Don Pyke

Who is Don Pyke?

Donald Lachlan Pyke is a former Australian rules footballer who is currently an assistant coach at the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League. The son of Frank Pyke, who had also played senior football, he was born in the United States, but his family soon returned to Australia, settling first in Perth and then in Canberra, where he played representative football and cricket for the Australian Capital Territory. Pyke was recruited by Claremont in the West Australian Football League for the 1987 season, playing in a premiership in his first season and winning the club's best and fairest award in his second season. This led to his recruitment by West Coast, who selected him prior to the 1988 National Draft. Pyke spent eight seasons at the club, playing in premiership sides in both 1992 and 1994, and sharing the Club Champion Award with Glen Jakovich in 1993. He finished his AFL career with 132 games and 97 goals. After retiring from playing, Pyke was appointed Claremont's senior coach, serving for two seasons from 1999 to 2000, and also spent time as an assistant coach at Adelaide and in administrative roles at West Coast, including a period on the board of directors.