Narduzzi praises ‘superstar’ new athletic director hire

PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He’s become the school spokesperson when athletic department news comes out, by sheer timing coincidence. Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said Friday he’s ‘really excited’ about the hiring of Allen Greene as the school’s new athletic director.

Narduzzi played golf with Greene in an event in Arizona six or seven years ago. They happened to be pair together when Greene was the athletic director at the University of Buffalo. After that round the two stayed in touch as Narduzzi said he texted Greene when he got a job at Auburn.

“It was kind of like, this guy is top notch,” Narduzzi said of their brief time together. “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.”

The 10-year Pitt head coach said he talked to Greene this morning and congratulated him. He relayed that Greene is ‘pumped up to be here’.

“I think he's the whole package,” Narduzzi said. “I think he's got it all. 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.”