Legendary pass-rusher Kevin Greene died Monday at his Alabama home, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced. He was 58. No cause of death was announced.
“The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Kevin Greene,” Hall of Fame President & CEO David 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.”
Greene’s Hall of Fame career began in 1985 and ended in 1999. He spent eight years with the Los Angeles Rams before moving on to Pittsburgh, Carolina and San Francisco. While his uniform changed over the years, his ability to bring down opposing quarterbacks never did. Greene recorded double-digit sacks in 10 of his 15 seasons and ended his career with four straight seasons of at least 10.5 sacks.
A fifth-round pick out of Auburn, Greene retired in third-place on the all-time sack list with 160. The five-time Pro Bowler was named to the Hall of Fame’s All-1990s Team.
Greene, who also dabbled in professional wrestling, returned to the NFL as coach nearly a decade after he retired. He started off as an intern with the Steelers before being hired as Green Bay’s outside linebackers coach in 2009. He won a Super Bowl there and stayed with the Packers until 2013. Then, after another hiatus, he took the same job with the Jets in 2017.
Working for Todd Bowles, Greene stayed in New York through the 2018 season.
“Our thoughts are with the family of NFL legend Kevin Greene,” the Jets said in a statement of their own. “A former Jets coach, Kevin made a positive impact on everyone he met. He’ll be missed.”