 Lewis coached many outstanding players, some who rank among the greatest of all time, including Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Otis Birdsong, Dwight Jones, Don Chaney, Louis Dunbar, and Ken Spain.Lewis's Houston teams played a key role in two watershed events that helped to popularize college basketball as a spectator sport.In January 1968, his underdog Cougars, led by Hayes, upset John Wooden's undefeated and top-ranked UCLA Bruins 71–69 in front of 52,693 fans at the Houston Astrodome.