Hall of Fame
Fred Lewis, an All-American basketball player at Eastern two consecutive seasons, had an illustrious career, both as a player in the National Basketball Association and as a coach at Syracuse University.
Lewis finished second in the nation in scoring in 1944-45 and third the following season. He was voted the most valuable player in NAIB Tournament in 1945 and the coaches’ All-Star Game in Chicago in 1946. Drafted by Sheboygan Redskins of the NBA in 1946, he proceeded to be selected as the Rookie of the Year and as a member of the first-team All-NBA squad. He was the second scorer in the league that year.
Lewis played the 1947-49 seasons with the Baltimore Bullets.
He coached in the high school ranks from 1950-54, before coaching at the University of Hawaii (1954-57), Southern Illinois (1957-58), Mississippi Southern (1958-62) and Syracuse (1962-68). He was named Coach of the Year in the East and in New York in 1963.
