What led longtime Mercyhurst baseball coach Joe Spano to take on role as athletic director?
Joe Spano never envisioned becoming an athletic director until Brad Davis arrived on campus in 2018.
Davis immediately recognized Spano's skills as an administrator and encouraged him to consider an administrative role one day.
On Thursday, Spano replaced Davis as the athletic director at Mercyhurst University.
“I'm beyond excited and I am looking forward to serving our great coaches and amazing athletes,” Spano said. “I'm ready to make a bigger impact on their lives and their careers.”
Spano, 48, was the head baseball coach for the Lakers over the past 24 years and became an assistant athletic director under Davis in 2018.
After Davis left to become the athletic director at Division I Mount St. Mary's this spring, Spano decided it might be time for him to take the next step.
“Being an athletic director is not something I thought about until 2018 when Brad arrived and encouraged me to be more of an administrator,” Spano said. “I was able to acquire skills throughout the years and this was the first time I thought about going for the job. I leaned on Brad a lot and he was a mentor to me.”
Davis said he was thrilled for Spano.
“He made it clear to me when I was there that he wanted to learn from me. I don't know if he expected to take on this job this soon, but timing isn't always perfect,” Davis said of Spano. “But Joe is Mr. Mercyhurst and he's ready to lead that department. We've talked a lot over the past few weeks and it's interesting watching him put together the pieces and think like an athletic director instead of as a baseball coach.”
“Joe's success on the field and in the community as well as his love for Mercyhurst University line up well with the University's comprehensive vision for athletics. Joe is a proven winner,” said Vice President for Student Life Laura Zirkle. "I'm excited to work with Joe in his new role to bring our athletic department to new heights.”
The tough decision
One of the toughest decisions Spano said he had to make in the process was letting go of coaching the baseball team. He is one of the most successful coaches in Division II history with 742 wins, which led to him being inducted into the Metro Erie chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.
“It was tough, especially with the team we have coming back this spring,” Spano said. “It's a really special group and that was really difficult, but I'm not going anywhere. I can still be supportive of the program in a bigger role. It wasn't easy, but it was something I felt was best for everyone.”
Spano's brother and longtime assistant coach, Charlie, is the interim baseball coach. Spano said Andy Simon-Wambach, who acted as interim AD this summer, will be in charge of a search for the next head coach of the baseball team.
Understanding needs
One big advantage Spano has as an athletic director is a long history of being a college coach. He can understand what coaches need and what they go through at the college level.
“I think that is really important to understand the coaches, and I'm going to do a lot of listening, especially in the beginning,” Spano said. “I want to get a feel for everyone's needs and have a clear vision for their program. I'm happy to offer any advice that I can and while some coaches are experienced and don't need much mentoring from me, we also have some young coaches with a lot of energy and spirit that I can help.”
Supportive family
The Spano family is full of athletes who are always at a baseball field or a basketball court. Spano leaned on his family when going through the process.
“My family is extremely supportive and I could tell them I'm considering just about anything and they'd say OK,” Spano said. “My family will always be a part of the baseball program here and the team is like a bunch of brothers. That won't change.”
Questions answered: How does Mercyhurst University plan to fill vacant lacrosse, athletic director positions?
New lacrosse coach hired, too: What will new head coach Trey Keeley bring to Mercyhurst's men's lacrosse program?
Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @ETNreisenweber.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Mercyhurst names new athletic director Joe Spano
