Mary Byrne Named Managing Editor, Sports for USA TODAY

MCLEAN, Va., April 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- USA TODAY Sports Media Group Senior Vice President, Content Dave Morgan announced today that Mary Byrne has been named Managing Editor, Sports for USA TODAY. Byrne will be based at USA TODAY headquarters in McLean.

Byrne, who previously served as USA TODAY's Olympics editor from 2004 through 2006, has been the deputy sports editor for the Associated Press for the past six years.

Byrne, who succeeds Monte Lorell, will become just the fourth Managing Editor, Sports in USA TODAY's nearly 30-year history. USA TODAY becomes the largest sports enterprise in the nation to be led by a female editor.

"Mary is uniquely qualified to lead the transformation of USA TODAY's sports coverage across all platforms," said Morgan, who oversees content for all properties within the USA TODAY Sports Media Group, which encompasses all sports initiatives across the Gannett Company. "She is highly respected as both a journalist and leader, and her hands-on approach and incredible work ethic make her the ideal fit for this leadership role. Mary's experience directing both national and regional coverage fits perfectly with our position as a leading sports destination with unmatched local reach, and I am pleased to bring her back to USA TODAY Sports."

"I'm thrilled to join the USA TODAY Sports Media Group as we embark on a dynamic new phase. It's like going home and setting off on a great adventure - all at once. This is one of the most exciting times in the history of media. By bringing together the best of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group across all platforms, we will engage passionate sports fans in their medium of choice," said Byrne.

A veteran of more than 20 years in the news business, Byrne first joined USA TODAY Sports in 2004 after seven years at the Miami Herald, where she served as the deputy sports editor as well as the Broward County copy chief. Prior to that, she spent more than two years at the Charlotte Observer as page designer and copy editor after beginning her career with stops at the Waterbury (CT) Republican-American and the Oceanside (CA) Blade-Citizen. A native of Michigan, Byrne is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and Spanish.

The USA TODAY Sports Media Group encompasses all sports initiatives across USA TODAY, as well as Gannett Co. Inc.'s 81 community newspaper properties and 23 broadcast television stations. It also includes the sports photography service U.S. Presswire, the Big Lead Sports digital properties, HighSchoolSports.net, BNQT.com and MMAjunkie.com. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).

SOURCE USA TODAY