Jacksonville Jaguars: NFL legend Kevin Greene dies at 58

The Jacksonville Jaguars got to meet Kevin Greene in their inaugural season.

Monday was a sad day for the NFL as Kevin Greene passed away at 58. The New York native had a long and productive football career, first as a player and later as a position coach. Green was selected in the fifth round of 1985’s draft by the Los Angeles Rams and went on to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Carolina Panthers,  and the San Francisco 49ers. The Jacksonville Jaguars got to meet him first hand in their inaugural season.

All in all, Green played against the ‘Jags’ four times in his career and registered four sacks and four tackles in those contests. The first two happen in 1995, the franchise’s first year in the NFL. At that time, Pittsburgh and Jacksonville played in the AFC Central (now AFC North), so both teams meet twice until 2002, when the league re-organized its divisions. The next two times Green faced the Jaguars, he did so as a member of the Panthers in 1996 and later in 1999.

The Jacksonville Jaguars would’ve liked to have a player like Kevin Greene.

After spending eight seasons in Los Angeles, Green joined the Steelers in 1993 and played in Super Bowl 30. In 1996, he signed a two-year contract with the Carolina Panthers but only played in one season. He went on to sign a six-year pact with the San Francisco 49ers in 1997. However, he went back to Carolina the following year and finish his playing days there.

Green wreak havoc and terrorized opposing quarterbacks for 14 seasons. All in all, he played in 228 games and registered 734 total tackles, 160 sacks, 23 forced fumbles, and five interceptions. He led the league in sacks on two occasions he earned five Pro Bowl nods, three First-Team All-Pro designations, and was named to the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade Team. Although it took a while, he was finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.

After his playing career was over, he joined the Green Bay Packers coaching staff as their linebacker coach in 2008. He stepped away from coaching in 2014 but came back in 2017 when he became the New York Jets linebackers coach.

Both as a player and as a coach, Kevin Greene left a lasting impact in the NFL. His presence on the field and on the sidelines made the NFL more entertaining. Although he’s gone, his legacy isn’t and his memory will forever be alive.