It’s certainly possible, but the field that Northwestern recruits from is already limited due to their high academic standards. I don’t see much changing from a talent standpoint.
Northwestern going hard after Lyke
- Thread starter ThePanthers
- Start date
Just stop it. They have always been in the Big 10. They have done absolutely nothing. Just give it a rest.
What I suggest to all you people who thinks every team is so much richer than Pitt no matter what the next school that goes after a Pitt person, then go and follow that school. This incessant blabbering about other teams on what is suppose to be a Pitt message board, is truly becoming more outlandash. I dont get why some of you continously come to a place where you seem to dislike a team and university so much.
If you dont like it, take your disgust for all things Pitt to another board. That way you wont be so misrable. You'll feel a lot better.
My thoughts too. The total ineptitude of the previous AD's for the past 40 years have made Heather look like a superstar whereas I would probably put her in the average-good category. The contract extensions on Capel and Narduzzi were questionable, but I guess you can say it is the cost of doing business these days. Still not sold on Capel. One tournament appearance in 6 years....not the greatest.
But of course the fear of getting another total loser is what has me hoping she stays rather than how great a job she has done here.
Heard there have also been some things behind the scenes regarding her [over]-emphasis on the non-revenue sports that have put Pitt in a tough spot, financially.
Pitt should be all hands on deck for NIL for football and basketball. Everything else should be intramural-level until we can win in those 2 sports.
I begrudgingly had to make Panther Club contributions, still, for football and basketball tickets. That club should be gonzo. All emphasis has to be on paying the players so we dont lose already marginal football talent every year.
Just my opinion, but Victory Heights also couldn't have been a worse decision. It's like going out and buying a Mercedes when the foundation of your house is collapsing and you don't have coal mine insurance. Absolutely awful time to do something like that.
She's done some good but overall I wouldn't lose any sleep with her heading to Northwestern - I might even help her pack.
I don't think her priorities align with where they need to be. Not putting football first, second, third, and fourth right now is basically worrying about the color of the toenail polish they used on your last manicure while you're drowning in Crystal Lake. Okay, I'm done with the analogies.
... for now.
But yeah - I wouldn't call her a bad AD at all. But when Dinocat, Notre Dame/Navy colors, and Kevin Stallings are what you're following... well, the bar was low.
O ye of little memory…Some of us need to get out of the yinzer mentality… For those of you with foggy memories…
*Last year, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics named Lyke the recipient of the Cushman & Wakefield for AD of the Year Award. So comparatively speaking she is as good as some current AD's and probably better than a lot.
*CBS ranked Pitt as best ACC athletic department in the ACC:
*She was one of six finalists for Sports Business Journal’s Athletic Director of the Year award in 2023.
*She has dragged Pitt into the 21st century:
The Pitt men’s basketball program was an absolute mess. It was a year into the two-year nightmare of Kevin Stallings as head coach.
The Pitt facilities were, for the most part, shabby. Fitzgerald Field House was constructed in 1951 and still housed most of the Olympic sports. It was a dump.
*She has brought vision, pride and a positive winning attitude:
https://www.audacy.com/937thefan/sp...-pitt-out-of-being-part-of-a-super-conference
https://archive.triblive.com/sports...for-pitt-trophies-and-a-case-to-display-them/
In the cases of Pederson and Barnes, they looked at Pitt as a nice university but not “big time” and assumed everyone else felt the same way. They had no vision of what Pitt could be. Then, along came Heather…
She’s everything her predecessors were not…She knows what her job is and how to do it.
But then again, who needs her? Right? Like Sherrill, she will be appreciated more when she’s gone.
*Last year, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics named Lyke the recipient of the Cushman & Wakefield for AD of the Year Award. So comparatively speaking she is as good as some current AD's and probably better than a lot.
*CBS ranked Pitt as best ACC athletic department in the ACC:
*She was one of six finalists for Sports Business Journal’s Athletic Director of the Year award in 2023.
*She has dragged Pitt into the 21st century:
The Pitt men’s basketball program was an absolute mess. It was a year into the two-year nightmare of Kevin Stallings as head coach.
