Pitt A.D. Allen Greene: ‘I Hate Losing More Than I Like Winning’

PITTSBURGH — Allen Greene has had a lot of success during his time in college athletics, but as much as he likes to win, he hates to lose. That’s key.

Greene was introduced Wednesday morning as the new Director of Athletics and will officially take the role on Nov. 1. He’s ushering in a new era of Pitt athletics, in an era of college athletics that’s already filled with uncertainty and unpredictability, and he wants to make it known that the Panthers won’t just survive, they’ll excel.

“I hate losing more than I like winning,” Greene said Wednesday morning. “I’m gonna say it again because it’s important, I hate losing more than I like winning. We want to be successful. We commit ourselves to being successful. We want to win championships, both conference and national. And for those people who say it’s not possible, go cheer for a different school. It is possible at Pitt, and we want to work hard every day to prove it.”

Pitt is entering a pivotal time in college athletics, and the department is eager to embrace NIL and jump into revenue sharing with its student-athletes at full capacity, and that’s a big reason why Greene is in position.

But he’s also in the position because of how he’s outlined the way in which he will blend the need for innovation with the desire to remain true to the long-held Pitt ideals. Greene will do what he can to raise the floor — and the ceiling — of the department and everyone involved.

“I’m here to serve you,” Greene said. “I’m here to help make you better and better and better each and every day. That is my commitment to you, and I want that to be your commitment to everyone else who is working in this athletic department and who is working at this university.”

In the new age of college athletics, Greene is looking to be proactive. It’s a time, he said, to take calculated risks to help Pitt athletics win. Allen Greene certainly doesn’t want to lose.