Addison Trail to honor alumnus with Tradition of Excellence award

On Nov. 7, Addison Trail will recognize alumnus Wayne Drehs (class of 1995) with the Tradition of Excellence award.

The Tradition of Excellence award is the highest honor presented by Addison Trail to its graduates. Initiated in 1999, this annual alumni recognition program has honored recipients in professional fields such as medicine, engineering, science, education, art, music and law. Drehs will be inducted into the Tradition of Excellence during a presentation that will begin at 3:15 p.m. at Addison Trail. A reception will take place after that ceremony. To reserve a seat, RSVP by Oct. 30 to Melissa Morales at mmorales@dupage88.net or 630-458-4150.

Drehs is a three-time Emmy Award-winning senior feature writer for ESPN, where he has spent the last 17 years writing about everything from lost dogs to lost hockey pucks, American football in the Arctic to international football in Egypt. At ESPN, Drehs’ work has appeared not only on ESPN.com and in “ESPN The Magazine,” but on SportsCenter, Outside the Lines and E:60 as well. His stories also have appeared on ABC’s “World News Tonight,” “Nightline” and “Good Morning America.”

Drehs has covered nearly every major sporting event in America, as well as the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and the 2012 (London), 2014 (Sochi) and 2016 (Rio) Olympics. He is a National Headliner Award and an EPPY Award winner and also has been honored by the Football Writers Association of America and New York Festivals. In 2013, Drehs received the Distinguished Alumni Award from The University of Iowa, where he graduated in 2000. In 2011, Drehs worked with director Alex Gibney on a film called "Catching Hell” for ESPN's 30 for 30 series, and he also appeared in the film. His 2007 piece about the death of Jason Ray, a mascot from The University of North Carolina, led to an appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and prompted more than 50,000 Americans to become organ donors. Drehs was the 2009 recipient of the Benny Friedman Fellowship in Sports Journalism through the Knight-Wallace Fellowships at University of Michigan.

Before joining ESPN in 2000, Drehs wrote for Omaha World-Herald, Dallas Morning News and Washington Post. He currently lives in Naperville with his wife, Shana, and their two daughters.

To be considered for the Tradition of Excellence award, nominees must have graduated from Addison Trail more than 10 years ago; distinguished themselves in the academic, artistic, business, professional, entrepreneurial or public service field; demonstrated an ability to serve as an outstanding role model for current Addison Trail students; and performed services and/or accomplishments that have brought credit to their alma mater. To nominate someone for the Tradition of Excellence award, go to www.dupage88.net/TOEForm.