Teri Reyburn’s career in sports has been recognized in a unique way by the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

In early February, the DeWitt athletic director received the MHSAA’s 27th Women in Sports Leadership Award at the WISL banquet in Lansing.

Reyburn been athletic director 15 years and was a key voice in the creation and growth of the Capital Area Activities Conference.

“I was so honored,” she said. “There’s so many good athletic directors that I work with and so many mentors that I’ve learned from. For me to receive the award, I was humbled and very proud I was thought of that way.”

The MHSAA’s press release announcing the award stated, “The Representative Council considers the achievements of women coaches, officials and athletic administrators affiliated with the MHSAA who show exemplary leadership capabilities and positive contributions to athletics.”

DeWitt’s athletic teams have enjoyed plenty of significant accomplishments during Reyburn’s tenure. The girls’ and boys’ golf teams have each won two state titles, and the football team has been in the title game four times, including last November. The boys’ basketball and the competitive cheer teams have been runners-up. Other programs, including girls’ basketball, boys’ and girls’ soccer, and baseball, have made state semifinal appearances.

Reyburn became DeWitt’s interim athletic director in March 1999, following the death of athletic director Jim Lutzke. The position became full-time that summer. Since then, she has hosted more than 80 MHSAA tournaments, more than 20 rules meetings, and several clinics with statewide coaches’ and officials’ organizations.

“Teri Reyburn has provided nearly two decades of quiet, steady leadership in her school district and serves as a mentor for those who are following her in the athletic director role,” said John E. “Jack” Roberts, executive director of the MHSAA, in a statement. “She’s a role model for not just women, but anyone who aspires to a career in educational athletics. We’re pleased to honor her with the Women In Sports Leadership Award.”

Reyburn graduated from Cedar Springs High School in 1972 and was on the Portland Public Schools board of education for 11 years before making the move to DeWitt. Before becoming the athletic director, she was a media specialist, middle school sports coordinator, and assistant to the high school athletic director for five years.

“I especially enjoy my contact with the kids,” she said. “I love to be with them when they succeed. I like to be that shoulder when they don’t and they’re suffering a loss. I have a huge love for kids. The other area I love is putting on MHSAA tournaments and our own home tournaments so someone can come in, enjoy the event, and walk out, and not realize there’s a tremendous amount of work in doing that. I just want them to enjoy themselves and be in the most enjoyable and safe environment they can be. I have a lot of volunteers that help with that.”

Reyburn has spoken at WISL conferences and has served on the WISL planning committee along with serving on the MHSAA’s Scholar-Athlete Award, athletic equity, competitive cheer rules, site, and officials selection committees.

Reyburn was honored as her region’s Athletic Director of the Year in 2006 by the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.

She recalls originally getting involved in sports via intramural volleyball.

“My dad, back in the early 70s, wouldn’t let me play basketball because he believed only ‘tough girls play basketball and you’re a girl,’” Reyburn laughed. “I played intramural volleyball and was a cheerleader so I could stay involved with sports, and I followed my brothers and did all of that.

“I was always interested in sports. I had two brothers and grew up on a farm. I was always interested in athletics.”

Her sons were three-sport athletes, and she was a big fan. Then she came to DeWitt.

“Jim Lutzke asked me if I’d be interested in doing the middle school athletics for him with game management and helping with scheduling,” Reyburn recalled. “I started to do that. I just have a passion for sports.

“I went in that direction with no real plans early in life to do that. It kept pulling me that way. It’s a love and passion. It was a great fit.”

Reyburn has noticed that the number of women athletic directors has increased in recent years.

“The CAAC, which has 27 schools, we’ve had as many as four,” she said. “There’s currently two of us right now. It fluctuates. I think a lot of that has to do with families, because there’s a lot of evening time taken away. Younger ADs that have families, unless it’s a great support system, it’s really difficult for them.

“I didn’t start until I was older. My kids were in high school.  I didn’t have some of the same issues younger women that are ADs have.”

Reyburn called girls’ athletic programs “extremely solid” at the present time.

“You see that with many high school athletes, with females going on to play at the college level,” she said. “I think our state association does a good job in involving female athletes and making sure their opportunities are great. The Women in Sports Leadership Award was given at the Women in Sports Leadership conference. That’s an absolute amazing conference. It shows young female athletes the opportunities they have in athletics.”

Reyburn expects to see more female athletic directors and coaches in the future. 

“There’s more of an interest for females in athletics and to continue in it as a job opportunity,” Reyburn said. “I definitely believe it will grow.”