PITTSBURGH, PA—In the aftermath of the dismissal of former University of Pittsburgh Athletic (AD)Director Heather Lyke, it wasn’t a question on who would be the next AD, but when they would get hired. And on October 18 th , 2024, Pitt Chancellor Joan Gable appointed highly accomplished and nationally respected college athletics administrator Allen Greene as the next Director of Athletics at the University of Pittsburgh.
Chancellor Gabel formally introduced Green at a special news conference Wednesday at the Petersen Events Center. “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 Gabel. “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.”
“Chancellor Gabel and the advisory committee deserve great credit for identifying and appointing such an experienced and visionary leader like Allen Greene for our athletics department,” said Board of Trustees Chairperson John Verbanac.
Greene has been a lead figure in the management of name, image, and likeness (NIL) programs at three separate Southeastern Conference (SEC) institutions, including most recently at the University of Tennessee, where he has served as senior deputy athletics director since December 2023. He has played an integral role in the athletics departments over 30% increase in annual revenue. Prior to his tenure with the Volunteers, he served a year at the University of Mississippi as senior deputy athletics director for external relations and business development.
“So, why Pitt? There are so many different reasons why Pitt makes sense. I had a chance to talk to our coaches. They are ‘Why Pitt?’, said Allen. “I had a chance to talk to our donors, they are ‘Why Pitt?’ I had a chance to learn about the industrial history of this city, not just now, but also the past … that is ‘Why Pitt?’ I think about this down to earth community and the genuine people. Incredibly unpretentious, incredibly proud, that is ‘Why Pitt?’
In 2021-22 alone, six Auburn athletic programs finished in the nation’s Top 10. During histenure, the Auburn men’s basketball team earned the first No. 1 national ranking in program
history and advanced to its first Final Four; the baseball team returned to the College World Series for the first time in 22 years; the equestrian team won two national championships; and student-athlete grade-point averages rose to a combined 3.25. Auburn Athletics also welcomed its four largest individual donations ever, and the Woltosz Football Performance Center—a $92 million football facility that stands as the largest athletics project in Auburn history—was constructed.
When asked why he is so successful at asking for money, Allen replied, “I don’t ask for money, never have. I explain a vision, express a vision, and let people enjoy the journey along with that vision…We have to understand that the world changes, the world evolves. In order for us to fulfill our responsibility to the young people, we have to adapt.”
Allen succeeds Lyke who served as Pitt’s AD from 2017-2024 and was responsible for many successes under her watch: The hiring of Basketball Coach Jeff Capel, who in 2022-23, lead the team to their first NCAA Tournament Appearance since 2015 and was named ACC Coach of the Year; a rebranding and return to the classic Pitt Blue & Gold; National rankings in Women’s Volleyball and Men’s Soccer; an ACC Championship in Football (2021); and the groundbreaking of Victory Heights, a $240 million project will include a cutting-edge athletic performance center that will serve the strength and conditioning, sports medicine, nutrition, and mental well-being needs for 16 of Pitt’s 19 intercollegiate athletics programs and a 3,000-seat arena for gymnastics, volleyball, and wrestling. Each of those teams currently practice and compete in the 70-year-old Fitzgerald Field House.
“There is really no question of the success that the previous administration had,” said Gabel. “The times that we find ourselves in require a different approach. It was very clear of the esteem with which Allen has held, we had a shared vision, shared values, and shared commitment of excellence.”
Greene and his wife, Christy, have three children: daughters Rian and Seneca and son Samuel.
“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… It is possible at Pitt.”
“Hail to possible, hail to Pitt, and hail to our new athletic director Allen Greene,” said Gabel.
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