Former Denver Bronco running back Steve Sewellis entering his seventh season as CSU-Pueblo’s running backscoach.
In his first six seasons as the Pack’s running backscoach, he coached a group of backs that finished the season rankedin the national top 20 statistically twice and the top 35 fourtimes. He helped guide a turnaround from 2008 to 2009, as a unitthat was ranked in the bottom 10 nationally turned it around to bethe 14th-best rushing unit in the nation.
He also tutored tailback Jesse Lewis, who set most CSU-Pueblorushing records from 2008 to 2011, earning an All-American honor in2010 and being named a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award (DivisionII’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy) in 2010 and 2011.
Under his tutelage, five different CSU-Pueblo backs haveaccomplished All-RMAC distinction on nine different occasions, withthree (Lewis, Marquis McNeal and J.B. Mathews) receiving all-regionhonors and two (Mathews and Cameron McDondle) being named RMACOffensive Freshman of the Year.
Sewell is famously known to Denver Broncos fans in southernColorado, having played for the Broncos from 1985 to 1992,including the Broncos’ Super Bowl seasons of 1986, 1987 and1989. Since retiring in 1993, Sewell, a resident of Aurora, Colo.,had slowly warmed up to coaching as his day job, having mostrecently been an assistant coach with the Grandview High Schoolfootball team in Centennial, Colo.
Sewell, who had been the team’s offensive coordinator thepast two seasons, was instrumental in Grandview’s 5A ColoradoState Championship title in 2007. During Grandview’s statechampionship run, the Grandview offense was nearly unstoppable,averaging 332 yards of offense per game, including an average of237 rushing yards per game. The state’s leading individualrunner, Bo Bolen, tutored under Sewell, en route to 2,291 rushingyards and 28 touchdowns.
In Sewell’s four seasons with the team, Grandview made the5A state playoffs three of those four seasons, including a berth inthe state semifinal in 2005.
As a player with the Broncos, Sewell had learned from some ofthe best, including current and former NFL head coaches MikeShanahan (Washington Redskins) and Chan Gailey (Buffalo Bills), DanReeves (Broncos), Wade Phillips (Dallas Cowboys), and Mike Nolan(49ers). As a player at the University of Oklahoma, Sewell wascoached by Barry Switzer and current University of Texas headcoach, Mack Brown, each of which won national championships at thecollegiate level. Sewell also played alongside current HoustonTexans head coach, Gary Kubiak, who was a backup quarterback forthe Broncos during Sewell’s time with the team.
Sewell received his bachelor’s degree in OrganizationalCommunication from the University of Oklahoma in 1986. ACalifornia-native, Sewell graduated from Riordan High School in SanFrancisco in 1981. He is the father of three children: Samuel,Caleb and Calah.
