Ole Miss has strengthened its athletics administration by naming former Auburn and Buffalo athletics director, Allen Greene, as its new Senior Deputy Athletics Director/External Relations and Business Development, it was announced Wednesday by Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter.
Greene returns to Oxford, having worked alongside Carter in the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation from 2009-12 as Assistant AD for Development. In his new role, Greene will serve as the Rebels’ chief operating officer, oversee the department’s external operations and maintain sport oversight of the football program.
“We could not be more excited to add Allen’s leadership to our team,” Carter said. “Going back to our time together at OMAF, I know firsthand the type of person and leader that Allen is, and he represents everything that you want in your administration. We look forward to adding his wealth of experience to our department and welcoming his family back to Oxford.”
“Simply put, our time at Ole Miss was enormously rewarding, and I couldn’t be more eager about the opportunity to, once again, partner with Keith,” Greene said. “Those around me know of my obsession with caring about the success of others, and I look forward to partnering with Chancellor Boyce, university leadership, athletic department staff/coaches, student-athletes and fans!”
Greene, known as a dynamic and energetic leader, spent five seasons as Auburn’s 15th director of athletics before stepping down in August. Under his leadership, the Tigers won eight conference championships and had 44 programs finish in the top 25 nationally, including 17 teams in the top 10. The AU equestrian program won a pair of national championships, and the men’s and women’s golf teams each advanced to the national semifinals a combined three times.
In 2021-22, six Auburn programs finished in the top 10, including the best-ever finish by the gymnastics squad, which finished fourth. The Tiger baseball team made its second College World Series trip in the last three postseasons, and men’s basketball earned its first-ever, No. 1 national ranking before finishing eighth in the final polls. In 2019, the men’s hoops program made its first-ever trip to the Final Four, while the baseball team returned to the College World Series for the first time in 22 years.
Among the $175 million investment in capital infrastructure, Greene’s tenure at Auburn was highlighted by the construction of the $92 million, 233,000 square foot Football Performance Center. The largest capital project in Auburn Athletics history, the new facility included two of the four largest single donations in the program’s history.
In addition to record-setting fundraising efforts and competitive achievements, student-athletes excelled academically, improving their cumulative GPA from 3.19 to 3.25 during Greene’s time on the Plains.
While at the University at Buffalo, Greene’s leadership was noted for success on the field and in the classroom, as well as donor and corporate development efforts that led to an array of facility enhancements. Prior to being named AD for his final two years, Greene served as the Senior Associate AD for Administration and Deputy Director of Athletics at UB for three seasons. His background also includes time at his alma mater, Notre Dame, for two years as a fundraiser and five years in compliance, before arriving at Ole Miss for three years.
A graduate of Notre Dame with a degree in finance, Greene was an outfielder for the Fighting Irish baseball team and a ninth-round draft pick by the New York Yankees. He later received his master’s degree from Indiana University’s South Bend campus.
Greene’s national perspective and well-rounded experiences place him in high regard among his peers. Greene has served on the Executive Committee of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), 1st Vice-Chair of LEAD1 and Co-Chair of the Black AD Alliance.
Greene, and his wife, Christy, have three children, daughters Rian and Seneca, and a son Samuel.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics
