Greene named director of athletics

Allen Greene, a senior athletics administrator who has played a key role in elevating UB’s athletics profile nationally, has been promoted to director of athletics, President Satish K. Tripathi announced today.

Greene, 38, becomes one of the youngest athletics directors in the NCAA Division I ranks. He joined UB from the University of Mississippi in 2012 and previously served as UB’s senior associate athletics director for administration and, most recently, deputy director of athletics. He takes over for Danny White, who accepted the AD position at the University of Central Florida on Nov. 18.

Greene’s appointment is effective Dec. 12.

“Allen has been at the heart of the successful vision that has guided our athletics programs over the past several years. And with a clear vision for its continued upward trajectory, he is ready to hit the ground running as our next athletics director,” Tripathi said.

“Allen is a consummate leader, and more than that, he is a wonderful colleague and a valued member of our UB family. We are truly fortunate to have in our midst a leader of his caliber and experience, and one who brings such a comprehensive and well-honed understanding of our UB athletics program as we seek to launch it to the next level of excellence,” he said.

“Not only has he earned the respect and trust of our coaches, athletes and local community, but he also has earned the esteem of athletic leaders across the MAC and on a national level, who uniformly point to his expertise and proven leadership as a talented administrator with significant range and depth of experience.”

“My wife, Christy, and I, along with our children, have created many wonderful memories these past three-and-a-half years in Western New York, and we are looking forward to many more in the years to come,” Greene said. “President Tripathi’s confidence in me to serve this prestigious university as its next director of athletics is incredibly humbling.

“Through Danny White’s leadership, UB Athletics has thrived in every aspect. It is my goal to sustain our momentum by growing our existing strong relationships with coaches, staff, student-athletes, university constituents, alumni, fans and donors. With their continued support, UB athletics can achieve greatness. There’s no better time to be a Bull.”

Jon Steinbrecher, commissioner of the Mid-American Conference, said he was pleased to learn that Greene had been named the director of athletics at UB. “Over the past three years, I have worked with Allen on numerous occasions and have found him to be a talented, creative and energetic administrator,” he said. “It was only a matter of time until he had the opportunity to take over a program as the director of athletics. I am pleased it is at a Mid-American Conference member institution. I commend Dr. Tripathi on this selection and look forward to working with Allen as he leads the Buffalo program.”

As deputy director of athletics, Greene oversaw the day-to-day operations of the athletics department, whose 20 NCAA Division I men’s and women’s programs have a combined budget of nearly $30 million. He also was in charge of UB’s football and men’s and women’s basketball programs, including scheduling, game contracts, student-athlete management and postseason planning.

Each of those three programs earned bids to high-level postseason contests during Greene’s tenure:

• UB football competed in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl — the third bowl bid in program history — in 2013.
• Men’s basketball advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 2014-15.
• Also last season, the women’s program went to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, another program first.

In addition to these successes, UB’s women’s soccer and men’s tennis teams won Mid-American Conference championships, and shot-putter Jonathan Jones captured the Bulls’ first Division I era NCAA national title — all during the 2014-15 season.  And for seven consecutive semesters, UB athletics teams have earned a collective GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Whit Babcock, director of athletics at Virginia Tech, offered his congratulations to Greene. “I have known Allen for 10 years and have followed and admired his career path along the way. He is a tremendous choice as athletics director; he will serve as a great leader for UB. His experience, work ethic and values make him an ideal fit. Allen is a product of the student-athlete experience himself, he will work hard to pay it forward. He will be student-centered while ensuring a level of championship success.”

Greene also has been instrumental in building donor and corporate support for UB athletics, including arranging an apparel partnership with Nike. He spearheaded development of the UB athletics facilities master plan and led capital projects for the UB Sports Medicine Center, football field turf replacement and the Edmond J. Gicewicz Club, a new premium seating section at UB Stadium. Greene’s role at UB has included service on several university committees, including the Campaign for the Community steering committee, emergency oversight committee, the Faculty Student Association board of directors and the search committee for UB’s vice president for communications.

“As a Bulls fan, a proud alum and someone who cares greatly about the future of this university, it really has been exciting to witness the great advancements being made across UB’s athletics programs. I think I speak for Bulls fans everywhere in saying we’ve had a lot of great moments — and many UB “firsts” — to celebrate in recent years,” said Francis M. Letro, UB alumnus and chair, UB Foundation board of trustees.

“I am very pleased that UB has chosen a leader who is so well positioned to carry that momentum forward and I’m very excited about all the good things that are sure to come. Judging by the last few years, Bulls fans have a lot to look forward to!”

Paul Mainieri, head baseball coach at Louisiana State University, said Greene “is one of the special people I have known in my life and I truly believe he will be a tremendous leader of the athletics department at UB.”

“I recruited Allen as an 18-year-old baseball player from Seattle in my first recruiting class at Notre Dame 22 years ago and have watched him grow from a great college athlete into an astute administrator in college athletics,” Mainieri said. “Whether it was working in NCAA compliance at Notre Dame, raising money at Ole Miss or handling his myriad of duties while working with Danny White at Buffalo, Allen has continually proven to be a dependable and loyal professional.  His personality, intelligence, impeccable integrity and ability to pull people together will energize UB athletics and all those who care about the university.”

From 2009-12, Greene held several positions with the UMAA Foundation at Ole Miss, including major gifts officer, assistant athletics director for development and assistant athletics director for development/priority seating. Greene was instrumental in creating, planning and implementing a $150 million capital campaign, the largest in Ole Miss athletics history.

He worked in development and athletics at the University of Notre Dame from 2003-09.

Greene holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Notre Dame and a master’s degree in liberal studies from Indiana University South Bend. He was a three-year starter in the outfield at Notre Dame before signing with the New York Yankees — who selected him in the ninth round — after his junior season. He played in the Yankees’ minor league system from 1998 to 2001.

Greene lives in East Amherst with his wife, Christy; daughters Rian and Seneca; and son Samuel.