Pittsburgh has hired Allen Greene as its athletics director, the school announcedFriday.
Greene, 47, was Auburn’s AD from 2018-22. He has been Senior Deputy Athletics Director and Chief Operating Officer at Tennessee since last November.
“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,” Pittsburgh chancellor Joan Gabel said. “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.”
At Auburn, Greene fired football coach Gus Malzahn at the end of the 2020 season and then made the disastrous hire of Bryan Harsin to replace him. Greene resigned in August 2022 with five months left on his contract, and Harsin was fired two months later after less than two seasons on the job.
At Pittsburgh, Greene will replace Heather Lyke, who was fired last month. He has also been AD at Buffalo and worked in senior athletic administration at Ole Miss and Notre Dame, where he played baseball in the late 1990s.
“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. “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.”
