Dec 21, 2020
Hall of Famer Greene dead at 58
One of the most dominant defensive players of the 1990s is gone. Pro Football Hall of Famer Kevin Greene has died at the age of 58. His 160 career sacks are third-most all-time behind only Bruce Smith and Reggie White.
TSN.ca Staff
One of the most dominant defensive players of the 1990s is gone.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Kevin Greene has died at the age of 58, Hall of Fame president David Baker announced on Monday. Greene's 160 career sacks are third-most all-time behind only Bruce Smith and Reggie White.
"The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Kevin Greene," Baker said in a statement. "I regarded him as a personal friend and a true Hall of Famer in every sense. He possessed the most incredible can-do attitude of anyone I ever met. He was a great player, but more than that, he was a great man. Our thoughts and prayers are with Kevin’s wife, Tara, and their entire family. We will forever keep his legacy alive to serve as inspiration for future generations. The Hall of Fame flag will be flown at half-staff in Kevin’s memory."
A five-time Pro Bowler, Greene spent 15 years in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers.
A fifth-round selection out of Auburn - where he won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 1984 - in 1985, Greene was named Defensive Player of the Year in 1996 as a member of the Panthers and led the league in sacks with 14.5.
Following his retirement as a player in 1999, Greene got into coaching and won Super Bowl XLV in 2010 as the Green Bay Packers' outside linebackers coach. Greene last coached in 2017 as the New York Jets' outside linebackers coach.
Greene also launched a pro wrestling career in the late '90s, making several appearances for World Championship Wrestling, famously teaming with Bill Goldberg in 1998.
Greene was inducted into Canton in 2016.