Athletic Director Ryan Miller to Leave West After 2024-2025 School Year

October 9, 2024

Lutheran West would like to share that Mr. Ryan Miller, Athletic Director, will be leaving West at the conclusion of the 2024-2025 school year to pursue a next career opportunity. 

Miller informed CLHSA and Lutheran West of his plans earlier this month, having reached the conclusion that he needed to scale back on hours spent away from home and family, especially during nights and weekends.

Chris Steinmann, Superintendent of the CLHSA, remarks that “To say that Ryan’s administration of the athletic department and leadership in this crucial area of our school will be sorely missed is an understatement. He arrived at Lutheran West when the school had less than 400 students in grades 9-12, when our facilities were in need of careful planning for strategic upgrades, and when the competitive level of the athletic programs could greatly benefit from his driving force. In his time as AD, Ryan has positioned Lutheran West Athletics as a power player locally and beyond. He has done an incredible amount of behind-the-scenes work, much of which was never visible to the wider community, to advance Lutheran West, its athletes, its athletic program culture and leadership programs, and its facilities. He not only planned and executed the school’s strategic vision in the realm of athletics, but he did it while initiating transformational capital upgrades to our athletic facilities, eagerly taking on the expansion of athletics in general as our school grew to over 750 in grades 6-12, and for the majority of his 9 years single handedly managed all aspects of operations for the school’s 20+ athletic teams including strategic planning, budget, student-athlete eligibility, game day operations, athletic sponsorships, athletic awards, administrative supervision of athletic events, hiring and management of coaches, and much more. Ryan has given an incredible amount of time and talent to Lutheran West, and we wholeheartedly support his decision to give more of his gifts to his family and to his next career venture.”

In his time at Lutheran West, Miller conceptualized and facilitated a number of notable athletic overhauls and improvements, which can be primarily attributed to three categories:

Facilities

  • The current Longhorn athletic branding was introduced, creating a school/institutional brand and an athletic brand, as is industry best practice. New athletic branding was then synergized on all uniforms, apparel, signage, facilities, and graphics. 
  • The Wittrock Gymnasium was fully renovated, a project which included the resurfacing of the original flooring, new wall pads, the painting of the ceiling, new lighting, and installation of a state-of-the-art digital scoreboard to allow for video graphics, sponsor advertisements, and more to be incorporated into events. 
  • The Senney Fitness & Training Center was renovated and modernized with new equipment, flooring, turf, and office spaces.
  • Alumni Field was outfitted with an onsite locker room (under the bleachers) as well as branded bleacher wraps/wind screens, plus received branded repainting of the press box and concession stand/restrooms.
  • Proposal and implementation of a special project in which the baseball field was retrofitted to include interchangeable base plugs and a modular mound, allowing Lutheran West Softball to play their games on campus for the first time in school history. At the same time, fencing, lighting, and a batting cage were added to the baseball/softball facility.
  • New wrestling mats and flooring in the Wrestling Room

Athletic Administration

  • Created Centers of Excellence concept at Lutheran West
  • Establishment of game day operations protocol
  • Incorporation of sponsorships, media days, and publicity into athletic strategic operations
  • Scaled Athletic Department personnel to match growth of school (Dave Geye ʼ82 and Dave Ressler ʼ86 added to Athletic Department)
  • Hired Dave Krieger ‘08 as the full time Head Strength and Conditioning Coach
  • Spearheaded school deal with Nike through partner BSN
  • The athletic website was completely overhauled and moved to VNN, which is the industry preferred school athletic platform.
  • Rolled out online ticketing and digital passes for athletic events
  • Professionalized and organized athletic facility rentals by outside youth sports organizations, generating a new revenue source for Lutheran West
  • Forged new and sustaining partnerships with local businesses for sponsorships and with local youth sports organizations and clubs for partnerships and facility rentals
  • Spearheaded Lutheran West joining the CVC (Chagrin Valley Conference) after the PAC 12 Conference disbanded
  • Hired coaches with collegiate coaching/playing experience and/or a proven record of coaching success, including current head coaches Jordan Duke (men’s basketball), John Parrella (football), Laura Thrasivoulou (volleyball), Josh Malave ʼ08 (wrestling), Thomas Balla (baseball), Derrick Russell (women’s basketball), Steve Schneider ʼ88 (bowling), and John Ragland (track and field). 

Athletic Records and Statistics

  • First Football playoff win (2022) in school history (under Head Coach John Parrella)
  • Men’s Basketball DII OHSAA state runner up (2023) – best result in school history (under Head Coach Jordan Duke)
  • Men’s Bowling 4th place finish at OHSAA DII State Tournament (2023) – best result in school history (under Heach Coach Steve Schneider)
  • 24 Conference Championships
  • 16 Team District Appearances / 15 Individual District Appearances
  • 4 District Championships
  • 2 Team State Tournament Appearances / 17 Individual State Tournament Appearances
  • 1 OHSWCA (Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association) State Champion (Allyssa Pirro ‘21, Women’s Wrestling)
  • In conjunction with wrestling coach Dave Ressler, supported and facilitated the development of the first women’s wrestling program in the State of Ohio 

“Ryan’s work ethic, his dedication to excellence, and his understanding of how athletic participation can positively impact and shape a young person’s teenage years are attributes that will be difficult to replace,” remarks Joel Bahr, Lutheran West Principal. 

From Ryan Miller: “I’d like to sincerely thank Lutheran West and all those who have supported and helped me to build upon the school’s long history of excellence in athletics. I am grateful for all the experiences this role has provided me and the growth that has occurred for me as a professional along the way. I will cherish the strong relationships I built with many students, faculty members, coaches, administrators, and alumni. I wish nothing but the best for Lutheran West in the years ahead.”

Steinmann adds, “It is squarely because of Ryan that Lutheran West Athletics is poised to make some incredible strides in the years to come. The groundwork he has laid during this period of growth and change at Lutheran West has not only fulfilled, but exceeded, the vision we as an administrative body set forth at the beginning of his tenure. On behalf of the CLHSA and Lutheran West, I’d like to express our sincere gratitude.”

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Lutheran West will conduct a search for the next Athletic Director in the months ahead. Position description and requirements will be shared at a later date. Inquiries about the position and search should be directed to Mr. Joel Bahr, Principal, at [email protected].