Eastern Michigan Athletics
Christian Spears Named EMU's Interim Director of Athletics
3/27/2017 4:25:00 PM | General
Spears to serve as an interim AD for the second time in his career
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Christian Spears has been named Eastern Michigan University's interim director of athletics, EMU President James M. Smith announced today, March 27. He begins the new role immediately while the university completes a national search to select a new intercollegiate athletics director.
Spears is in his third year as the Deputy Director of Athletics for EMU. He arrived in Ypsilanti following a five-year tenure in the Northern Illinois University Athletics Department. In 2013, Spears served as NIU's acting director of athletics for nearly five months while the University conducted a national search for its new AD following the football team's Orange Bowl appearance.
"It is such an honor to be named the interim AD and I am grateful to President Smith for this opportunity and to Heather Lyke for preparing me to lead," Spears added. "We have a tremendous team of coaches and administrators and we are well situated to capitalize on the foundation that has been built here. We will focus on relationships and continue to serve our student-athletes, our University, and our community."
A part of the athletic department's Executive Leadership Team, Spears has overseen the External Division including development, marketing, corporate partnership efforts, fan experience, and media relations. He also had led strategies to increase ticket sales, merchandise, and other revenue streams. In addition, Spears has assisted with the administration of the football program and is responsible for football scheduling.
Moreover, Spears serves college football nationally as a member of the College Football Playoff Advisory Committee.
From day one on campus, Spears has set about helping upgrade the business model of EMU Athletics. Just a few of the companies that have developed partnerships with EMU during his tenure include: IMG College, Learfield Licensing, Aspire, Follett, Fanatics, and Google. He has also re-negotiated pouring rights and apparel contracts with Pepsi and adidas that position EMU's agreements as some of the most lucrative in the Mid-American Conference.
These partnerships paid dividends in 2016 when EMU's football program finished the regular season 7-5 and received an invitation to the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, its first bowl invitation in 29 years. The squad finished in a seven-way tie for the most improved program in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in 2016, bettering its win total from one win in 2015, to seven. All the while, the team led the MAC in team GPA for the second consecutive year, and the fans came out to watch, with a 100 percent increase in total season ticket growth from 2014 to 2016.
Fundraising has taken a major step forward the past three years. Eagles Pride was founded in 2014 with a commitment to providing financial support for all EMU teams. This vision for engagement has yielded record breaking numbers in fiscal year 2016 with both the most cash received and most donors in EMU history. Total donations received have increased 45 percent over fiscal year 2015 and number of donors has increased by 21 percent. Fiscal year 2017 has started strong as well, with Athletics accounting for 64 percent of all University cash and pledges to date.
In addition to his duties at EMU, Spears was selected to participate in the 2016 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Pathway Program. Spears was one of 15 individuals named nationally to the initiative which serves to assist minority and/or women administrators prepare through education, training, and mentorship to be athletic directors. The program provides an unprecedented opportunity to gain insight into every facet of an athletics department, preparing them to become well-rounded leaders who are equipped with the tools an effective athletics director needs.
Nationally, Spears also is a part of the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA). He served as president of the National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC) in 2012-13 and on the NAAC Board of Directors from 2008-14.
In addition to his administrative duties, Spears is currently a lecturer in law at the University of Toledo School of Law and an adjunct faculty member of Drexel University's Thomas R. Kline School of Law.
Before coming to EMU, Spears served as the Deputy Director of Athletics and as the sport administrator for the NIU football team. While in DeKalb, Spears' responsibilities included serving as the primary liaison between several campus units and Intercollegiate Athletics, including Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, as well as the Office of General Counsel.
Additionally, Spears directly supervised the following administrative areas for NIU: Academics, Compliance, Life Skills, Strength and Conditioning, Sport Psychology, Football Operations and Equipment. Moreover, he coordinated the department's Academic Progress Rate (APR) and Graduation Success Rate (GSR). He was also the sport AD for football, men's basketball, baseball, cross country, and track and field.
Prior to joining NIU, Spears served for six years at Southern Illinois University, where he was the Assistant Athletic Director. Spears came to SIU in the fall of 2003 from Harvard University.
