“We call Lynn the glue to the athletic department,” said athletic director and head baseball coach Todd Rima.
The common perception for athletic departments stem off of sports being played. Whether or not a team wins or loses, or if a player had a really good game, they’d be the focal point.
Whereas at Kirkwood Community College, the athletic department shines the brightest and runs the smoothest behind closed doors.
Or in this case take the first right once you enter Johnson Hall and you see Lynn Lueck, associate athletic director, at her desk.
Prior to Kirkwood Lueck has a background in leading and managing Special Olympics programs as well as nine years of experience in owning her own daycare business.
Lueck’s first year in the Kirkwood athletic department started in 2012, where she started as the department assistant. After Rima’s promotion to athletic director in 2024, Lueck was subsequently promoted to her current position as associate athletic director.
Her day-to-day roles vary greatly depending on the circumstance. On days Kirkwood is hosting a game, Lueck is in charge of all the preparation, including communication with umpires/officials, coordinating concession stands, amongst many others and many other duties.
On days with no games she makes sure that everything is staying afloat and running smoothly.
However, most of the impact that Lueck makes is through her connections with the athletes and coaches.
“I’m the mom here. They can come by and talk to me anytime,” Lueck said. “I’m not just trying to be their friend, but also their resource. Somebody they know they can go ask.”
Many first-year students are acclimating to being away from home for the first time in their lives. So having someone be there for each athlete during whatever struggles or confusion each person is going through is testimoney to Kirkwood’s ability to stay at such an elite level as an athletic department.
In just the short two years that athletes are at Kirkwood they make long-lasting impressions with Lueck and the athletic department itself.
“Sophomores come up to me and say “I wish Kirkwood was a four-year. I don’t want to go,’ Lueck recalls of her experience with the athletes.
Kirkwood’s rich history of winning puts a lot of pressure on each athlete to not lose. When Lueck was asked on how she envisions success she said that success is more than just wins and losses. That it is the experience that they gain.
“She wants what is best for everyone,” said Rima. “She is the ultimate teammate and I personally can’t thank her enough for what she does for all of us and for myself.”
Categories: Feature
