Former Louisville AD Vince Tyra Pens Goodbye Letter

Tyra turned in his letter of resignation to the University on Thursday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - One day after sending his letter of resignation to the University of Louisville, now former athletic director Vince Tyra is finally saying goodbye. 

In his first public statement since becoming a surprise candidate for the AD position at Florida State - and the week of drama that ensued - Tyra thanked the fans, athletic administrative staff, coaches and student-athletes for their support in his four years at the helm.

Dear Card Nation:

It is with bittersweet emotions that I share with you that I have stepped down from my position as Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics and Director of Athletics at the University of Louisville.

Thank you, Louisville, for having me as your AD. I am grateful for our time together and for the profound privilege of serving this community.

These last four years have been the highlight of my professional career and have had a true personal impact on me as well. Louisville is part of my DNA. Always will be. I made every decision with the utmost of integrity and love for this institution, knowing that I am one of you at heart - a fan. As a Louisville native, and as the son of a legendary Cardinals basketball player, serving this university was always more than a job to me - it was my passion.

While I will leave it to others and the history books to judge my tenure, I am thankful for our supporters and incredibly proud of the men and women who go to work in our department every single day. To our outstanding administrators, our dedicated coaches, our talented staff, and our elite student-athletes: thank you. You give a piece of your lives to this department and community every day and you are the reason why I loved coming to work. It was my honor to lead you and I will profoundly miss you all.

There is still more work to be done and I am certain that the next chapter of Louisville Athletics will be a great one. I will forever cheer on our beloved Cards, win or lose, with my head held high.

Today, I make that return to the stands.

LsUp. Always LsUp.

Sincerely, Vince Tyra

Last Friday, Tyra made the decision to retain head football coach Scott Satterfield for the 2022 season, only for his name to pop up as a surprise entry for the vacant AD position at Florida State less than two hours later.

On Sunday, it was reported that there was "mutual and serious" interest between Tyra and the Seminoles, and that his relations with UofL president Dr. Neeli Bendapudi were "strained enough that a potential parting could be considered mutual".

The UofL Board of Trustees, after three consecutive days of closed-door executive sessions, waived the non-complete and 30-day notice of termination clauses from Tyra's contract on Wednesday, then things came to a head on Thursday.

Not only did Tyra resign, but in a shocking move, Bendapudi also left to take the position of president at Penn State. Florida State would later name Michael Alford as their next AD, just hours after UofL received Tyra’s letter of resignation.

(Photo of Vince Tyra: Scott Utterback - Courier Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter - @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter