Nearly a century after his efforts, on January 9, 2026, Lee Pray was inducted into the Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association (WCCCA) Hall of Fame. Pray was a student at SHS in the 1930s. He ran at Shorewood despite his father teaching at Riverside High School. His father wanted him to attend Riverside, however Pray was determined to stay at Shorewood and run alongside his teammates.

While this acknowledgement may seem delayed, the fact was brought into the light through hours of research by Dominic Newman, the cross country and track and field coach of the last 26 years, and his assistant coach, Chris Krolick, who also serves as the new historian for the WCCCA. The two have been researching past runners and the history of Shorewood’s program. Newman gave a speech for Pray during the induction ceremony.

“I am deeply privileged to represent both the Shorewood community and the family of an extraordinary athlete as we formally induct Mr. Lee Pray into the WCCCA Hall of Fame,” Newman said. “It is an honor long overdue, and it is my solemn privilege to accept this recognition on his behalf on this ninth day of January, 2026.”

Pray ran at Shorewood for three years. Newman says that during that time he was massively influential in the team’s success, which facilitated his own personal growth as a runner.

“As a sophomore in 1930, Lee completed an undefeated season leading into the State Meet, where he finished as runner-up to the defending champion,” Newman said. “Rather than discouraging him, this result fueled his resolve.”

Despite his loss at the state championship, Pray maintained a consistent season, only losing to another member of the Hall of Fame. He continued these efforts into his later high school years.

“In his junior and senior seasons, 1931 and 1932, Lee Pray achieved perfection,” Newman said. “He was undefeated across both years, capturing Suburban Conference titles and earning consecutive State Championships. At the time of his graduation, he held the State Meet record, covering the demanding 2.3 mile course in an exceptional 10 minutes and 40 seconds. His performances were not only dominant, they were emblematic of discipline, consistency, and competitive integrity.”

Pray made an effort to attend as many races as possible. He approached each race as an opportunity to grow and challenge his abilities. Some of these races are still attended by Shorewood athletes to this day, although their means of getting there have changed since Pray’s time. 

“One of the longest continuing meets in Wisconsin is the Janesville Invite,” Newman said. “I came upon a newspaper clipping about how he would leave from Shorewood, with a train station, and he took the train all the way from Shorewood down to Janesville, just to run this race, which he won.”

Pray also participated in track, while extremely successful with many podium appearances, he was not quite as dominant as he was in cross country.

“He was a well-liked guy,” Newman said. “The whole family was pretty athletic and his father encouraged athleticism, so he gravitated … right from the get go, to cross country and track.”

While Pray maintained a noteworthy performance record, he simultaneously became a leader for his teammates. His primary strength was being an encouraging team member, who built others up rather than put them down. 

“Yet beyond the accolades and records, what set Lee apart was his character,” Newman said. “He exemplified sportsmanship, humility, and dedication to his team and community. I am confident he would wish to acknowledge those who supported him—his teammates, his coaches, and the Shorewood community whose encouragement helped shape his journey.”

According to the WIAA, Pray stood out as one of the greatest athletes in Wisconsin, and by working to stay at Shorewood, he contributed greatly to the development of Shorewood’s cross country program and to Shorewood athletics as a whole.

However, the endeavors to receive this acknowledgement can be a rigorous process. 

“The way the induction works is that you fill out a form, it could be [by] a family member, a coach, a school, or an athletic director, and then you list the exploits of what they did, how many races they won, not just the state meet, but the sectionals and overall meet results from that person,” Newman said. “If they ran in college that also helps a bit if they had some success there, but it’s primarily the broad range of what they did in high school athletics.”

After his time at Shorewood, Pray went on to attend University of Wisconsin-Madison, however he did not compete for them, and afterwards he proceeded to work at Boeing as a design engineer throughout the 30s, 40s, and 50s while traveling the country, living in places like New York and Chicago. He passed away in 1965 in Seattle.