# Frank Pyke

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Not to be confused with [Frank Pike](/source/Frank_Pike_(disambiguation)).

**Frank Sherman Pyke** (1 December 1941 – 22 November 2011) was an Australian [sports scientist](/source/Sports_science), educator, author, [Australian rules footballer](/source/Australian_rules_football) and sports administrator. He played 130 games for in the [Western Australian National Football League](/source/West_Australian_Football_League) (WANFL) and two [interstate](/source/Interstate_matches_in_Australian_rules_football) matches for [Western Australia](/source/Western_Australia_Australian_rules_football_team), and later served as a professor at a number of universities in Australia, Canada and the United States. He also served as the inaugural executive director of the [Victorian Institute of Sport](/source/Victorian_Institute_of_Sport) (VIS), where he pioneered the Athlete Career and Education (ACE) program.

## Career

### Early life and football career

Born in [Perth](/source/Perth,_Western_Australia), Western Australia, on 1 December 1941, Pyke played schoolboy cricket and football and was also a noted athlete, winning state championships in running, long jump and high jump. He represented Western Australia at the 1956 National Schoolboys' Championships held in [Launceston](/source/Launceston,_Tasmania). He made his debut for Armadale in the South Suburban Football League at the age of 15. Falling into the [Perth Football Club](/source/Perth_Football_Club)'s [recruitment zone](/source/Zoning_(Australian_rules_football)), Pyke made his senior debut for the club in round one of the 1959 season, at the age of 17. Playing originally as a half-forward flanker, and later as an onballer, Pyke became a regular in the Perth side, and finished third in the [Sandover Medal](/source/Sandover_Medal) in 1962 and second in 1963, behind [Ray Sorrell](/source/Ray_Sorrell).[1] He played in the club's 1966 premiership win over East Perth, playing as a loose man in defence during part of the game. Pyke also opened the bowling for the Perth Cricket Club in the [WACA district cricket](/source/Western_Australian_Grade_Cricket) competition. Outside of sports, he worked as a physical education teacher at [Belmont Senior High School](/source/Belmont_City_College).[2]

### Education career

In December 1966, Pyke left Perth with his wife, Janet, to study sports science at [Indiana University Bloomington](/source/Indiana_University_Bloomington). He graduated with a PhD in exercise physiology and human performance, and later taught at [Illinois State University](/source/Illinois_State_University) in [Normal](/source/Normal,_Illinois), Illinois, and [Dalhousie University](/source/Dalhousie_University) in [Halifax](/source/Halifax_Regional_Municipality), Nova Scotia.[1] Pyke returned to Western Australia in 1972, where he accepted a position as a lecturer in the Department of Physical Education and Recreation at the [University of Western Australia](/source/University_of_Western_Australia) (UWA), and resumed his football career with Perth. While at UWA he was involved with the rehabilitation of fast bowler [Dennis Lillee](/source/Dennis_Lillee), who Pyke had previously taught at Belmont Senior High School. He is credited by some with "saving [Lillee]'s cricket career" and "[giving Lillee] back his fire".[3]

Pyke later served as the inaugural Head of the Centre for Sports Studies at the [University of Canberra](/source/University_of_Canberra), Head of the Department of Human Movement and Sports Science at the [University of Wollongong](/source/University_of_Wollongong) and Professor and Head of the Department of Human Movement Studies at the [University of Queensland](/source/University_of_Queensland). He also held [adjunct professor](/source/Adjunct_professor) status at [Deakin University](/source/Deakin_University), the [University of Ballarat](/source/University_of_Ballarat) and UWA. Pyke was appointed the inaugural Executive Director of the [Victorian Institute of Sport](/source/Victorian_Institute_of_Sport) (VIS) in 1990, a position which he held until 2006. During his tenure at the VIS, he developed a number of programs, including the Athlete Career and Education (ACE), which has been credited as "the program nationally for elite athletes".[4] He was awarded an [Australian Sports Medal](/source/Australian_Sports_Medal) in 2000, life membership of the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation in 2002 and was made a member of the Sports Australia Hall of Fame in 2003.[5] He was awarded the 2010 Mobley International Distinguished Alumni Award by Indiana University.[6] Pyke was diagnosed with [motor neurone disease](/source/Motor_neurone_disease) midway through 2011, and died in November 2011.[2][7]

## Personal life

Pyke had three children with his wife Janet: Stephen, [James](/source/James_Pyke_(cricketer)), who played football for [Norwood](/source/Norwood_Football_Club) and cricket for [South Australia](/source/South_Australia_cricket_team), and [Don Pyke](/source/Don_Pyke), who played football for and the [West Coast Eagles](/source/West_Coast_Eagles) and was the former senior coach of the [Adelaide Crows](/source/Adelaide_Football_Club).

