Ever heard of “Last Chance U”?
If you haven’t, it’s a Netflix show surrounding East Mississippi Community College, which dominates junior college football by providing a last chance to Division I-talent football players looking to turn their careers around after a wrong turn. The school, year in and year out, competes for national titles.
But what about Athletics Director U?
It’s not a Netflix show, but similarly, “ADU’” is also a school in Mississippi. In fact, it’s right here in Oxford. The 2012 Ole Miss athletics staff now boasts four current Division I athletics directors around the nation, and each one either already has or is about to make definitive improvements to his respective program.
John Hartwell
Prior to becoming the AD at Troy University, John Hartwell was the senior executive associate athletics director at Ole Miss, making him essentially second in command. After three years at Troy, Hartwell left the school for the same position at Utah State University. During his time in Logan, Utah, he has overseen a $36 million renovation to the football stadium, helped usher in what the university calls an “unparalleled athletic success during the past two academic years” and has ensured that the phrase “student-athlete” is held true. Since his arrival, Utah State’s sports programs boast a cumulative 3.196 GPA and an 89 percent graduation success rate.
Allen Greene
The second 2012 Ole Miss staffer who has risen his way through the ranks is Allen Greene, the new AD for Auburn. Greene was an assistant AD at Ole Miss before departing to the University at Buffalo, where he served in the same role before being named AD at Auburn this month. At Ole Miss, he was involved in the single largest capital campaign in school history, and at Buffalo, he helped secure funding for an $18 million indoor practice facility. Though Greene is new to his role in Alabama, he is certainly the man for the job. Only the third African-American AD in SEC history, he is one of the youngest ADs in the country at age 40 and is certain to make big changes at the helm.
Danny White
The University of Central Florida is home to the third former Ole Miss staffer who has skyrocketed to the top of the athletics administrative totem pole. Danny White, the former senior associate athletics director at Ole Miss, is now the AD at UCF, who went undefeated during the 2017-18 football season and has self-claimed the title of “National Champions.” In his short time in Orlando, White helped take a football program from winless to undefeated in two years. And he owns it. After head coach Scott Frost left UCF for an open position at Nebraska, White stated at a press conference that UCF had the most attractive opening for a head coach in the nation, despite the open positions at Florida State, Arkansas and Tennessee. Confidence is key.
Ross Bjork
The final nail in the coffin that solidifies Ole Miss as Athletics Director U is its very own Ross Bjork. When he took over in 2012, he was the youngest AD in NCAA history, and he has provided a steady hand to guide our athletics department through what can only be called a tumultuous ride. In his five years, Bjork has seen a top-five program and a Sugar Bowl victory but also has kept the ship righted amid an NCAA investigation, sanctions and a postseason ban.
So here’s the bottom line. If you need a dynamic, fresh athletics director to revolutionize your program and simultaneously, continuously prove he is capable of program revitalization, come to Athletics Director U in Oxford. It’s got you covered.