The Pitt facilities were, for the most part, shabby. Fitzgerald Field House was constructed in 1951 and still housed most of the Olympic sports. It was a dump.
*She has brought vision, pride and a positive winning attitude:
https://www.audacy.com/937thefan/sp...-pitt-out-of-being-part-of-a-super-conference
https://archive.triblive.com/sports...for-pitt-trophies-and-a-case-to-display-them/
In the cases of Pederson and Barnes, they looked at Pitt as a nice university but not “big time” and assumed everyone else felt the same way. They had no vision of what Pitt could be. Then, along came Heather…
She’s everything her predecessors were not…She knows what her job is and how to do it.
But then again, who needs her? Right? Like Sherrill, she will be appreciated more when she’s gone.
What determines the best Athletic Departments?
Because I think Strawpump U. has one of the best ADs. I also think pizza with French fries and hot dogs is quite nice.
I actually want lyke to stay because of her numerous big10 connections. If we get another round of conference realignment, I think she improves pitt chances of survival as opposed to others. I agree with others about victory heights but I worry we could do much worse, especially if we see the implosion of the acc
I caught so much heat for saying that. Nobody agrees with us on this. They say we can do 2 things at once. I say, invest every dollar into football and basketball and win first and THEN spend on the sports that do not generate any revenue and that very few people care about.
I made a similar analogy. Its like your house is falling apart and you need a major renovation but instead you decide to install a beautiful inground pool. Its certainly nice to have that pool but your house is falling apart. Fix the house first.
All these rankings are meaningless because it counts non-revenue sports.
An AD's responsibility is
70% football success
29% men's basketball success
1% Olympic Sports success
These rankings you see over-value the Olympic Sports. They lose money, they draw very few fans, and have almost no local interest other than some diehard Pitt fans. And the national interest is absolutely 0.
Yeah, it's easy to care about the non-revenue sports when your football team is relatively successful. Let's see how many people care about volleyball if we go back to the 90s in football. Just seems like there are a lot of rungs between playing in way outdated facilities (which they were) and building a state of the art facility.
Yeah, topics like these are typically where I struggle with the college sports fandom mentality. I'm a Pitt football/basketball fan. Has nothing to do with the fact that I went to Pitt, as I was pulling for them long before that. It's more of a pro sports mentality toward two college teams. I don't care about winning with prestige or any of that stuff. And I don't really care about the other sports. Of course I root for them if they're playing, but the results don't affect me a whole lot one way or the other once the game is done.
Personally, I care about all Pitt sports and want to see as many as possible do well. Yes, if I had my pick and you said only two sports can be good, then I'd pick football and men's basketball, but I enjoy cheering for all of the teams. I'm in my 40s but wasn't born before 1976. I've never seen a single team national championship from Pitt athletics (sorry I don't count ultimate frisbee). In my lifetime, I think volleyball and men's soccer have been as close as Pitt has come to winning a national championship, and both of those occurred under Lyke.
I'd honestly rather see Pitt football go 9-3 than Pitt volleyball and Pitt soccer each win the next five national championships.
This is 95% of Pitt fans whether they admit it or not. People say they like the other teams and yet attendance is 3000 for volleyball and 2000 for soccer. I get that volleyball sometimes sells out and draws more fans at The Pete but if they played at The Pete for all their games, there is no question they wouldn't average a half-full Pete. And we started a lacrosse program and have to rent a field and interest is so low that tickets are free.
Plenty of people thought Victory Heights is/was a stupid idea.
I like Heather, but I wouldn't give her a nickel more to stay. If she wants to leave, so be it.
Yeah, I can't think of a single thing we can do with her that we can't do without her. Just my opinion, but we need a glorified fundraising specialist to serve as AD. If the duties are a pie chart, NIL funding is that big slice that consumes about 80% of the circle.
She was late to the game supporting NIL - I bitched about this plenty over a year ago with several posters. The athletic department hasn't done much to help Bickell who is doing most of the heavy lifting.
I agree that fundraising and pushing NIL contributions is the most important part of the job.
