Mackenzie Lewis `18 is the first—and only—young woman to play football at Gonzaga Prep. Her perseverance and desire to be part of the brotherhood that is Bullpup football taught her how to handle challenges on the field and in life.
Mackenzie Lewis didn’t set out to be a trailblazer.
“I just wanted to play football,” she says.
Long before she hung up her ballet slippers, she knew sports was a better fit. “I did ballet when I was 10. I’d just finished The Nutcracker at the Fox, but I was never really a girly girl. Most of my friends were guys, and when they all went off to football practice, I hated being left out.”
So she switched slippers for cleats. After some middle school arena football and a call from her mom to former Coach Dave McKenna `88, the conversation that changed everything took place: “I have a daughter who wants to play football,” her mom said. “Absolutely! Anyone can play,” said coach “Mac.”
That seemingly simple 'yes' made her the first and only female varsity football player in Gonzaga Prep's history. “Coach Mac and my mom set me up for success,” Mackenzie says. “There were a lot of logistics—locker rooms, travel—but he always treated me like another player. It was never ‘Kenzie and the boys,’ it was just team, brotherhood.”
Prep, long known for its dominance on the football field, is indeed a brotherhood – one that is willing to give players a chance. Mackenzie played all four years at Prep, suiting up through wins, losses, and the daily grind. There were moments that stung, especially comments from other parents, locker room delays, even a security guard who mistook her for a cheerleader after the team won state. But there were also moments that changed everything.
In a blowout game against Shadle, the school she almost attended, Coach McKenna called her number. “He said, ‘You’re getting the ball. Just run.’ I caught it and stepped out of bounds. For me, it was just normal, but the sidelines erupted. Even the Shadle crowd cheered. I didn’t play to make a statement. I just loved the game.”
Football became more than a sport—it became her classroom for resilience. “I had a lot of loss when I was younger and didn’t always have the right tools to handle frustration,” Mackenzie says. “Football gave me a place to turn that energy into something positive.”
She learned early that adversity doesn’t define you. How you respond does. “There were parents who wouldn’t shake my hand or said things that really hurt. I had to learn that their words were about their character, not mine. You realize even adults act like kids sometimes, and you just keep going.”
That perseverance, she says, came from a mix of family support and faith. “My mom always told me not to let other people steal my happiness. Don’t let fear keep you from doing something you love.”
Today, Mackenzie carries that same drive into her work as a senior service manager for Texas Roadhouse, where she leads and trains teams across the region. “I started as a to-go host,” she says. “Now I oversee operations and development. It’s a people-first company that just happens to sell steaks.” She’s also back in school, pursuing her bachelor’s degree in business administration, after earning a 4.0 in her return to college. “I wasn’t ready the first time,” she admits. “But the lessons I learned from Prep, and from football, taught me how to handle hard things and start again.”
To current Bullpups, she offers, “Have open eyes. Even when outcomes feel uncertain, go in with clear intentions. You might not realize what doors you’re opening for yourself or for others.”
She also hopes today’s students recognize the value of their Jesuit education. “I was baptized at Prep my sophomore year. The people, the theology classes, the food drive, all of those experiences shaped me. They remind me that what you learn here goes far beyond the classroom. It’s about community, character, and courage.”