## Publications

Pyke has authored, co-authored and edited a number of books and articles, mainly on sports science and medicine:[8]

### Books

1. *[Football: the scientific way](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/21522849?q=frank+pyke&c=book)* (1975; with [Ross Smith](/source/Ross_G._Smith))
1. *[The grid system for skill practice in Australian football](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/27828366?q=frank+pyke&c=book)* (1977; with Lawrence Woodman)
1. *[Running man: a multidisciplinary introduction to physical education](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/152481117?q=frank+pyke&c=book)* (1977; as co-editor with Geoffrey Watson)
1. *[Focus on running : an introduction to human movement](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/9363018?q=frank+pyke&c=book)* (1978; as co-editor with Geoffrey Watson)
1. *[Physiological considerations during exercise in hot climates](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/6362053?q=frank+pyke&c=book)* (1981)
1. *[Towards better coaching: the art and science of sports coaching](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/18142055?q=frank+pyke&c=book)* (1981; as editor)
1. *[Sport in the heat](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/11281511?q=frank+pyke&c=book)* (1985)
1. *[Training for sports and fitness](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/6673025?q=frank+pyke&c=book)* (1990; with Brent Rushall)
1. *[Better coaching: advanced coach's manual](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/20318061?q=frank+pyke&c=book)* (1991; as editor)
1. *[Gold rush: a decade of success](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/34075966?q=frank+pyke&c=book)* (2000)
1. *[Champions in sport and life: the Victorian Institute of Sport, 1990–2005](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/34514041?q=frank+pyke&c=book)* (2006)
1. *[Champions in sport and life: and the companies that make it happen](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/14841315?q=frank+pyke&c=book)* (2006)
1. *[Cutting edge cricket](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/36723528?q=frank+pyke&c=book)* (2010; with Ken Davis)
1. *[Going for gold: champions from the West](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/37314871?q=frank+pyke&c=book)* (2010)

### Articles

- Mallett, C. J. and Pyke, F. S. (1 January 2008). [Coaching the best](http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:195268). *Sports Coach*, 30 1: pages 6–8.
- Pyke, F. S. (1966) *[The effect of selected preliminary activities on certain maximal performances](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/22055740?q=frank+pyke&c=book)*. [University of Western Australia](/source/University_of_Western_Australia) (thesis).
- Pyke, F. S. (14–19 January 1979). [The physical educator and physical fitness](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/39237062?q=frank+pyke&c=article). 12th Conference of the Australian Council for Health Physical Education and Recreation.
- Pyke, F. S. (2007). [Science in Australian sport: its origins and challenges](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/39435116?q=frank+pyke&c=article). *Sport Health*, volume 25, number 2, Winter 2007, pages 26–27.

## References

1. [Where are they now?: Frank Pyke](http://www.footygoss.com/index.php/main/columns/memory/view/where_are_they_now_frank_pyke/) – footygoss.com. Posted 29 April 2010. Retrieved 24 November 2011.

1. [Pyke had wide impact](http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/-/wafl/11975380/pyke-had-wide-impact/) [Archived](https://archive.today/20130105104314/http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/-/wafl/11975380/pyke-had-wide-impact/) 5 January 2013 at archive.today – *[The West Australian](/source/The_West_Australian)*. Written by John Townsend. Published 24 November 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2011.

1. Reed, Ron. "[Sports scientist Dr Frank Pyke gave Dennis Lillee back his fire](http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/sports-scientist-dr-frank-pyke-gave-dennis-lillee-back-his-fire/story-e6frf9if-1226204141425)". *[Herald Sun](/source/Herald_Sun)*. Published 24 November 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2011.

1. [Frank Pyke](https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/frank-pyke/) – sahof.org.au. Retrieved 24 September 2020.

1. [Dr Frank Pyke](http://www.was-executivecentre.org/page.asp?id=667) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120426001423/http://www.was-executivecentre.org/page.asp?id=667) 26 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine – was-executivecentre.org. Retrieved 24 November 2011.

1. [Frank Pyke – 2010 Mobley International Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient](http://www.hper.indiana.edu/alumni/pyke.shtml) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20111119041345/http://www.hper.indiana.edu/alumni/pyke.shtml) 19 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine – hper.indiana.edu. Retrieved 30 November 2011.

1. [Obituary: Frank PYKE](http://www.westannouncements.com.au/obituaries/thewest-au/obituary.aspx?n=frank-pyke&pid=154728264) – westannouncements.com.au. Published in *[The West Australian](/source/The_West_Australian)*, 24 November 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2011.

1. [Books by Frank S. Pyke](http://trove.nla.gov.au/book/result?q=frank+pyke) – trove.nla.gov.au. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 24 November 2011.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Frank Pyke](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Pyke) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Pyke?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.