Pitt HC Praises New AD Hire

Pitt Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi praised the new athletic director hire.

Sep 21, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi takes the field to lead the Panthers in warm ups before playing the Youngstown State Penguins at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The University of Pittsburgh announced the hiring of Allen Greene as the new athletic director and football head coach Pat Narduzzi had nothing but great things to say.

Narduzzi spoke at a press conference previewing the Syracuse game next week on Oct. 24, but the news of the new athletic director coincided with this, giving him a chance to speak on the hire. He, like everyone else, found out about the hire this mornign and spoke to Greene to congraulate him on the job.

"But I'll start off by saying, first of all, I thank Chancellor Gabel for doing such a great job on this thing," Narduzzi said. "I think Allen is a slam dunk hire. I don't think you could have gotten anybody in the world better."

Narduzzi met Greene back around 2017/2018 at a Fiesta Frolic in Arizona. The two got paired to play golf together on a beautiful course and spent the day together. They stayed in touch the entire time, which continued years later up to this point.

"He was a guy that I wanted to stay in touch with," Narduzzi said. "It was kind of like this guy is top notch. And it starts with the people. You know, I haven't watched how he ran an athletic department. I'm not worried about that. The chancellor took care of that. But as far as people and wanting to work with somebody, the chancellor did an unbelievable job of nailing that hire, which is significant.

"So I thank her, and, again, I'm excited to work with Allen. Talked to him this morning as well, congratulated him and his family. He is pumped up to be here. I guess you'll get a feel next week, and we'll get a chance to sit down next week, him and I. But he's excited. And that's about all I got to say there."

Greene takes over from previous athletic director Heather Lyke, who spent more than seven years in the position before Chancellor Joan Gabriel relieved her of her duties back in September.

"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," Gabel said in a press 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."

One important part of Greene's job is raising money, not just for the athletic department, but also for NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) to make sure student-athletes at Pitt receive their just compensation.

Gabel wrote in her statement after letting Lyke go that they wanted a new vision for college athletics and someone that would work with the changing landscape, which Greene fits the bill for.

Narduzzi said that Greene is more than just a fundraiser and that he'll do everything necessary for the athletic department to make it as successful as he can.

"...I think everything is important, right? If that's all he's got, we got problems," Narduzzi said. "I think he's the whole package...I think he's got it all, but certainly that was something the chancellor -- and, again, it's a great question for the chancellor probably more than me, but I think everything is important. You can't just have a guy or gal that just does one thing, hey, I'm good at this, but I'll manage these. I think he's a superstar. I think he's a superstar, because he's a great person. He's got a personality. He's going to go out and help us raise money. Whether that's for, you know, the University of Pittsburgh athletic department or if it's for NIL and for our collective, I think he can do it all."

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