Christian Spears leaving Pitt to become athletic director at Marshall

Christian Spears, who has been Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke’s top assistant since 2017 and administrator for football and men’s basketball, is leaving to become athletic director at Marshall University.

Marshall’s Board of Governors voted Monday to approve the hire.

Spears was Pitt’s deputy athletic director and chief operating officer, helping to manage revenue generation in a variety of areas, including marketing and branding, media relations, fundraising, ticket operations, licensing, merchandising, game presentation, broadcast services and multimedia rights.

“Christian Spears is a transformational leader who exhibits a deep respect for tradition, combined with an ability to architect a vision to unleash potential,” Marshall President Brad D. Smith said in a statement. “I am excited to welcome Christian to Marshall to serve in this pivotal role.

“Christian’s leadership philosophy and his drive for Marshall to build on its storied foundation of winning mirror my own. I look forward to working with him to usher in the next chapter of great for athletics at our university.”

At Pitt, Spears has been a part of Lyke’s $250 million Victory Heights project that is aimed at building and upgrading athletic facilities on the upper campus. He has helped raise nearly $15 million and assisted with the development of the champions advisory board that has engaged 24 new alumni and donors.

He also worked with the department’s fundraising arm to raise more than $100 million since 2017 and negotiated a 16-year multimedia rights agreement worth more than $106 million with JMI Sports.

“I am thrilled for Christian and Marshall University,” Lyke said in statement released by Marshall officials. “Christian has been a trusted colleague and friend for decades and an invaluable leader in our department.

“Marshall University is getting an experienced and visionary leader who brings positive energy, intellect and a can-do mindset, but most importantly, someone who has a genuine interest for the well-rounded success of student-athletes.”

Spears will take over leadership of Marshall’s 16-sport athletics program with a $30 million budget. He will begin his tenure March 14 and will succeed Jeff O’Malley, who has been the department’s interim athletic director since July 2021.

Spears came to Pitt from Eastern Michigan in 2017 where he was deputy athletic director and also served on Lyke’s staff when she was AD at that university. He was Eastern Michigan’s interim athletic director when Lyke left for Pitt.

With a deep background in athletics compliance, Spears also has worked in the athletic departments at Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, Harvard, Long Beach State and Ohio State.