Pitt tabs EMU's Lyke to take over Athletic Department
Pitt has found its replacement for Scott Barnes, and it’s Heather Lyke.
According to Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com, the Eastern Michigan Athletic Director will serve in the same position at Pitt. Lyke comes to Pittsburgh after spending three years at EMU, a tenure that saw her hire 10 head coaches.
That includes football coach Chris Creighton, who guided the Eagles to their first bowl in 29 years this past season. According to Lyke’s bio on the EMU website, the head coaches she has hired have won 17 Coach of the Year Awards in the Mid-American Conference and one National Coach of the Year.
Lyke also spent a lot of time trying to make Rynearson Stadium, where EMU plays its home football games, more appealing for fans, from facilities upgrades to rebranding. And she dove headfirst into facilities upgrades across all sports at EMU, which is significant at Pitt, where Barnes had initiated similar plans for upgrades throughout the Athletic Department.
Barnes’ primary goal was to increase fundraising, and Lyke will be similarly challenged. If her history at EMU is any indication, though, she is up to the task. In 2016, Lyke’s efforts set EMU records for donation totals and total number of donors.
A native of Ohio who attended Michigan on a softball scholarship, Lyke has spent the bulk of her professional life at Ohio State, where she worked in the Athletic Department for 16 years.