Pyke coached Adelaide in 93 matches – the third-longest serving Crows coach – with a 60.75 per cent win rate.
But the last 18 months have been especially challenging for the club,Pyke said,adding he wanted to step down to allow a"fresh face"to come in and move the club forward.
It wasn't a single moment that led to Pyke's downfall.
Crows chairman Rob Chapman said there had been a culmination of a"myriad of little things",and Pyke's resignation would allow the Crows to attain the"success it strives for".
"I'm not happy about it – I'm still wrestling up until the last minute'is this right?',"Chapman said."I'm still not sure,but Don made his decision.
"We listen to fans and we've been listening to them in recent times. We take into consideration what our fans say,but it's also not a popularity contest.
"We need to make decisions in the best interests of the football club. We will make the best decisions until we're not the right people to make them."
Pyke had been discussing his future with Fagan and Pyke for a number of weeks,and ultimately informed them of his decision on Wednesday night. He told the players at 12.30pm the following day,Adelaide time.
Don Pyke took the Crows to a grand final during his four-year tenure.Credit:AAP
Pyke said he would be happy to provide his thoughts and feedback to an internal review to help the Crows as they work towards a premiership.
The club won't be putting a time constraint on hiring a senior coach to lead them next season,Chapman said,adding the process needed to be"exhaustive".
"We've got to sit down and look at what the right qualities,right behaviours are,what are we looking for a coach in our club"he said."It's still a bit embryonic."