May 18, 2018
By Jeff Shearer
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - AUBURN, Ala. - Paul Mainieri emerged from LSU's dugout, drawn by the sound of a former player doing his best Mainieri impression.
"'Okay guys, let me tell you something,'" said Auburn's Director of Athletics Allen Greene, capturing his former coach's enthusiastic inflection.
Before Greene could continue with his impersonation, Mainieri hugged him, revealing a bond that began more than two decades earlier.
"I very much remember recruiting Allen Greene to Notre Dame," said Mainieri, who's been LSU's head coach since 2007. "It was my very first recruiting class."
Mainieri dispatched his assistant coach, Brian O'Connor, to Seattle to check out Greene, a high school star whom O'Connor's friend had recommended.
Based on O'Connor's evaluation, Mainieri traveled to the Pacific Northwest to watch Greene compete in a basketball game.
Even though South Bend, Indiana, is more than 2,000 miles away, Greene signed with Mainieri and the Fighting Irish.
"He really made a tremendous mark on our program," Mainieri said.
Greene broke into the everyday outfield lineup as his freshman season progressed.
"Toward the end of the year he really took charge of a position," Mainieri said. "As a sophomore and junior, was really one of our best players."
LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri meets Team Greene (l/r): Rian, Seneca, Christy, Allen and Samuel. Photo: Wade Rackley/Auburn Athletics
A career .329 hitter, the New York Yankees drafted the switch-hitting centerfielder in the ninth round in 1998 after Greene's junior season.
After three seasons of pro ball, Greene and Mainieri crossed paths again.
In three seasons at Notre Dame from 1996-98, Allen Greene batted .329 before getting drafted by the New York Yankees. Photo: Fighting Irish Media.
"He was working in the private sector, and I remember one day he asked me about working in college athletics," Mainieri recalled.
Notre Dame had an opening in compliance. Mainieri recommended Greene, who got the job.
"Allen Greene always had that charismatic personality. Everybody loved him," Mainieri said. "He was probably the most popular player on our team, with his teammates.
"Everybody rooted for him. He was very humble. And yet he was a very good ballplayer, very confident. Allen's personality was always such a vital part of the University of Notre Dame's baseball program.
"He was a great leader among a team. I know when we went through some tough times, like every team does, Allen was always the very positive person who knew that the tough times would not last. That a good positive attitude and being happy, and being enthusiastic and working hard would bring us back to the success that we wanted to enjoy."
Allen and Christy Greene's youngest daughter, Seneca, meets LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri, her dad's college coach at Notre Dame. Photo: Wade Rackley/Auburn Athletics" style="width:100%; height:auto;" class="imported_image" legacy-link="http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/aub/sports/m-basebl/auto_a_storywidenew/13316196.jpeg"> Allen and Christy Greene's youngest daughter, Seneca, meets LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri, her dad's college coach at Notre Dame. Photo: Wade Rackley/Auburn Athletics
Greene's career progressed rapidly, from Notre Dame to Ole Miss to Buffalo, where he became AD in 2015 at age 38.
`I can't tell you how proud I was of him to receive that position. Now he's running an athletic department, he's an administrator. And I thought he was very deserving, I thought he was very qualified, and I thought he'd do a tremendous job.
"And then all of a sudden, he becomes the athletic director at Auburn University. The fact Allen Greene is now the Director of Athletics at this amazing institution just fills me with a great amount of pride.
"I'm really not surprised because he has so much talent. He has so much intelligence, he's such a people person. I just think he's destined for success. I think he's going to be one of the great administrators in college athletics."
Many of Mainieri's players made it to the big leagues. Two of his players at Air Force became generals. Greene became the youngest AD in the SEC.
"Allen was a great leader among the ranks when he was an 18 to 21-year-old when he was playing for me and for our team back at Notre Dame, and so that's why I just know that he's going to continue to do a great job here."
Reunion for @AGreeneIV & LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri.@AuburnTigers AD was in Mainieri's first recruiting class at Notre Dame in 1995.
Greene will throw out tonight's first pitch before @AuburnBaseball series opener vs. LSU. pic.twitter.com/yHKzMTm0VW-- Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) May 17, 2018
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer