United they stand

The genteel southern-gentleman persona of Tampa health insurance executive T. David Lewis, down to the bow ties he sometimes wears, can easily give way to an ultra-competitive side.

President and CEO of the Florida division of national health insurance giant UnitedHealthcare, Lewis can partially thank his father, Tommy Lewis, for that. The elder Lewis played college football at the University of Alabama, where he was involved in a famous play in the 1954 Cotton Bowl: He stepped off the bench during a live play and tackled an opposing player headed to the end zone on a 95-yard run. Tommy Lewis, who died in October at 83, later went on to play in the Canadian Football League and coached back at Alabama under another fierce competitor, Paul “Bear” Bryant.

The competitive fire in the younger Lewis manifests itself differently. A recent example is when he showed off the “steps walked for the week” page on his iPhone, connected to the Fitbit he wears on his right wrist. Lewis charts the steps he takes against a small group of fellow UnitedHealthcare executives. Lewis, 56, usually wins.