Spears began his career as a graduate student working in the athletic marketing office at Long Beach State University; he then served as the Big Ten Minority Intern for Ohio State University, working in their athletic compliance office, while he matriculated through the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State.
Spears is a graduate of the University of Washington, where he majored in political science. He obtained a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Long Beach State University in 1998 and he received his Juris Doctorate from The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law in 2002.
Christian and his wife, Julia, have three children, Rainier, Kai, and Skyla.
About Eastern Michigan University Athletics
Eastern Michigan University has been a member of the Mid-American Conference since 1971 and has been among the league's most successful members. The Division I program boasts 139 MAC team championships, the most of any team in the league during that span. EMU's varsity intercollegiate program features 21 different sports, nine men's teams and 12 women's teams, the program employs more than 70 full-time staff, and supports more than 500 student-athletes. Eastern Michigan, which has had a representative at every summer Olympics since 1960, has won 15 team national championships and 54 individual national titles since 1932.
Eastern Michigan University Athletic Directors Through the Years
Wilbur Bowen - 1903-28
Joseph McCulloch 1931-47
Elton Rynearson 1948-63
Dr. Keith Bowen - 1963-66
F.L. "Frosty" Ferzacca - 1966-73
Dr. Albert E. Smith - 1975-76
Alex Agase - 1977-82
Paul Shoults - 1982-86
Gene Smith - 1986-93
Tim Weiser - 1993-97
Carole Huston (Interim) 1997-99
Dr. David Diles - 1999-05
Bob England (Interim) - 2005-06
Dr. Derrick Gragg - 2006-13
Dr. Melody Reifel Werner (Interim) - 2013
Heather Lyke - 2013-17
Christian Spears (Interim) - 2017
Spears is in his third year as the Deputy Director of Athletics for EMU. He arrived in Ypsilanti following a five-year tenure in the Northern Illinois University Athletics Department. In 2013, Spears served as NIU's acting director of athletics for nearly five months while the University conducted a national search for its new AD following the football team's Orange Bowl appearance.
"It is such an honor to be named the interim AD and I am grateful to President Smith for this opportunity and to Heather Lyke for preparing me to lead," Spears added. "We have a tremendous team of coaches and administrators and we are well situated to capitalize on the foundation that has been built here. We will focus on relationships and continue to serve our student-athletes, our University, and our community."
A part of the athletic department's Executive Leadership Team, Spears has overseen the External Division including development, marketing, corporate partnership efforts, fan experience, and media relations. He also had led strategies to increase ticket sales, merchandise, and other revenue streams. In addition, Spears has assisted with the administration of the football program and is responsible for football scheduling.
Moreover, Spears serves college football nationally as a member of the College Football Playoff Advisory Committee.
From day one on campus, Spears has set about helping upgrade the business model of EMU Athletics. Just a few of the companies that have developed partnerships with EMU during his tenure include: IMG College, Learfield Licensing, Aspire, Follett, Fanatics, and Google. He has also re-negotiated pouring rights and apparel contracts with Pepsi and adidas that position EMU's agreements as some of the most lucrative in the Mid-American Conference.
These partnerships paid dividends in 2016 when EMU's football program finished the regular season 7-5 and received an invitation to the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, its first bowl invitation in 29 years. The squad finished in a seven-way tie for the most improved program in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in 2016, bettering its win total from one win in 2015, to seven. All the while, the team led the MAC in team GPA for the second consecutive year, and the fans came out to watch, with a 100 percent increase in total season ticket growth from 2014 to 2016.
Fundraising has taken a major step forward the past three years. Eagles Pride was founded in 2014 with a commitment to providing financial support for all EMU teams. This vision for engagement has yielded record breaking numbers in fiscal year 2016 with both the most cash received and most donors in EMU history. Total donations received have increased 45 percent over fiscal year 2015 and number of donors has increased by 21 percent. Fiscal year 2017 has started strong as well, with Athletics accounting for 64 percent of all University cash and pledges to date.
In addition to his duties at EMU, Spears was selected to participate in the 2016 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Pathway Program. Spears was one of 15 individuals named nationally to the initiative which serves to assist minority and/or women administrators prepare through education, training, and mentorship to be athletic directors. The program provides an unprecedented opportunity to gain insight into every facet of an athletics department, preparing them to become well-rounded leaders who are equipped with the tools an effective athletics director needs.
