ppg) and was also second in the SWAC allowing 365.2 yards per game.
Prior to his appointment at ASU West coached the defensive backs and linemen at Mississippi Delta Junior College (2013-14). He spent 2011 and 2012 as the defensive coordinator at Garden City Community College where they won the Mississippi Bowl over Copiah-Lincoln. He coached the defensive backs and linebackers at Rose-Holman in 2009-10.
West has also been a head coach spending three year (2005-07) as the head coach at Indiana State.
While the defensive coordinator (2001-04) at Toledo, he was a helped lead the Rockets to three consecutive MAC Championships. Along the way Toledo played in three consecutive Motor City Bowls.
West also spent time as a defensive backs coach at Notre Dame (1999-2000) and Virginia Tech (1995-98). During those years his teams made appearances in the Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Gator Bowl and Music City Bowl.
He spent the 1994 season coaching the defensive backs at Kent State and before that spent six years (1988-93) at Cincinnati.
West has coached at Kansas (1986-87), Western Michigan (1984-85), Minnesota (1983), Middle Tennessee State (1981-82) and Arizona Western College (1979-80).
He graduated from Cincinnati in 1977 and received his master’s degree from Arizona in 1978.
His wife is Gail and he is the father of four children (Orenthal, Andre, Adrian and Alexandria) and has eight grandchildren.
