UPDATE 11:55 a.m
Turnkey ZRG, the search firm hired by WVU to find a replacement for athletic director Shane Lyons is based out of Haddonfield, N.J. The company is currently working with the NCAA to find a replacement for president Mark Emmert, who is stepping down in June 2023.
The firm also worked with the Pittsburgh Penguins in their search for a senior vice president/chief revenue officer in April and also was hired by the University of South Carolina to find Lamont Paris as a replacement for Frank Martin as the men’s basketball coach.
UPDATE 11:15 a.m.
WVU has officially announced Lyon’s departure as director of athletics.
“I deeply appreciate Shane’s leadership over the past eight years and I wish him well,” WVU President Gordon Gee said in a statement. “But with the ever-changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics, I believe this is an opportunity to bring a fresh perspective to our program.”
WVU announced it has retained the search firm Turnkey ZRG to assist in the national search for a new athletic director. The university said Gee plans to move quickly with a new director in place in “three to four weeks.”
Vice president of strategic initiatives Rob Alsop has been named the interim athletic director.
“I am confident that Rob will lead and assist our coaches, student-athletes and staff during this turning point,” Gee said. “I also know that he will lay the pathways necessary for a new athletic director to make a seamless transition into the role.”
Original story:
MORGANTOWN — West Virginia University has decided to part ways with director of athletics Shane Lyons, according to a report from WVMetroNews’ Hoppy Kercheval.
Lyons, a Parkersburg native, had been at WVU since 2015 after previously serving as the deputy director of athletics at Alabama from 2011-15. Lyons represented WVU on several Big 12 and national committees, including the chair of the Big 12 Athletic Directors Council, on the Division I Council and as chair of the Division I Football Oversight Committee.
Kercheval reports that Lyons will be replaced on an interim basis by WVU vice president for strategic initiatives Rob Alsop. A 2002 WVU College of Law graduate, Alsop’s background is in politics rather than athletics, having worked for former West Virginia governor Earl Ray Tomblin and then-governor Joe Manchin.
Neal Brown’s hiring as football coach in 2019 and a subsequent contract extension in 2021 were Lyons’ biggest moves as athletic director. WVU has a 21-24 record under Brown with two bowl appearances and one win. The Mountaineers have not finished higher than fifth in the Big 12 under Brown and have never been ranked inside the AP Top 25.
Brown’s record was 11-11 at the time of his extension, which moved his deal through 2026.
The continued mediocrity of the football team and the $16.7 million buyout in Brown’s contract if fired this season have been sore spots on Lyons’ record this year.
