The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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APRIL 2018 THE WOLVERINE 71 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Lyke's likes were clear, but the precise direction of her career didn't crys- tallize immediately upon graduation. She went to law school at Akron, pick- ing up additional ana- lytical and writing skills, while quickly discovering she didn't want to be a tra- ditional lawyer. She did realize one pas- sionate interest. When 3 p.m. rolled around, she felt an inner pull, like she should be going to softball practice. S h e w a n t e d w h a t Hutchins possessed. No, not a softball program of her own, but a line of work that didn't feel like work. "She wants you to come to practice early and stay late," Lyke observed. "When I left Michi- gan, what I realized most was that if I could ever have a career that I love as much as Hutch loves coach- ing softball, then you're going to be successful. "She is incredibly passionate about teaching the game to young people and impacting young peoples' lives through the game of softball. That's her passion. Yes, she's a great softball coach in X's and O's, but I thought, the reason why she's going to be suc- cessful is, she loves her job. It's not work." Following her second year of law school, Lyke dialed up Peg Bradley- Doppes, then an athletic administra- tor at Michigan. Lyke asked how she could put herself in Bradley-Doppes' shoes someday. That conversation eventually led to a position with the NCAA — crucial, albeit not lucrative. "My parents were really excited," Lyke said with a laugh. "I was gradu- ating from law school, and I was go- ing to get an internship that paid like $500 a month." After a year of learning and net- working, she took a compliance posi- tion at the University of Cincinnati. It proved the first of several stepping- stones to running her own program. Bob Goin, the former UC athletics director, helped her tremendously, she insisted. "I got really lucky," Lyke said. "I worked for three of the greatest athletic directors in the country. Bob Goin was at Cincinnati, and I learned under him." Two and a half years later, a spot at another school in Ohio opened up. At first, her inner Wolverine objected. "I was like, okay, no way am I go- ing to Ohio State," she said. "But I studied it, and the guy running it was Andy Geiger, a legendary ath- letic director and a visionary leader, a transformative leader. He was at Brown and Penn and Stanford and Maryland, and then he came to Ohio State. "He believed in com- prehensive excellence. He believed in broad-based opportunities. I just knew he was someone I would love to work for." She wound up spend- ing 15 years there, finish- ing up as a senior associate AD under present athletics director Gene Smith. He urged her at one point to try taking over a program, and in 2013 she did, be- coming the AD at Eastern Michigan. "People will say, 'Oh, that's the worst job in col- lege athletics. It's a mas- sive rebuild. They never win in football,'" she noted. "They win in a lot of sports, but they have not won in football, so the perception is, they're not as good as they are. "Frankly, they're pretty darned good." One year ago, Lyke took over at Pittsburgh. She's guiding 19 ath- letic programs and more than 475 student-athletes, never forgetting the lessons she learned when she was one. "Grateful is the word, and highly driven," Lyke mused. "I'm passion- ate about what I do. I love coming to work as much as Hutch loves coach- ing softball." ❏ Michigan Accomplishments: Served as captain on the 1992 softball squad that secured Michigan's first-ever Big Ten championship under head coach Carol Hutchins … Earned four varsity letters, hitting .296 as a breakthrough starter in her sophomore season … Drove in 42 runs in her career as a strong defensive first baseman. Professional Accomplishments: Served as assistant athletics director for compliance at the University of Cincinnati, 1996-98 … Worked as an associate athletics director at Ohio State University, 1998-2013 … Guided Eastern Michi- gan's program as athletics director from 2013-17 … Took over as Pittsburgh AD in March 2017. Michigan Memory: "What I love about Michigan, it's about being Leaders and Best. It's in the fight song, and you hear it all the time. It's about being a leader, being the best you can be every day. My teammates embodied that, and my so- rority. My roommates were going on to MBA school, law school, pharmaceutical companies. They're just high-achieving people. "I studied in the law quad. I lived in South quad. I loved my team, and I loved winning our Big Ten championship. Bo gave me my diploma on the [Michigan Stadium] field. That was a pinnacle moment." Education: Earned a bachelor's degree in education from Michigan in 1992 and a law degree from the University of Akron in 1995. Family: Married to David, and they have three children: Elle, 17, Sophie, 14, and Eli, 9. The Heather Lyke File Lyke was a two-time captain and four-year letter winner as a first base- man at Michigan, including on the 1992 squad that won the Wolverines' first Big Ten championship. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS