Trent Tucker resigns, Ryan Lamberty placed on leave from Minneapolis athletics posts

Two prominent leaders in Minneapolis public high school athletics have left their posts.

Trent Tucker, the district's director of athletics since 2013, resigned Thursday, the same day that Ryan Lamberty, athletic director at Southwest High School, was placed on administrative leave.

A school district spokesperson confirmed both moves Friday but did not offer specifics, citing data privacy laws.

Tucker, who played basketball for the Gophers and in the NBA, and Lamberty did not respond to phone messages.

"Trent has been a visible member of our leadership team supporting student athletes across the district over his four years here," Minneapolis district spokesperson Dirk Tedmon said in a news release.

"We have appreciated his contributions to the district, which include increased graduation rates for student athletes, increased community partnerships, grants and donations, and the remodeling of high school fitness centers."

Graduation rates soared in 2015-16 when 659 of the 666 seniors who participated in athletics earned a diploma. Those same student-athletes posted an average 3.15 GPA.

Just 64 percent of the students in the seven Minneapolis public high schools graduated in 2015, almost 20 percent below the state average.

Success came on the field as well. North's football team won the Class 1A state title in 2016. The Polars basketball team won back-to-back Class 1A state titles in 2016 and 2017. Edison has won three Class 1A girls' track and field state titles in the past four seasons.

Significant financial challenges loom, however. The district faces a $33 million deficit in 2018-19.

The Tucker and Lamberty situations come on the heels of Minneapolis North athletic director Leo Lewis getting placed on administrative leave in December.

He is the subject of an internal school investigation.

Lewis, who played wide receiver for the Vikings in the 1980s, has been with the Polars program since 2014.