John Joseph Greene (April 21, 1920 – November 4, 2010) was an American collegiate wrestler and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player. Greene competed in wrestling and football at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

from 1940 to 1944. He was captain of the Michigan wrestling team in 1944 and was also selected to play in the 11th annual

Chicago College All-Star Game The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League (NFL) champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year. It was also known as the C ...

that same year. He was inducted into the

University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs.

in 1989. Greene was drafted by the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

in the

1944 NFL Draft The 1944 National Football League Draft was held on April 19, 1944, at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Boston Yanks selected quarterback Angelo Bertelli. Player selections Round ...

and played seven seasons for the Lions from 1944 to 1950. After moving to the

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: ** End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footbal ...

position in 1945, Greene became a star, ranking among the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) leaders in

reception Reception is a noun form of ''receiving'', or ''to receive'' something, such as art, experience, information, people, products, or vehicles. It may refer to: Astrology * Reception (astrology), when a planet is located in a sign ruled by another p ...

s and/or receiving yards each year from 1945 to 1949. He had an 88-yard touchdown reception that was the longest pass play in the NFL during the 1946 season and the longest in Detroit Lions history up to that time. When he retired, he was the Lions' all-time leading receiver with 2,965 receiving yards, 26

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

catches, and 173 receptions. He also served as an assistant coach for the Lions during the 1951 season.

University of Michigan

Greene enrolled at the

in 1940. While he was a student at Michigan, Greene was a member of the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...

wrestling team coached by

Cliff Keen Clifford Patrick Keen (June 13, 1901 – November 4, 1991) was an American coach who served as the head coach of the University of Michigan collegiate wrestling team from 1925 to 1970. He led the Michigan Wolverines to 13 Big Ten Conference cha ...

. In 1943, he lost 15 pounds to qualify for the 175-pound weight class. He finished the 1943 season in third place in the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

. In 1944, he was the team captain, compiled a 16-7 record, and was the

runner up. Green also played for the

Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins in college football history. The team is known for its ...

team under head coach

Fritz Crisler Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler (; January 12, 1899 – August 19, 1982) was an American college football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and d ...

. In 1940, he played for Michigan's all-freshman team. As a sophomore, he was a 6-foot, 0 inch, 191-pound backup at the

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

position for the

1941 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1941 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1941 Big Ten Conference football season. Under fourth-year head coach Fritz Crisler, Michigan compiled a record of 6–1–1 (3–1–1 Big Ten), outscored ...

. Greene remained at Michigan during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

years, having been classified 4-F due to a perforated or punctured eardrum. During Greene's junior year,

George Ceithaml George Frank Ceithaml ( ; February 10, 1921 – May 24, 2012) was an American football quarterback and coach. He was the starting quarterback for Fritz Crisler's University of Michigan football teams in 1941 and 1942. Crisler later called C ...

started all 10 games at quarterback for the 1942 Michigan football team, and Greene became a backup at the tackle position. As a senior, Greene remained a backup at the tackle position, but he was awarded a

varsity letter A varsity letter (or monogram) is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its recipient was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met. Description ...

for his contributions to the

1943 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1943 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1943 Big Ten Conference football season. Fritz Crisler, in his sixth year as head coach, led the team to an 8–1 record and a tie with Purdue for the W ...

. Despite the fact that he was not a starter at Michigan, Greene was invited in the summer of 1944 to participate on the 11th annual

, an annual game matching a collegiate all-star team against the prior season's

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

championship team.

Detroit Lions

Greene was drafted by the

in the fifth round (35th overall pick) of the

. As a rookie in 1944, Greene appeared in nine games, five of them as a starter. He was used principally as a blocking back.

1945 season

For the 1945 season, the Lions' head coach

Gus Dorais Charles Emile "Gus" Dorais (July 2, 1891 – January 3, 1954) was an American football player, coach, and athletic administrator. Dorais played college football at the University of Notre Dame, where he was an All-American in 1913 at quarterback ...

moved Greene to the

position after being impressed with his speed. Greene started all 10 games for the Lions at the end position in 1945. He led the 1945 Lions in receiving with 26 receptions for 550 yards (21.2 yards per catch) and five receiving touchdowns. He also ranked fifth among all NFL players in receptions, receiving yards, and yards per catch during the 1945 season.

1946 season

Greene's production fell off during the 1946 season, as he appeared in all ten games, but only started two games. The highlight of Greene's 1946 season came in a 17-7 victory (the Lions' only victory in 1946) over the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

on November 10, 1946. In that game, Greene caught a pass from Dave Ryan at midfield and ran the remaining 50 yards for a touchdown. The play, good for an 88-yard gain, was the longest pass play in the NFL during the 1946 season and the longest in Detroit Lions history up to that time. Even with the reduced playing time, Greene's 22 receptions in 1946 ranked eighth in the NFL.

1947 season

During the 1947 season, Greene was the Lions' leading receiver for the third straight year. He appeared in 12 games (six as a starter) and caught 38 passes for 621 yards (16.3 yards per catch). He ranked sixth in the NFL in both receptions and receiving yards. Greene's longest reception of the 1947 season was a 47-yard gain on a pass from Roy Zimmerman in a 35-7 victory over the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. Greene acquired the nickname "the Cinderella Kid" while playing for the Lions, a reference to "his rise to stardom after comparative obscurity while a lineman in college and early in his Lions' career."

1948 season

In 1948, Greene led the Lions in receiving yards for the fourth consecutive season. He appeared in 12 games (five as a starter) and caught 25 passes for 595 yards and five touchdowns. His average of 23.8 yards per reception was the best in the NFL. The

1948 Detroit Lions season The 1948 Detroit Lions season was the team's 19th overall season in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous season's output of 3–9, winning only two games. They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the 13th consecutive s ...

was notable for the racial integration of the team. African-American halfback Mel Groomes joined the Lions in 1948, as did African-American end Bob Mann. Mann and Greene, both University of Michigan alumni, led the Lions' receiving corps. Mann caught 33 passes for 560 yards in 1948, only 35 yards behind Greene. Wallace Triplett, an African-American player who joined the Lions in 1949, praised Greene for his leadership in welcoming the African-American players. Triplett recalled: "I want to say 'thank you' to John because what we have now in the NFL would not have been possible had it not been for him and others like

Bill Dudley William McGarvey "Bullet Bill" Dudley (December 24, 1921 – February 4, 2010) was an American professional football player in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, and Washington Redskins. He was inducte ...

. John was a star and a captain for the Lions. So, when he and Bill came over to me in the locker room, shook my hand and welcomed me to the Lions, it made a huge impact in my acceptance on the team and in the League. I will always appreciate what John and Bill did for me."

1949 season

For the 1949 season, Greene was selected as a co-captain of the Lions along with

Russ Thomas John Russell Thomas (July 24, 1924 – March 19, 1991) was an American football tackle who played four seasons with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Lions in the third round of the 1946 NFL Draft. He ...

. Greeene appeared in all 12 games for the 1949 Lions, 11 of them as a starter. He had career highs in receptions (44) and receiving touchdowns (7), and ranked seventh and fifth among all NFL players in those two categories.

1950 season

The 1950 season was Greene's last in the NFL. The season began on a high note for Greene as he caught a pass from

Bobby Layne Robert Lawrence Layne (December 19, 1926 – December 1, 1986) was an American football quarterback who played for 15 seasons in the National Football League. He played for the Chicago Bears in 1948, the New York Bulldogs in 1949, the Detroit ...

for a 78-yard gain in a pre-season game against the

. Greene appeared in all 12 games for the 1950 Lions, but he was not a starter. He caught 22 passes for 368 yards.

Cloyce Box Cloyce Kennedy Box (August 24, 1923 – October 27, 1993) was an American football player and businessman. He played five years in the National Football League (NFL) with the Detroit Lions, was a member of NFL championship teams in 1952 and ...

and

Doak Walker Ewell Doak Walker II (January 1, 1927 – September 27, 1998) was an American football player. He played college football as a halfback at Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1948. Walker then played professi ...

led the 1950 Lions in receiving, as Bobby Layne began his tenure as the team's quarterback.

Career statistics

Greene played seven seasons in the

, all for the Lions. When he retired after the 1950 season, he was the Lions' all-time leading receiver with 2,965 receiving yards, 26 touchdown catches and 173 receptions. Greene remained with the Lions in 1951 as an assistant coach. After several consecutive years finishing near the bottom of their division, the 1951 Lions compiled a 7-4-1 record and finished in second place in the NFL National Division.

Later years

Greene lived in

Franklin, Michigan Franklin is a village in Southfield Township, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,150 at the 2010 census. The community is known for large, estate-style homes. The downtown was designated as an historic district, t ...

, in his later years. He was inducted into the

as a wrestler in 1989. In November 2010, he died at his home in Franklin at age 90. He was survived by his wife Alice. He was also survived by his sister Margaret E. Greene McArdle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, John 1920 births 2010 deaths American football ends Detroit Lions coaches Detroit Lions players Michigan Wolverines football players Michigan Wolverines wrestlers People from Franklin, Michigan Players of American football from Oakland County, Michigan Sportspeople from Pittsburgh Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pittsburgh