Nationally, Spears also is a part of the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA). He served as president of the National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC) in 2012-13 and on the NAAC Board of Directors from 2008-14.
In addition to his administrative duties, Spears is currently a lecturer in law at the University of Toledo School of Law and an adjunct faculty member of Drexel University's Thomas R. Kline School of Law.
Before coming to EMU, Spears served as the Deputy Director of Athletics and as the sport administrator for the NIU football team. While in DeKalb, Spears' responsibilities included serving as the primary liaison between several campus units and Intercollegiate Athletics, including Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, as well as the Office of General Counsel.
Additionally, Spears directly supervised the following administrative areas for NIU: Academics, Compliance, Life Skills, Strength and Conditioning, Sport Psychology, Football Operations and Equipment. Moreover, he coordinated the department's Academic Progress Rate (APR) and Graduation Success Rate (GSR). He was also the sport AD for football, men's basketball, baseball, cross country, and track and field.
Prior to joining NIU, Spears served for six years at Southern Illinois University, where he was the Assistant Athletic Director. Spears came to SIU in the fall of 2003 from Harvard University.
Spears began his career as a graduate student working in the athletic marketing office at Long Beach State University; he then served as the Big Ten Minority Intern for Ohio State University, working in their athletic compliance office, while he matriculated through the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State.
Spears is a graduate of the University of Washington, where he majored in political science. He obtained a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Long Beach State University in 1998 and he received his Juris Doctorate from The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law in 2002.
Christian and his wife, Julia, have three children, Rainier, Kai, and Skyla.
About Eastern Michigan University Athletics
Eastern Michigan University has been a member of the Mid-American Conference since 1971 and has been among the league's most successful members. The Division I program boasts 139 MAC team championships, the most of any team in the league during that span. EMU's varsity intercollegiate program features 21 different sports, nine men's teams and 12 women's teams, the program employs more than 70 full-time staff, and supports more than 500 student-athletes. Eastern Michigan, which has had a representative at every summer Olympics since 1960, has won 15 team national championships and 54 individual national titles since 1932.
Eastern Michigan University Athletic Directors Through the Years
Wilbur Bowen - 1903-28
Joseph McCulloch 1931-47
Elton Rynearson 1948-63
Dr. Keith Bowen - 1963-66
F.L. "Frosty" Ferzacca - 1966-73
Dr. Albert E. Smith - 1975-76
Alex Agase - 1977-82
Paul Shoults - 1982-86
Gene Smith - 1986-93
Tim Weiser - 1993-97
Carole Huston (Interim) 1997-99
Dr. David Diles - 1999-05
Bob England (Interim) - 2005-06
Dr. Derrick Gragg - 2006-13
Dr. Melody Reifel Werner (Interim) - 2013
Heather Lyke - 2013-17
Christian Spears (Interim) - 2017
| The Christian Spears File | ||
| Name: | Christian Spears | |
| High School: | San Marino H.S. - San Marino, Calif. | |
| College: | University of Washington - Bachelor's degree in Political Science - 1996 | |
| Long Beach State University - Master's degree in Public Administration - 1998 | ||
| The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law - Juris Doctorate - 2002 | ||
| Family: | Wife - Julia; Children - Rainier, Kai and Skyla | |
| Professional Experience | ||
| Year | School/Company | Position |
| March 2017 | Eastern Michigan University | Interim Director of Athletics |
| 2014-Present | Eastern Michigan University | Deputy Director of Athletics |
| 2009-14 | Northern Illinois University | Deputy Director of Athletics |
| March-Aug. 2013 | Northern Illinois University | Acting Director of Athletics |
| 2003-09 | Southern Illinois University | Assistant Athletic Director |
| 2002-03 | Harvard University | Assistant Director for Athletic Compliance |
| 2000-02 | The Ohio State University | Big Ten Conference Minority Intern |
| 1997-99 | Long Beach State University | Assistant Director of Marketing |
| 1996-97 | Long Beach State University | Graduate Administrative Assistant |
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