It’s always good to be wanted.
Greg Byrne understands this firsthand.
The University of Arizona Vice President for Athletics has seen his name pop up over the last week for a similar opening at the University of Texas. Former Arizona State AD Steve Patterson was recently let go in Austin after less than two years on the job.
The widely popular and progressive Byrne addressed the whispers Tuesday morning.
“It’s been mentioned in the media and it’s certainly flattering,” Byrne told Sports360AZ.com’s Brad Cesmat. “But I’m very happy at UofA. I think we’re making a lot of progress. [We have] great support from [UA President] Dr. Hart. The way I always look at it…I guess I’ll take people talking to me in that manner rather than saying, ‘boy, we can’t wait to get rid of that guy.'”
Byrne has ties to the state of Texas. His dad Bill Byrne is the former AD at Texas A&M and one of Greg’s sons is currently a student at TCU.
The 43-year-old arrived in Tucson back in 2010 taking over for long-time Wildcat AD Jim Livengood. During his time at the school he hired head football coach Rich Rodriguez and retained successful head basketball coach Sean Miller. He also helped spear-head the near $400 million sports expansion project on campus.
