Shonn Greene (born August 21, 1985) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Ther ...
. He played
college football for the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
, where in 2008, he was recognized as a unanimous
All-American and also won the
Doak Walker Award
Since 1990 the Doak Walker Award honors the top running back in college football in the United States. It is named in honor of Doak Walker, a former running back who played for the SMU Mustangs from 1945 to 1949 and in the National Football Le ...
and the
Jim Brown Trophy. He was drafted by the
New York Jets in the third round of the
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. ...
. After four seasons with the Jets, Greene then played two more seasons for the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...
.
Early years
Greene was born in the
Sicklerville section of
Winslow Township, New Jersey
Winslow Township is a township in Camden County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 39,499, reflecting an increase of 4,888 (+14.1%) from the 34,611 counted in the 2000 census.
Winslow Township was incorpo ...
. He attended
Winslow Township High School
Winslow Township High School (WTHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school in the Atco section of Winslow Township, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone second ...
in
Atco, New Jersey, and played for the Winslow Eagles
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...
team as the starting running back and
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
for the Eagles during his junior and senior years. In his junior year, Greene rushed for 1,267 yards and 18 touchdowns in 221 attempts earning first team all-conference, all-South Jersey, and all-state honors. He followed that with 1,378 yards and 16 touchdowns on 172 attempts as a senior earning first team all-conference and second team all-state. Greene also recorded 191 career tackles and one interception on defense.
College career
Greene attended the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
, where he played for coach
Kirk Ferentz
Kirk James Ferentz (born August 1, 1955) is an American football coach. He is the current head football coach at the University of Iowa, a position he has held since the 1999 season. From 1990 to 1992, Ferentz was the head football coach at the ...
's
Iowa Hawkeyes football team. He missed the entire 2007 season when he left the university due to academic deficiencies. He enrolled at
Kirkwood Community College
Kirkwood Community College is a public community college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Kirkwood has a secondary campus in Iowa City, and several additional regional and county centers located in Belle Plaine, Coralville, Hiawatha, Monticello, Tipton ...
, improved his grades, and returned to the university in 2008. Greene had a breakout season in 2008, winning the
Doak Walker Award
Since 1990 the Doak Walker Award honors the top running back in college football in the United States. It is named in honor of Doak Walker, a former running back who played for the SMU Mustangs from 1945 to 1949 and in the National Football Le ...
given to the nation's outstanding collegiate running back (the first Iowa player to win the award), and was recognized as a unanimous first-team
All-American. He finished the season with 1850 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns; after the Hawkeyes won the 2009 Outback Bowl on January 1, 2009 in Tampa Bay, Florida (in which Greene would run for 129 yards and two touchdowns), Greene announced he would enter the
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. ...
. Greene was the only player that year to rush for over 100 yards in every game. On October 23, 2010, Greene was named honorary captain for Iowa's game against Wisconsin.
Awards and honors
*2008 unanimous first-team
All-American by
SI.com AFCA-Coaches, FWAA-Writers, Walter Camp, CBS Sports, and Rivals.com
*Only FBS running back to rush for over 100 yards in every game in 2008
*Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in 2008
*2009
Outback Bowl
The ReliaQuest Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, usually on New Year's Day. The event has been formerly called the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1995 and the Outback Bowl from 1996 to ...
Most Valuable Player
Statistics
Professional career
Pre-draft
New York Jets (2009–2012)
2009 season
On April 29, 2009 the
New York Jets traded up 12 spots to select Greene in the third round (65th overall) of the
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. ...
. On August 30 Greene made an appearance in the Jets preseason game against the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
. He rushed twice for six yards as well as catching an 85-yard pass before leaving due to an undisclosed rib injury. Greene made his regular season debut after a season-ending injury of
Leon Washington
Leon Dewitt Washington Sr. (born August 29, 1982) is a former American football running back and return specialist. He currently serves as a coach for the New York Jets. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Dra ...
during week 7 against the
Oakland Raiders. During the game against the Raiders, Greene ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns in a 38–0 victory. On December 27, 2009, Greene carried the ball 16 times for 95 yards in a win against the
Indianapolis Colts. On January 9, 2010, Greene ran for 135 yards and a touchdown in a 24-14 playoff win against the
Cincinnati Bengals. His best performance of the season came against the
San Diego Chargers in the divisional round of the playoffs. Greene carried the ball 23 times and rushed for 128 yards. He scored a 53-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, as the Jets reached their first AFC Championship game since 1998. The Jets would play the AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. The Jets had the lead at halftime 17–13. In the beginning of the 3rd quarter Greene injured his ribs and missed the rest of the game. He would finish the game with 41 rushing yards as the Jets would lose 30–17. Greene finished the 2009 season by playing in 14 games with 108 attempts for 540 yards and 2 touchdowns.
