TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Greg Byrne has officially been handed the keys to Alabama’s athletic program. Now, the newly-hired athletic director has the arduous task of not wrecking the car.
Byrne, 45, had his first day on the job Wednesday, taking over for departing athletics director Bill Battle, who served in the position over the past four years. Upon being announced as Alabama’s next A.D., Byrne called Alabama the “pinnacle” of college athletics.
Talking with reporters in January, Byrne, who most recently served as the athletics director at the University of Arizona, admitted the job he was coming into at Alabama wasn’t one that needed much tinkering. That being said, he made it clear there will always be work to be done in order to maintain and improve.
"It certainly is not broken, that's for sure," Byrne said. "It's so strong, so I believe a couple of things. One is to stay very focused. Don't be complacent. Provide leadership that allows those things to happen. I think that's going to be very important for the coming years.”
Below are five areas of focuses and challenges Byrne will face as he looks to keep Alabama’s well-oiled machine running in the future.
1. Keep The Money Flowing
Byrne grew up wanting to be an athletic director, following in the footsteps of his father, Bill Byrne, who served as the A.D. at Oregon, Nebraska and Texas A&M. He even claims he listed the job as his future career during a class assignment in the fourth grade.
Growing up in an A.D. household, Byrne said he learned several tricks of the trade from his father. One of the most important might be an ability to raise money and work with people.
Byrne is viewed as one of the top fundraisers in the nation. During his time at Arizona, he led a $72 million construction of the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility as well as the completion of Phase I of an $80 million renovation to the McKale Center, where Arizona’s basketball team plays.
“I say I got into fundraising because I don’t have any skills, but I can ask people for money,” Byrne said. “A good fundraiser gets turned down more often than a bed sheet... To go on the serious side of the answer, I like people. I like people who are passionate about the university.”
Fresh of off a $42.6 million renovation of Sewell-Thomas Stadium in 2015, Alabama has shown it’s not afraid to splash the cash either. However, to keep providing state-of-the-art facilities, the Crimson Tide will need Byrne’s help bringing in the funds.
2. Improve Basketball Facilities
While football will always be king in Tuscaloosa, one of the issues Byrne will be asked about from the start is an upgrade to Alabama’s basketball arena. Both Alabama’s men’s and women’s teams play inside Coleman Coliseum, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year.
While the roughly 15,000-seat arena is not in the worst of shape, Coleman would appear to be high on the list of changes under Byrne’s watch. That could mean renovation, as was the case with the arena’s next-door neighbor Sewell-Thomas, or Alabama could choose to build a brand new stadium instead.
Men’s basketball appears to be headed in the right direction under second-year head coach Avery Johnson. That should only improve in coming seasons. Johnson has shown an ability to attract top talent as evidenced by this year’s star-studded recruiting class. With momentum building, improved facilities might be the final step toward pushing Alabama into an elite basketball program.
“Facilities are critical in reinvesting in your success and continuing that vision for the future,” Byrne said. “You just can’t hit the pause button. What we’re really fortunate for here is that the infrastructure for the most part is really, really good. That doesn’t mean you stop with it. The importance of recruiting, the importance of the experience for student athletes in every aspect academically, athletically and socially, all those are critical. Facilities play a big part in that.”
3. Change With The Times
At 45 years old, Byrne figures to be at Alabama for a while. That being said, how he innovates and moves with the landscape of college athletics will be vital to his success in Tuscaloosa.
With 38.6 thousand followers and 10.6 thousand tweets from his Twitter account, Byrne appears to be someone who is very in touch with the communication of today. He’s currently taking what he has referred to on his account as a “Twitter hiatus,” but expect that to change as he digs his feet into his new position at Alabama.
Byrne is funny, outgoing and energetic. He also gets social media and how to use it to drum up interest in his programs. Take this video he posted while at Arizona, urging fans to attend football games for example.
4. Don't Change Too Much
“I do like to laugh, I’ve got a bit of a sense of humor,” Byrne said. “Hopefully that can come through now and then through how I use Twitter.”
Change is good, and it will be necessary to establish growth throughout all of the Tide’s programs. However, Byrne can’t forget about what he’s dealing with at Alabama.
Byrne was quick to joke with a reporter after the reporter tweeted a picture of Arizona’s flashy new football uniforms. The newly hired A.D. said he knows better than to mess with the Tide’s classic look.
“I want to make it very clear how much I love the Alabama football uniform,” Byrne said reassuringly before breaking out into a laugh.
Jersey’s aside, Byrne will need to find the perfect balance of change at Alabama. Change too much, and he risks spitting on the Tide’s rich history and tradition. Don’t change enough, and Alabama will be left in the dust behind other progressive schools.
5. Replace Nick Saban... Eventually
This is something Byrne admittedly doesn’t want to have to do for a while, and at Saban’s current pace and health it might be a task for several years down the road.
However, Saban is bound to step down one day, and when he does it will more than likely define Byrne’s career with Alabama.
Byrne has had success bringing in talented coaches in the past, especially when he landed head football coach Dan Mullen to replace Sylvester Croom at Mississippi State in 2008. While at Mississippi State, Byrne also hired John Cohen as the head baseball coach. After eight years at the position, Cohen in now Mississippi State’s athletic director. During his time with Arizona, Byrne interestingly enough hired head coach Rich Rodriguez, who famously turned down the Alabama head coaching job before it was offered to Saban.
Byrne laughed with reporters, stating that after meeting Saban in person in January he isn’t worried about the head coach retiring anytime soon. Jokes aside, Byrne knows he will have to be ready when that time comes.
“I hope he’s the football coach for a very long time,” Byrne said of Saban. “He’s one of the greatest ones ever. The fact that I get to work with him, I’m thrilled about it. When that time comes, that time will come. But I certainly hope it’s nowhere near the immediate future, and I hope it’s many years down the road.”
Opening Press Conference