Legendary pass-rusher and ex-Jets coach Kevin Greene died at his Alabama home Monday at the age of 58, the Pro Football Hall of Fame 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 terrorized quarterbacks from 1985-1999, recording double-digit sacks in 10 of his 15 seasons. He retired in third place on the all-time sack list with 160 and accumulated five Pro Bowl selections and three All-Pro nods during his career.
Greene returned to football as a coach nearly a decade after his retirement. He got his start with the Steelers as an intern before joining Mike McCarthy’s staff with the Packers as Green Bay’s outside linebackers coach in 2009. Greene took a break from coaching after the 2013 season before returning in 2017 as a member of Todd Bowles’ staff in New York.
Greene worked with New York’s outside linebackers, including Frankie Luvu. Luvu, who remains on the team, came to New York as an undrafted free agent in 2018. Greene took him under his wing, guiding Luvu on his journey to breaking camp with the team.
After news of Greene’s death broke, Luvu took to Twitter to pay homage to his former mentor.
To the coach that believed in me and gave me an opportunity as a Undrafted kid as he called “Out of nowhere coconut head” to make my dreams comes true was a blessing! I will always remember your saying “there’s no substitute on kicking a man a**. RIP KG🙏🏽😔 pic.twitter.com/PZpfk38hH0
— Frankie Luvu (@frankluvu7) December 21, 2020
Luvu’s best NFL season to date came under Greene’s tutelage. He recorded 22 tackles, five TFLs and three sacks in 2018. He’s now played a total of 38 games for the Jets.
Greene’s time in New York was short, but it’s clear he made a significant impact on at least one of his Jets pupils.
“Our thoughts are with the family of NFL legend Kevin Greene,” the Jets said in a statement. “A former Jets coach, Kevin made a positive impact on everyone he met. He’ll be missed.”