County Hall of Fame Class of 2020: Duane Lewis

Duane Lewis

Inducted as: Coach

High School: Lynnwood

Sport: Track and Field

Lewis was an institution at Lynnwood, coaching track and field for 46 years at the school and winning three state championships.

Lewis, who graduated from Shoreline High School, arrived in the Edmonds School District in 1966 after running track at Seattle Pacific University. He spent five years at Edmonds Junior High before being hired as the boys head coach at Lynnwood when the school opened in 1971. He added the role of girls head coach in 1976 and held both positions until retiring in 2017.

Lewis, known for his ability to connect with his athletes, guided the Royals to all kinds of success. During Lewis’ time in charge Lynnwood had 30 individual state champions and had 12 teams earn top-five trophies at state, including girls state championships in 1990 and 2016 and a boys state title in 1994. Both the boys and girls teams also racked up immense winning streaks in dual meets, with the boys winning 58 straight from 1990-97 and the girls winning 44 straight from 1986-91.

In 2009 Lewis was inducted into the Washington State Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame, becoming the first Snohomish County coach to earn that distinction. In 2016 he was chosen Girls High School Coach of the Year for Washington State by the U.S. Track and Cross County Coaches Association.

Lewis’ influence remains in Wesco track and field as his proteges have gone on to coach across the league.

This is the last of nine profiles on the 2020 Snohomish County Sports Hall of Fame induction class. This year’s banquet was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the inductees will be officially honored at the 2021 banquet.