Allen Greene has a long career in college athletics, his biggest role being the athletic director at Auburn University from 2018 – 2022, where he was the first Black athletic director in school history.
After parting ways with the school, he stayed in the SEC and returned to the University of Mississippi (he was the Assistant AD for Development from 2009-2012) as the senior deputy athletics director for external relations and business development. In 2023, he went to Tennessee as senior deputy athletics director where he helped increase the school revenue by managing its NIL relationships.
On Friday, he officially started his new job in Pittsburgh as director of athletics.
“I am tremendously grateful and honored to receive the opportunity from Chancellor Gabel to join the University of Pittsburgh, an institution and athletic tradition I’ve long admired,” said Greene in a statement. “It was apparent from my very first conversation with Chancellor Gabel that Pitt has the highest of aspirations in every endeavor it undertakes. That’s tremendously energizing to me and a challenge I fully embrace. I am inspired by the storied history of Pitt Athletics and am fully dedicated to helping our Panthers reach even greater heights in the future. I am looking forward to meeting and working on behalf of Pitt’s student-athletes, coaches, staff and campus leaders. The Greene family is incredibly thankful and excited to proudly wear Pitt’s blue and gold.”
Greene’s career is full of accomplishments both on and off the field of play.
At Auburn, he helped secure the school’s four largest individual donations in history and was instrumental in the construction of the $92 million Woltosz Football Performance Center. In the classroom, the GPA of student-athletes rose to a combined 3.25.
As the AD at Buffalo from 2015-2018, the men’s basketball team won its first-ever NCAA tournament game (2017-18), both the men’s and women’s basketball teams won MAC titles in 2016 (something not done since 2002) and, according to Pitt’s statement, “student-athletes earned grade-point averages of 3.0 or better for 11 consecutive semesters, with the football team earning its highest team GPA in program history.”
“In Allen Greene, we have a proven national leader who exemplifies the Pitt way, and who has all of the experience and intangibles to elevate our athletics program in competition and in the classroom,” said Pittsburgh’s Chancellor Joan Gabel. “In my conversations with Allen and with many others who know him well, it is clear that he will lead us successfully into the new world of intercollegiate athletics.”
“Allen brings to Pitt an outstanding reputation as an innovative leader who is personally invested in the student-athletes and staff under his watch. His impressive administrative experience will be a tremendous asset not only for our athletics department but also the entire University. We greatly look forward to his arrival on campus,” said men’s head basketball coach, Jeff Capel.
Greene, who officially began his new job on November 1st, returns to the ACC where he was a three year starter on the Notre Dame baseball team. After graduating with a degree in finance, he attended Indiana University, where he earned his MBA.
