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Since being named Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Associate Vice President at West Virginia University in January 2015, Shane Lyons has not been interested in headlines, he’s been interested in results.

Working furiously behind the scenes, Lyons rolls up his sleeves every day for the betterment of WVU’s student-athletes, fans and athletic department. In his second year on the job, he keeps his fingers on the pulse of more than $110 million in athletic facility improvements that will be completed in the next year. In fact, his first year on the job can be defined as a year of fan enhancements to Milan Puskar Stadium and the WVU Coliseum as he has worked tirelessly to modernize 46-and-36 year old facilities. Next up on his agenda are student-athlete enhancements with a new Olympic sport weight and training room.

Lyons oversees 18 varsity sports, a department budget of approximately $90 million, 220 employees, and approximately 450 student-athletes. Under his direction in the past year, WVU athletics won an 18th national championship in rifle, had 30 All Americans, 110 All-Conference performers, 18 academic award winners and 109 Academic All-Conference selections.

His work on WVU President E. Gordon Gee’s senior leadership team, as well as the Big 12 Conference and other national committees has brought additional respect and positive exposure to his department and the University.

Lyons came to West Virginia after spending three years as the deputy director of athletics and chief operating officer at Alabama where he worked closely on day-to-day strategic leadership and direction of the Crimson Tide Athletic program.

        Prior to joining the Alabama staff in November 2011, Lyons spent 10 years as an Associate Commissioner at the Atlantic Coast Conference. At the ACC, Lyons focused on conference-wide compliance and academic initiatives, providing direct assistance to the conference’s presidents, chancellors and athletics directors in matters dealing with NCAA regulatory matters.

Prior to working at the ACC, Lyons served as Associate Athletics Director for Compliance at Big 12 member Texas Tech from 1998 to 2001. 

 
Before joining Texas Tech, Lyons worked at the NCAA for almost 10 years as a Senior Membership Services Representative, where he was responsible for the oversight and coordination of the 25 membership service representatives.

Lyons began his career in college athletics in July 1988 as Assistant Commissioner of the Big South Conference, where he was in charge of conference-wide compliance and championships.

A native of Parkersburg, West Virginia, he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sport management from WVU in 1987 and 1988, respectively.

He and his wife, Emily, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have two children: Cameron, 17, and Brooke, 13. Lyons is the University’s 12th athletic director.