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Hugh Green (American football)

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Hugh Green
refer to caption
Greenc.2014
No. 53, 55
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born:(1959-07-27)July 27, 1959(age 64)
Natchez, Mississippi,U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:North Natchez
(Natchez, Mississippi)
College:Pittsburgh(1977–1980)
NFL draft:1981/ Round: 1 / Pick: 7
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Sacks:34.3
Interceptions:3
Interception yards:169
Fumblerecoveries:7
Defensivetouchdowns:2
Player stats atPFR

Hugh Donell Green(born July 27, 1959) is an American formerfootballlinebackerwho played for 11 seasons in theNational Football League(NFL) from 1981 to 1991. He playedcollege footballfor thePittsburgh Panthersas adefensive end,and was recognized as a three-time consensusAll-American.Green was selected in the first round of the1981 NFL draft,and played for theTampa Bay Buccaneersand theMiami Dolphins.

Early years[edit]

Green was born inNatchez, Mississippi.He attendedNorth Natchez High School.

College career[edit]

Green attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he playeddefensive endfor theUniversity of Pittsburgh Panthersfrom 1977 to 1980. Green was part of an elite team that included four future NFL Hall of Fame players: Defensive endRickey Jackson,CenterRuss Grimm,linemanJimbo Covertand quarterbackDan Marino.Several other future NFL stars would be his teammates, includingMark May.He was a three-time consensus first-team All-American (1978,1979,1980) and a second-team All-America selection as a freshman in 1977. He was a consensus four-time All-East selection as well. In the 4 years Green played, the Pittsburgh Panthers compiled a 39–8–1 record, winning three bowl games en route (twoGator Bowlsand oneFiesta Bowl). His No. 99 jersey was retired at halftime of his final home game in the 1980 season. After the season, he played in both theHula BowlandJapan BowlAll-star games.

Green left the university with 460tacklesand 53 careersacksin his college career.[1]According toUSCandTampa Bay BuccaneerscoachJohn McKay,"Hugh Green is the most productive player at his position I have ever seen in college".[2]The table is a year-by-year showing of Green's defensive statistics.

Defensive Statistics
Season Games Tackles Assists Total For Loss Sacks Yds Lost Int FF FR PD Hur BK
1977 12 58 34 92 15 12 -76 1 5 3 4 21 2
1978 12 66 43 109 12 13 -82 2 6 3 6 21 0
1979 12 76 59 135 14 11 -104 1 6 3 5 17 0
1980 12 77 46 123 11 17 -112 0 7 4 6 17 0
Total 48 277 183 460 52 53 -374 4 24 13 22 76 2

In 1980, Green won theWalter Camp Award,theMaxwell Award,theLombardi Awardand was theSporting News Player of the Year,theUPI Player of the Yearand finished second in theHeisman Trophyballoting, losing torunning backGeorge Rogersof theUniversity of South Carolina.[3]Green's second-place finish in the voting was the best a defensive specialist had ever attained until 1997, whenCharles Woodsonwon the award.[4]

Green was selected to theCollege Football Hall of Famein 1996 and was named the fifth greatest college football player of All-Time by collegefootballnews.com.[1]He was named to the all-timeAll-Americanteam compiled byThe Sporting Newsin 1983.[5]In 2007, Green was ranked No. 14 on ESPN's Top 25 Players In College Football History list. He was also named toSports Illustrated's College Football All-Century team in 1999.[6]

Professional career[edit]

Green was selected as the seventh overall pick of the first round by the Buccaneers in the1981 NFL draft.He was a1982 All-Proand1983 All-Proand was elected to thePro Bowltwice in his career, in 1982 and 1983. Later in his career he suffered several injuries, including a car accident in the middle of the 1984 season for a fracture near the eye.[7]He was traded to the Miami Dolphins in the middle of the 1985 season in exchange for their first- and second-round draft choices in the 1986 draft.[8]In the 1985 season he was on to a career-high in sacks and ended the season getting 7.5 while playing all 16 games despite the mid-season trade.

His 1986 season ended in the Week 3 classic 51–45 game against theNew York Jets.In the first quarter, Green suffered a knee injury and was carted off the field.

In Miami, Green played six more seasons before retiring. He was a member ofDon Shula's teams, which were often playoff contenders, and Green was a starter on those teams, racking up 7.5 sacks in 1989, to tie a career-high.

References[edit]

  1. ^ab100 Greatest Players of All-Time #5 Hugh GreenArchivedJune 19, 2006, at theWayback MachineRetrieved April 14, 2006
  2. ^Strother, Shelby. "Green's presence felt - especially by Bears". St. Petersburg Times. November 2, 1981
  3. ^However, Green's Panthers met Rogers' Gamecocks in the Gator Bowl at the end of that season, with the Panthers winning 37–9 as Green and the Panther defense kept Rogers from scoring and forced him to fumble twice.Lineman finalist for HeismanRetrieved April 14, 2006
  4. ^Hugh Greenat theCollege Football Hall of Fame
  5. ^McDonald,Tim. "Lions' QB war an old tale". St. Petersburg Evening Independent. August 31, 1983
  6. ^SI.comRetrieved March 21, 2009.
  7. ^SPORTS PEOPLE; Hugh Green in Crash, New York Times October 4, 1984Retrieved April 14, 2006
  8. ^DOLPHINS MAKE 'HUGE' TRADE ALL-PRO GREEN JOINS MIAMI FOR 2 DRAFT CHOICES, South Florida Sun Sentinel, October 10 1985

External links[edit]

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