• At ESPN, Trey Wingo is living out his Baylor dreams

    Trey Wingo

    During his days as a Baylor student, Trey Wingo, BA ’85, would go home to Connecticut over breaks and watch a fledgling cable network called ESPN. As he took in the novelty of a cable network dedicated exclusively to sports, Wingo remembers thinking, “How cool would it be to be able to come home and work at a place like this?”

    That dream has became reality in ways he could never have imagined. In the 20-plus years since he joined ESPN in 1997, the network has grown into the “worldwide leader in sports,” and Wingo has become one of the network’s most recognizable personalities.

    At Baylor, Wingo spent much of his time in the Castellaw Communications Building as a speech communication major. It was a natural fit for someone with an impressive media lineage. His father, Hal Wingo — also a Baylor Bear, Class of ’57 — enjoyed a legendary career in the magazine industry and served as one of the founding editors of People magazine. Trey recalls several Baylor professors who knew of his broadcast dreams encouraging him to “go for it,” and credits their belief in him for spurring him to do just that.

    Just 12 years after graduating from Baylor, Wingo had made his way to ESPN’s worldwide headquarters in Bristol, Conn. He rose rapidly through the ranks to become a leading voice for the network’s NFL coverage. From 2003 until this past spring, he was the only host of ESPN’s popular “NFL Live” program; for years, he also has played a large role in ESPN’s NFL Draft programming and the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony. Beyond football, he has served as the lead host of NCAA women’s basketball tournament studio programming, and has contributed to tennis coverage at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Last year, he added the title of morning show host to his duties on ESPN’s flagship radio program, “Golic and Wingo.”

    From Connecticut to Waco and back again —

    Sic ’em, Trey Wingo!