Trey Lewis

Wynn Lewis III (Trey), his two older sisters, and younger brother were all born and raised in Topeka by their parents Wynn Jr. and Verna. They received their education through the Auburn-Washburn district starting at Jay Shideler Elementary. While in grade school, Trey began to explore his love for athletics by playing YMCA tackle football and attending countless Bob Chipman basketball camps. This love of sports and extra-curricular activities carried on through WRMS and expanded by high school to include throwing shot, disc, and javelin for the track team, motocross racing in Missouri, starting defensive player for the Topeka Jr Scarecrows ice hockey team, upright bassist in the WR Orchestra, Auburn Troop 40 Eagle Scout, and, of course, defensive tackle for the WR varsity football team. During his time at WR, he also took a special interest in a classmate from Mexico who would turn out to be his high school sweetheart, wife, and love of his life, Ana.

Trey excelled in most sports but proved himself to be a standout football player while at Washburn Rural where he received all city honors as a senior. Despite offers from multiple universities in the MIAA, he decided to stay in Topeka to earn his degree and play for Washburn and Coach Craig Schurig's Ichabods. It also didn't seem to hurt that Ana was attending Washburn on multiple academic scholarships. Trey and Ana had academic aspirations and originally were both seeking a degree in engineering. Ana's father was an engineer for a local Good Year, and she hoped to follow in his footsteps, while Trey had always been a tinkerer who loved building computers, racing radio-controlled cars, and taking apart the family's appliances. They would both eventually switch and graduate with Computer Science degrees.

By building on his success at WR, Trey managed to become an early contributor for the Ichabods, recording many stops even as a freshman defensive tackle. He fully bought into the Washburn coaching/training program and began earning All-Conference honors his sophomore season. By his senior year, he had earned most of the defensive honors available to a division II football player, including All-MIAA Conference, All-Region, All-American, and MIAA Defensive MVP. These efforts helped the Bods win the Mineral Water Bowl, an MIAA Conference Championship, a playoff bid, and a positive win/loss ratio over his 4 seasons. His stand out performances and level head in the classroom started attracting attention of NFL agents and scouts.

His hard work paid off when he was taken in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons at the 185th overall pick. True to fashion, he became a starter his rookie year, recording many solo stops and even an interception against Titan's QB Vince Young. His rookie season was unfortunately cut short in game 11 vs Tampa Bay when Trey tore his right ACL. It took the remainder of the 2007 season and the entire 2008 season before he would return to the field. In 2009, Trey returned as a major contributor for the Falcon's defense, in addition to finding time to come back and mentor Washburn's pro hopefuls. Getting drafted and his rookie season injury meant he could not finish his degree in his final year at Washburn or during his NFL off seasons. Trey wanted his degree from Washburn and always kept close ties with the school and Topeka community while in GA. He would start the opening game of the 2010 Falcons season only to be benched for the remainder of what would be his final NFL season.

After being released from the Falcons before the 2011 season, Trey (a married man now) would bounce around to try out for a few teams before finding his way to the UFL's Omaha Night Hawks. He would start in all four games for the Night Hawks before the league disbanded. His football career would officially end with a brief stint with the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL. After the Alouettes, Trey returned to Washburn to finish his bachelor's degree in Computer Science. While finishing up his degree, he shared some of his knowledge gained in the NFL and assistant coached the defensive line for two seasons. Trey continues to speak with local football teams, boy scout troops, and church groups. He and Ana settled down in the Washburn Rural area and both work in IT here in Topeka, at Advisors Excel and BCBS respectively. In addition to today's hall of fame honors, Trey has also been inducted into the Washburn University and MIAA conference hall of fames.