Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Greg Byrne...

If you haven't heard by now, Alabama Athletics Director Bill Battle is being kicked upstairs and will be replaced by Bill Byrne. While Battle's departure is no surprise, the sudden hiring of Byrne might have caught some off guard.

So, who the bleep is Greg Byrne?

• Byrne is the son of former Oregon (1984-1992), Nebraska (1992–2002), and Texas A&M (2002-2012) AD Bill Byrne.
• He was born in Idaho but the family moved around with his father's jobs from Idaho State to University of New Mexico, San Diego State, and finally to the University of Oregon where Greg enrolled as an undergraduate.
• Followed a girl to Arizona after two years at UO, who he eventually married.
• Transferred to Arizona State where he earned his bachelor's degree.
• Interned with the Fiesta Bowl 1994-1995.
• Worked in the Oregon athletics department (1995–1998), mainly raising funds.
  
• Served as Associate AD at Oregon State (1998–2002) under current Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart and then followed him to Lexington 2002–2005.
• Took a year to work in the private sector and realized it was not for him.
• Moved to Starkville where he was named Associate AD at Mississippi State (2006–2008).
• Earned his master's degree from Mississippi State in 2009.
• Named AD at Mississippi State in 2008 at age 36.
  
• Hired Dan Mullen at MSU and Rich Rodriguez at Arizona.
• Accepted Sylvester Croom's "resignation" as MSU football coach.
• Successfully negotiated an extension with basketball coach Sean Miller after he interviewed at Maryland in 2011.
  
• New Florida AD Scott Stricklin served under him at Mississippi State as Senior Associate AD and eventually succeeded him in Starkville.
• Hired John Cohen as baseball coach at Mississippi State. Cohen is now AD at MSU.
• At Arizona, Byrne hired baseball coach Jay Johnson, who was one win shy last June of becoming the first coach to win the College World Series in his first year on the job.
• The 2012 Arizona Wildcats baseball team won the College World Series Champions over two-time defending champs South Carolina.
• Byrne moved the Wildcats' baseball program off-campus to Hi Corbett Field (where it saw record crowds) and oversaw renovations to Arizona Stadium and the McKale Center.
• Installed a 47 feet tall by 112 feet wide scoreboard, the second-largest to be owned by a university's football stadium behind Texas.
• His next fundraising project was supposed to be a modernization of Arizona Stadium, replacing the old facility's metal bleachers with chairbacks. [Bring that idea with you, young buck!]
  
• At age 45, he is the second youngest AD in the SEC, behind Ross Bjork at Ole Miss who is 44. Florida's Scott Stricklin is 46.
• According one reporter, Byrne visited Tuscaloosa on Saturday and was given "a thumbs up" by Nick Saban.
  
• One of the first ADs to implement social media to promote his school.
  
• Known for his fundraising ability.
• According to Byrne's wife, Regina, his favorite movie is "To Kill A Mockingbird".
• Has two sons Nick and Davis who are college age.
• Stands 6'6" tall.