Alabama AD Greg Byrne Finally Gets Own Net-Cutting Moment

Byrne was responsible for the hire of Nate Oats at Alabama and got his own special recognition as part of Saturday's postgame celebrations.

Mar 30, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide athletic director Greg Byrne cuts down the / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

LOS ANGELES — Greg Byrne has been an athletic director at the Power Five level for nearly two decades and has been around sports his whole life as the son of a former athletic director. But even he got to expereince a first on Saturday night.

When Alabama basketball beat Clemson to secure its first Final Four berth, Byrne got to climb the ladder cut down a piece of the West Region title net.

"I’ve never cut down the net before," Byrne said. "I wasn’t planning to, but they told me to get up there. And so it was really special. I’m just so excited for everyone. I mean, everybody from the guys on our team, the coaches, our university, our fanbase."

Twice while working as an associate AD at Kentucky, the Wildcats made the Elite Eight, but did not advance farther. When Byrne was the athletic director at Arizona, those Wildcats made the Elite Eight three times in 2011, 2014 and 2015. But Arizona did not reach the Final Four in any of those seasons either.

So Saturday night was a super sweet moment for Byrne, who was visibly emotional after the game. Byrne was the one who hired a then relatively-unknown Nate Oats in 2019 from Buffalo. In five seasons, Oats has taken Alabama to four NCAA Tournaments and now the first Final Four.

"We want to be successful at whatever we do. I thought he was ahead of the curve for what was taking place from a basketball standpoint," Byrne said about Oats. "I thought he would be a separator for us to get us in this position. Kids want to be a part of this system, right. We continue to see that in how he’s recruited. He works his tail off in recruiting and the staff does, too. And they were going to put us in position."

Byrne understands the passion of Alabama fans. His wife, Regina, showed him a video of fans rejoicing in Tuscaloosa after the Crimson Tide's Sweet 16 victory over North Carolina. And now he wants to see the fanbase travel to Phoenix for the Final Four.

"Gotta get on the Greyhound, hitchhike, ride your bike— just get there," Byrne said. "It’s such an incredible experience. We need the Tide there in force."