Before his Australian rules football career, Pyke was a professional rugby union player, having played for French Top 14 squad US Montauban and representing the Canadian national side.
[3] Pyke first started playing basketball, soccer at St. Michaels University School in British Columbia, a school which has produced several Canadian national rugby players over the past few decades, as well as Steve Nash, NBA star, Hall of Fame and 2 time MVP before Mike was convinced to focus on rugby.
Pyke achieved fame in 2007 for running the length of the field and scoring a try against the New Zealand All Blacks off an intercepted pass from Dan Carter.
A friend, Matt Woodland, convinced Pyke that he had all the attributes of an Australian Rules Football player and set in motion the code switch.
Pyke put together a DVD showcasing his rugby highlights which Woodland then sent to AFL player agent Michael Quinlan from Top Dog Management.
[4] Quinlan was immediately convinced of the possibilities and after speaking with Pyke several times began dialogue with the Sydney Swans, a team known for unconventional recruitment.
Pyke finally got his opportunity with the Swans when selected to play in round 6 of the AFL premiership competition against the Richmond Tigers.
"This year, if someone came to their first game, you'd have to point out that this is a Canadian rugby player now playing AFL football, and that's the biggest compliment you can give Pykey," Roos said.
The Swans added his blog, "Open Pyke", to their website in June 2012[17] and his goal against the West Coast Eagles was featured as the SwansTV Play of the Day for Round 16.
[20] When Swans coach John Longmire substituted primary ruckman Shane Mumford, suffering from a sore hamstring, out of the game in the fourth term, Pyke was left to handle the ruck duties alone.
[26] Pyke's success on the field led former Sydney coach Paul Roos to hold him out as a contender for the 2013 All-Australian team.
[30] After a good first half of the 2015 season, in which he averaged 33 hitouts a game, knee problems caused Pyke's form to drop off.
"[33] On 16 October 2015, Pyke announced his retirement from the AFL in typically understated fashion by posting a photo on Twitter of his boots hanging up inside his locker at the SCG.