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Kyle Brennan Hired As New Athletics Director At Illinois State University

Kyle Brennan
Redbird Athletics
Kyle Brennan will start as ISU athletics director on Jan. 15.

Illinois State University will hire Kyle Brennan as its next athletics director.

Brennan will succeed Larry Lyons as the top athletics administrator at ISU, starting Jan. 15. Lyons will delay his retirement to "accommodate a smooth transition," ISU said Wednesday.

Brennan previously served as the University of Utah's chief operating officer and deputy athletics director for internal operations. His tenure there included securing a $15.6 million gift to start the varsity men's lacrosse program at Utah — the largest donation ever at the time — and negotiating lucrative multimedia rights and apparel contracts.

"I know I speak for the entire University community in welcoming Kyle to the Redbird family," ISU President Larry Dietz said in a statement. "Kyle's skills and leadership experiences make him an excellent fit for Illinois State and his terrific attitude perfectly complements a diverse and well-rounded background."

Brennan previously worked as an attorney before going into college athletics. His college career began at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. At Utah, he's also directly supervised the football, men's basketball, men's and women's swimming and diving, golf and men's and women's tennis teams.

"(ISU) is a special place that has achieved great success academically and athletically, and it is my charge to build on that success and help our department ascend to greater heights," Brennan said Wednesday. "We want to win, and it is a priority of mine that we generate enthusiasm and energy in our department to embrace that challenge. Our student-athletes deserve that from us, and our fans expect us to compete for Missouri Valley championships and national exposure. This is an exciting opportunity for my family and me, and I cannot wait to get to work with the incredible team in the Illinois State Athletics Department and the University."

Brennan was chosen from a field of four finalists. They included Brennan, Tamica Smith Jones, director of intercollegiate athletics at the University of California, Riverside; Derek van de Merwe, assistant vice president and chief operating officer at the University of Arizona; and Tom Michael, athletics director at Eastern Illinois University.

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Ryan Denham is the digital content director for WGLT.
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