LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The University of Louisville has accepted the resignation of Vice President of intercollegiate athletics Vince Tyra, and the decision is considered final, a university spokesman acknowledged on Thursday.
Tyra sent the resignation letter to the university on Wednesday of this week and it was received on Thursday.
Tyra, who had been the AD at Louisville since taking the role in an interim capacity on Oct. 3, 2017, had two years remaining on his contract but resigned the position amid growing fan unrest and rumored differences with university leadership.
Earlier Wednesday, the U of L board of trustees voted to waive the non-compete clause in his contract, along with a requirement that he give the university 30 days’ notice before leaving his position.
That cleared the way for Tyra to become athletics director at Florida State, a possibility widely reported in the media.
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But late Wednesday night, word began to circulate that U of L president Neeli Bendapudi would leave the school to take a position as president of Penn State University, and she was introduced as that school’s president during a news conference Thursday morning.
Tyra, meanwhile, was reported to have withdrawn as a candidate at Florida State. Then Thursday afternoon, Florida State named Central Michigan AD Michael Alford as its new man.
Receipt of his letter of resignation could be revised by the board or by Bendapudi, who is expected to continue on the job at U of L through the spring.
Tyra was first reported to be a surprise candidate at Florida State last Friday afternoon then was said to have become the leading candidate over the weekend.
The Louisville native and son of Louisville Hall of Fame basketball player Charlie Tyra became acting athletics director in the fall of 2017, in the wake of the university’s suspension of AD Tom Jurich.
Tyra came to U of L from a position as operating partner for Southfield Capital, a post he had held since 2007, and an advisor to ISCO Industries Inc. where he was formerly the president. He also had served as the president of Retail and Activewear for Fruit of the Loom.
He was elevated to the athletic director’s role permanently in March of 2018. During his Louisville tenure, he has hired basketball coach Chris Mack, fired football coach Bobby Petrino and hired Scott Satterfield as his successor.
He also has navigated ongoing NCAA investigations into men’s basketball and the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, for which he received praise for his quick action to mitigate financial losses, and became a resource for other athletic departments in the ACC and around the nation.
He crafted U of L’s strategy on Name, Image and Likeness legislation and worked with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on drafting an executive order that allowed universities in the state to abide by new NIL regulations on the first day they became active.
Tyra had two years remaining on a contract at U of L, and though some sources around the program said they thought an extension offer could be in the works, others around Tyra conceded that he has seen the working situation with university leadership increasingly untenable and expected him to seek a move.
Sources close to Tyra told WDRB Thursday that while a return to his position at U of L was technically possible, they viewed it as highly unlikely.
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