Alexander Denell Green (born June 23, 1988) is a former
running back, having last played for the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...
of the
Canadian Football League (CFL). He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
The University of Hawaii, and played three seasons in the
National Football League (NFL) after being drafted by the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
in 2011.
High school
Green attended and played
high school football at
Benson Polytechnic High School
Benson Polytechnic High School is a technical public high school in the Portland Public Schools district. It is temporarily located in Portland's Lents neighborhood while a renovation project is underway at its campus in the Central Eastside ...
in Portland, Oregon. He graduated in 2006. During his senior season, he rushed for 1,134 yards and 14 touchdowns to earn first-team All-
PIL
Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and dr ...
honors.
College
Butte College
Green originally went to
Butte College in
Oroville, California, the same college that future Packers teammate
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to the ...
had played for in 2002.
In 2008, Green lead the team to a 12–0 record and the junior college national championship.
During that time he had 1,037 yards and 14 touchdowns rushing, he also scored two receiving touchdowns.
University of Hawaii
After two years, Green transferred to the
University of Hawaii at Manoa as an incoming junior where he became an integral part of the
run and shoot offense for the
Hawaii Warriors
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wāhine are the athletic teams that represent the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UH), in Honolulu, Hawaii. The UH athletics program is a member of the Big West Conference in most sports and competes a ...
.
2009
In his first year at Hawaii, Green played in all thirteen games as a running back. He had 453 yards and two touchdowns rushing, as well as 11 receptions for 98 yards and another touchdown. His best game at the season came against
Utah State University, where he rushed for 110 yards on 10 carries (11 yards per carry).
The Warriors finished the season 6–7.
2010
During his senior year, Green was featured much more in the Warrior offense. Green rushed for 1,199 yards and 18 touchdowns, both of which place second in Hawaii's
single-season rushing leaderboards. During the game against
New Mexico State, Green broke the
school record for rushing in a game with 327 yards on 19 carries (an average of 17 yards per carry). He was named the
Western Athletic Conference (WAC) player of the week and
Capital One Impact Performer of the week.
Professional career
Green was considered one of the better running back prospects coming into the
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...
.
[NFL Draft Scout](_blank)
/ref> Scouts stated that Green was "thickly built and well-proportioned", with "competitive speed". However, he was also criticized for his ball-control, lack of power, and the fact that he played in "a pass-happy 'pistol' offense featuring wide splits against porous WAC defenses" and that he "was never asked to handle a heavy workload." He was projected to go as early as the third round.
Green Bay Packers
Green was selected by the Packers in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft, with the 96th overall pick. During the 2011 preseason, Green appeared in three games for the Packers; he rushed for 23 yards in 16 attempts (including a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
), and had one reception for 25 yards.
Green made his regular season NFL debut in week 1 of the 2011 season against the New Orleans Saints. He received his first carries at running back during garbage time in week 4 against the Denver Broncos; he had three carries for a total of 11 yards. During week 7, Green injured his knee ( torn ACL) and missed the rest of the season, an injury that head coach Mike McCarthy called "very unfortunate".[
During the 2012 season, Green had 135 rushing attempts for a total of 464 yards (3.4 yards average), and caught 18 passes for a total of 125 yards (6.9 yards average). He did not play in the Packers' final two regular season games or two postseason games, due to aftereffects of his 2011 knee injury.]
Green was released by the Packers on August 31, 2013.
New York Jets
Green was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
on September 1, 2013. During the 2013 season, he appeared in 13 games; he had 11 carries for a total of 35 yards, and 2 receptions for a total of 8 yards. In 2014, Green appeared in all four Jets preseason games, but was released on August 30, during final roster cuts.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
In February 2017, Green signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...
of the CFL. He played in the preseason, was released before the start of the regular season, then rejoined the team following the injury of running back C. J. Gable
C. J. Gable (born Carl Gable Jr. October 19, 1987) is a former Canadian football running back. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football for the University of Southern California Trojans ...
. Green played in his first CFL game on September 22; in a 24–23 victory over the BC Lions, Green had 13 carries for a total of 140 yards, and 2 receptions for a total of 15 yards. Green played five more games for the Ti-Cats in 2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
, rushing for 447 yards and 5 touchdowns. Green earned the starting role for the 2018 season, however he suffered a hand injury just prior to the start of the season, requiring the Ti-Cats to convert defensive lineman Nikita Whitlock to a running back, and to sign John White. Green played very well when he was healthy, but missed 10 games with injury. In eight games he accumulated 604 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns. He also caught 17 passes for 205 yards with one touchdown. Jones and the Ti-Cats agreed to a contract extension on January 30, 2019. Despite being extended, and having great scoring production with 13 touchdowns in 14 regular season games played, Green was released prior to training camp.
References
External links
Hawaii Warriors bio
Hamilton Tiger-Cats bio
Alex Green
on Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Alex
1988 births
Living people
American football running backs
Butte Roadrunners football players
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football players
Green Bay Packers players
New York Jets players
Hamilton Tiger-Cats players
Players of American football from Portland, Oregon
Benson Polytechnic High School alumni
Canadian football running backs