Alumnus Spotlight: Harvey Greene, NFL Hall of Famer

This past June, Harvey Greene ’76 MS earned the ultimate recognition in the game of football when he was honored with an Award of Excellence in Football Support at the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his nearly three decades of work with the Miami Dolphins in their public relations department. Greene, who has worked over the course of his distinguished career with the New York Yankees, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the White House in addition to the Dolphins, was honored in the category that recognizes assistant coaches, public relations directors, trainers, equipment managers, and video directors.

Although he was an avid sports fan growing up in New York, Greene initially went down a different path when he enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in chemistry, with the intent to earn his PhD in organic chemistry from Rice University. Greene’s life changed when a friend showed him an article from the Wall Street Journal about UMass being one of the first schools in the nation to offer a master’s degree in sport management. “Before that moment, I had no clue how to pursue a career in sports,” said Greene in an interview. “After meeting my wife, that was the single most important day of my life.” Following his acceptance into the program, Rice granted Greene’s request for a deferred start date and his sports journey began. “As far as I know, Rice is still waiting for me to show up.” 

UMass Amherst’s sport management program looked significantly different when Greene graduated in ’76 than it does today. At that point, it was still in its early phase, transitioning from a focus on physical education and beginning to dip its toes in sport administration. Greene attributes much of the McCormack Department of Sport Management’s success today to Harold J. VanderZwaag, who led the program to become a nationally recognized school for those pursuing a career in sports. Aside from his recent honor by the Hall of Fame, Greene states that the proudest achievement of his career is receiving the VanderZwaag Distinguished Alumni Award. Greene holds the former department head in high esteem, saying it was VanderZwaag’s distinct vision of teaching sport management that propelled so many alumni to prominence in the industry.

During his time at UMass, Greene participated in internships, an idea unheard of at the time. Through them, he gained exposure to the industry and was prepared for his first role in public relations with Madison Square Garden. Greene went on to work with the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Yankees, and Miami Dolphins. He worked with some of the sports world’s most notable figures, including George Steinbrenner, Billy Martin, Don Shula, Jimmy Johnson, Nick Saban, Don Mattingly, and Dan Marino. “I’m eternally grateful to have had the chance to learn from such high-profile figures and absorb some of their business and leadership skills,” he said.

Green joked about his tenure under the demanding Steinbrenner: “I think he must have fired me about five different times. After the first two, I realized it was just his way of blowing off steam and I would show up the next day.” When he wasn’t getting fired, Greene made sure to absorb everything he could from his boss. “To be successful, you have to want it more than the other guy,” he recounted as a vital lesson. “You need to have more willpower and determination.” 

While he was working with the Dolphins, Greene recalled running laps with Coach Shula. When he cut a corner, Shula howled, “Run the whole field!” Moments like that defined Shula’s “The Winning Edge” and showed what it took to be one of the greatest at your craft.

Working for bosses at that level of success wasn’t always easy, but to experience his own success, Greene knew he needed to gain two things from them: trust and respect. These helped him maintain a positive and fruitful relationship with both the media and the players. Greene told players how to speak to the media and how to handle uncomfortable situations, which ensured the stories that the media were publishing were fair and accurate, limiting off-field distractions and in turn contributing to the success of the team. 

Greene has been recognized by the NBA and the NFL for his work leading PR departments. It was this success that led him to be recommended as a press lead for the White House under the Clinton and Biden administrations. “It’s the power of professional sports and their ability to open doors that led to this opportunity,” said Greene. “If I can handle the demands of an NFL team, then I can handle the demands of the White House.” Upon receiving his Award of Excellence from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden wrote Greene a congratulatory note, personally delivered by the first lady herself. 

Those weren’t Greene’s only interactions with United States presidents. Greene shared that there have been two big “What am I doing here?” moments in his career. The first moment was prior to Super Bowl XXXVI, between the New England Patriots and the St. Louis Rams. President George H.W. Bush was headed out to the field for the coin toss and Greene had the responsibility of leading him. Greene recalls standing with the president next to the Rams bench as the National Anthem played throughout the stadium and thinking, “What am I doing here, at the Super Bowl, standing next to the president of the United States?”

The other came while working for the Yankees. Greene was shagging fly balls in left field of the historic Fenway Park, the same left field occupied by Baseball Hall of Famers Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice. When Dave Winfield, a future Hall of Famer himself, came to the plate, Greene decided to move to third base. Winfield proceeded to pepper the ball at Greene. His first hit was a line drive hit right at his head, the second a scorching grounder again right at him. After that Greene made the decision that it was time for him to move back to the outfield, but he still remembers thinking: “What am I doing here? Standing in front of the Green Monster at Fenway Park before a Red Sox-Yankees game with Dave Winfield hitting to me.”

Greene credits UMass as his first step on the way to this prestigious honor. “Never did I think my name and ‘Pro Football Hall of Fame honoree’ would appear in the same sentence. I've been blessed to have built a rewarding career spanning over 40 years in sports administration, and none of that would have been possible without graduating from UMass Amherst’s nascent sport management program.” Greene continued, “It showed me a clear path to building a career in that field, and I'm proud of its development into the top program in the country. While it's gratifying personally to receive such a prestigious award from the Hall of Fame, I know that wouldn't have even been remotely possible if it weren't for UMass, and I will always be appreciative of what the program did for my career.”

By Oleg Sheahan '25, a recent sport management graduate who was honored with the McCormack Student Service Award at the 2025 McCormack Awards Banquet.