MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University Director of Athletics Shane Lyons has added another chairmanship to his impressive resume of accomplishments.
 
He was recently appointed chair of the NCAA Division I Council, which is responsible for the day-to-day decision making for the entire organization. It consists of athletics directors, athletics administrators, senior woman administrators, faculty athletics representatives and student-athletes.
 
Every Division I conference is represented on the Council and its chair is voted on by peers.
 
The vice chair is Lynda Tealer, executive associate athletic director for administration at the University of Florida.
 
Among major issues that will be confronting Lyons when he takes over on July 1, 2021 is the historic name, image and likeness (NIL) legislation that was tabled on Monday until judicial, political and enforcement issues can be ironed out.
 
He will also be presiding over impending transfer legislation as well as a modified recruiting calendar.
 
In 2018, the Parkersburg, West Virginia, native was appointed to the prestigious NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee in a multi-year term that will expire in June. He chaired the committee in 2020 when college football was forced to deal with a once-in-a-lifetime worldwide pandemic that threatened to cancel the entire season.
 
But the Division I Football Oversight Committee, at Lyons' urging, chose to press forward and the 2020 football season was successfully (and safely) completed on Monday night when Alabama defeated Ohio State 52-24 in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
 
Lyons, appointed West Virginia University's 12^th athletics director on Jan. 5, 2015, has extensive experience with NCAA governance and conference committees throughout his athletic tenure, including chairmanship of the Big 12 Athletic Directors Council during the 2017-18 academic year.