I agree. Honestly, I think we need some fresh idea. We need someone to live NIL every single day. The AD really has to solely be an NIL fundraiser. Get rid of the Panther Club. Maybe turn the new volleyball arena into an NIL fundraising facility because getting players paid is really all that matters.
This will be a tremendous loss for Pitt. Our ADs the last few decades have been abysmal and largely responsible for the current mess we are in. Heather put Pitt back on the map in multiple sports. This job is a headache. She put her time in, got results and has an opportunity to go where she can make more money, have a fanbase with lower expectations, and more money in the budget. Which idiot would take that opportunity?
Heck NW basketball has only made the tournament 3X ever including the last two years. Their fans are not rabid sports fans. They are casual white collar folks that will support the university and come tot he homecoming games.
Heck NW basketball has only made the tournament 3X ever including the last two years. Their fans are not rabid sports fans. They are casual white collar folks that will support the university and come tot he homecoming games.
I might be in the extreme minority, but I want to see a national championship in something. I'd take another 3-9 football season if you told me I could get a volleyball national championship.
We've been shorted by PA for 60 years. Shouldn't have gone public....and should go private now. And we can do what we want w/o answering to the HBG morons.
Well the right person for what they need is right in front of them. As a matter of fact, they should have already contacted him, to see if he would take the position. He's fairly young, has experience at the NFL level, loves Pitt, and pitches them every chance he gets. And last but not least, he is a Pitt alum.
You all know who Im referencing. Dont have to put out his name.
If you’re talking about Louis Riddick (and I’m 99% you are), I would absolutely support that hire.
I actually agree with you. I'd like 1 national championship. But after that, I wouldn't trade a 6-6 season for another. Maybe in soccer because I like that team.
She didnt hire Narduzzi but did extend him.
She didnt hire the volleyball and men's soccer coaches but have ensured that they stay.
She did make a great WSOC hire.
Baseball and softball are trainwrecks.
Wrestling is the same as it ever was as a program punching below their weight.
Swim, dive, gymnastics, I have no idea.
UPDATE:
pittsburghsportsnow.com
Update on Heather Lyke Pitt/Northwestern Situation
Will Heather Lyke be Pitt’s athletic director when the 2024 college football season starts on Saturday? While there isn’t a definite answer to that at this minute, we do have an update. A well-placed source tells Pittsburgh Sports Now that the “the sense is that this resolves itself today one...
pittsburghsportsnow.com
I am with you -- I could accept one more 3-9 football season. I would not accept a perpetual .250 football winning percentage in exchange for a volleyball natty.
UPDATE:
Update on Heather Lyke Pitt/Northwestern Situation
Will Heather Lyke be Pitt’s athletic director when the 2024 college football season starts on Saturday? While there isn’t a definite answer to that at this minute, we do have an update. A well-placed source tells Pittsburgh Sports Now that the “the sense is that this resolves itself today one...
Sounds like she is gone and that Gabel wants her gone. Sounds like Gabel's concerns were exactly my concerns over the years. Eerily similar. I wonder if they used AI to go through my posts to auto-write this article.
The new AD has to focus 100% on NIL, football, and men's basketball. They shouldn't even know the name of our volleyball or soccer coaches. We have 2 fully professional sports. You hire an Associate AD to run Olympic Sports. I dont want to see the new AD at any Olympics Sports Event unless they make a Final Four. That isnt and shouldn't be their job.
Is the takeaway from that article that Heather is asking for more money and an extension at Pitt, or she goes to Northwestern?UPDATE:
Update on Heather Lyke Pitt/Northwestern Situation
Will Heather Lyke be Pitt’s athletic director when the 2024 college football season starts on Saturday? While there isn’t a definite answer to that at this minute, we do have an update. A well-placed source tells Pittsburgh Sports Now that the “the sense is that this resolves itself today one...
If it is, then bye bye. The football program is back to Majors 2 and the basketball program has finally, after many years reached Dixon 2, which is ok, but not great. Everything else is irrelevant
I honestly don't think anyone would care like a week after we hired the next person. How often is the Pitt AD on anyone's mind?
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