2010 season
In the 2010 offseason, the Jets did not resign running back
Thomas Jones and signed instead
LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tarshane Tomlinson (born June 23, 1979) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. After a successful college career with the TCU Horned Frogs, the San Diego Chargers se ...
to be their starter and Greene to be the back-up. Shonn Greene got his first rushing touchdown of the 2010 season in a 29–20 win over the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
. Greene finished the game with 57 yards on 10 attempts. On December 26, 2010 Greene ran for 70 yards on 12 attempts and 1 touchdown in loss to the
Chicago Bears 38–34.
Greene also rushed for 76 yard on 17 attempts and scored the game-closing touchdown against the Patriots in a playoff game.
2011 season
On June 5, 2011, Jets offensive coordinator
Brian Schottenheimer
Brian Cornelius Schottenheimer (born October 16, 1973) is an American football coach who is currently a coaching analyst for the Dallas Cowboys. Schottenheimer most recently served as the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the ...
announced that Greene would be the starting running back in the 2011 season, with
LaDainian Tomlinson
LaDainian Tarshane Tomlinson (born June 23, 1979) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. After a successful college career with the TCU Horned Frogs, the San Diego Chargers se ...
taking a 3rd down role.
In his first career start, Greene rushed for 26 yards on 10 carries in a win over the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
. Greene got his first touchdown of the year in a Week 2 matchup between the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...
while adding 49 yards in 16 carries. In a Week 5 loss to the
New England Patriots, Greene had 83 yards in 21 carries while getting a touchdown. Even though Greene could not follow up the same performance the next week, He had 74 yards in 21 carries in a victory over the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
. In a Week 7 victory over the
San Diego Chargers, Greene had 112 yards in 20 carries. Greene ended the year with 1,054 yards in 253 carries with 6 touchdowns. Greene also carried the load for the Jets while playing the
Redskins by rushing 88 yards and 3 touchdowns. That next week he had 129 yards rushing and 1 touchdown over the Chiefs.
2012 season
![Shonn Greene](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Shonn_Greene.jpg)
In 2012, against the
Indianapolis Colts, Greene ran for a career-high 161 yards, along with three touchdowns, as the Jets
defeated the Colts 35–9. On the season, Greene rushed for 1,063 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Tennessee Titans (2013–2014)
2013 season
On March 13, 2013, Greene signed a three-year, $10 million contract with the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...
.
On August 8 of a pre-season game Greene rushed for 32 yards on 5 carries and a 19-yard touchdown run in his Titans debut facing the Washington Redskins. Greene also caught the ball for a 13-yard play. In the season opener against the Steelers, Greene rushed for 18 yards on 4 carries before injuring his knee that sidelined him for 5 weeks. 7 weeks later Greene rushed for 38 yards and a Touchdown on 9 carries winning against the Rams. He also had a 28-yard catch and run. During Week 14 of the NFL season, Greene rushed for 46 yards and two touchdowns on 9 carries, which included a 28-yard touchdown in the second quarter. The Titans would ultimately lose the game to the
Broncos
A bucking horse is any breed or either gender of horse with a propensity to buck. They have been, and still are, referred to by various names, including bronco, broncho, and roughstock.
The harder they buck, the more desirable they are for rod ...
by a score of 51–28. Greene finished the 2013 season with 295 yards and 4 touchdowns.
2014 season
In Week 1 of the 2014 NFL season, Greene rushed for 71 yards on 15 carries in a win against the Chiefs. Greene played his former team, the New York Jets, later that year and rushed for 50 yards on 15 carries in a loss. In the final game of the season, against the Indianapolis Colts, Greene had his best game of the season, rushing for a career long of 52 yards on a 4th and 1 play. Greene finished the game with 94 yards on 11 carries.
On June 16, 2015, Greene was released from the Titans.
NFL career statistics
References
External links
Official site: Going Greene FoundationNew York Jets Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Shonn
1985 births
Living people
African-American players of American football
All-American college football players
American football running backs
Iowa Hawkeyes football players
Milford Academy alumni
New York Jets players
People from Winslow Township, New Jersey
Players of American football from New Jersey
Sportspeople from Camden County, New Jersey
Winslow Township High School alumni
Tennessee Titans players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people