Kevin Greene, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame who also spent time as a pro wrestler, died on Monday. He was 58 years old, and the cause of death was not announced. Greene was also an NFL coach, spending time as an assistant for the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets.
“The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Kevin Greene,” Hall of Fame President and 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.”
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Greene played in the NFL from 1985-1999 and was a member of the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers. Despite only playing three seasons with the Steelers (1993-1995), Greene is remembered most for his time with the franchise, reaching the Pro Bowl twice and leading the NFL in sacks in 1994 (14). In his final season with the Steelers, Greene helped the team reach the Super Bowl.
Green joined the Carolina Panthers in 1996 and was named Defensive Player of the Year after recording 14.5 sacks. He finished his career third on the all-time list in sacks (160). His work on the field led to him be named to the Pro Bowl five times as well as being selected to the 1990s All-Decade Team.
In 2009, Green became the outside linebackers coach for the Packers and helped the team win a Super Bowl in 2010. He was with the Packers for five seasons before heading to the Jets in 2017. Greene was outside linebackers coach for two seasons before not being let go in 2019 when the team hired Adam Gase as their head coach.
During the early stages of his NFL career, Greene spent time as a pro wrestler in WCW. He worked with NFL alum Steve McMichael as a tag team before McMichael turned on him to join the Four Horsemen. He also teamed up with Ric Flair and Roddy Piper in 1997 to take down Kevin Nash Scott Hall and Syxx at Slamboree.
