Pitt Officially Hires Allen Greene as New Director of Athletics

Pitt has officially found who will lead the athletic department in the new era of college athletics.

Pitt announced the hire of Allen Greene, who served as the senior deputy athletic director & Chief Operating Officer at Tennessee, as its new Director of Athletics. Greene fills the vacancy left by former Director of Athletics Heather Lyke and will begin at Pitt on Nov. 1.

It’s a major move by Pitt and the first hire by Chancellor Joan Gabel, who decided that Pitt needed to invest fully in NIL.

“Pitt Athletics is the front porch of the University of Pittsburgh, serving as a crucial access point for so many across our campus, our region, our nation and the world,” said Chancellor Joan Gabel in the Pitt release. “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. 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.”

Greene has nearly two decades of experience in the industry and was lauded by Tennessee in his lone season with the Volunteers.

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Greene brings a history of football, finances, NIL and fundraising, which is what all Pitt fans should want to hear.

“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,” Greene said in the release. “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 has Athletic Director experience at Buffalo (2015-18) and Auburn (2018-22). He inherited a disastrous football situation at Auburn, forced to contend with ultra-vocal, influential boosters and a surprising hire that didn’t work. He will now step into a situation now that is much more secure.

What stands out during Greene’s time at Auburn is his fundraising efforts, raising $165 million for capital projects across campus — including a $92 million football performance center.

In the year prior to his time at Tennessee, Greene served as the senior deputy athletics director of external relations & business development at Ole Miss. He was also the Rebels’ COO, overseeing the department’s external operations and the football program. And he was successful in his tenure at Buffalo.

Greene spent four years at the helm of Buffalo athletics and served as the senior associate athletic director for administration and deputy director of athletics before that. He was in charge of the day-to-day operations of the athletic department during that time, as well as football and men’s and women’s basketball. The Bulls experienced a bounceback in football and men’s basketball success in the NCAA Tournament during his time at the helm.

But again, maybe most importantly, Greene was instrumental in securing donor and corporate support during his time at Buffalo, including an apparel deal with Nike. He also spearheaded a Buffalo athletics facilities master plan and led multiple capital projects, including an $18 million indoor practice facility.

Greene started his administrative career at Notre Dame, spending five years in the compliance office and two years as an athletics fundraiser. He spent time at Ole Miss following Notre Dame, where he worked in business development and fundraising.

Greene was a baseball player at Notre Dame and was selected by the New York Yankees in the 1998 MLB Draft. He graduated with a degree in finance and later received his Master’s degree in South Bend.