David Greene
Encyclopedia
David Norman Greene is a former American football
quarterback
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks
in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Georgia
.
Greene has also been a member of the New England Patriots
, Kansas City Chiefs
and Indianapolis Colts
. He retired following the 2008 season, having never played in a regular season game.
in Snellville, Georgia
, David Greene was a two-sport standout as a quarterback in football
, and as a right fielder in baseball. In football, he led his team to two consecutive playoff appearances and as a senior, he completed 134 passes out of 227 pass attempts (59.0 completion percentage) for 2,102 yards, and 19 touchdowns, and earned USA Today
All-USA Honorable Mention honors, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super 11 honors, Super Southern 100 honors, Top 75 in Georgia
honors, Class AAAA All-State honors, Georgia Sports Writers Association AAAA All-State honors, was named the Gwinnett County
co-Offensive Player of the Year, Atlanta
Touchdown Club Quarterback of the Year, Gwinnett Touchdown Club All-Star quarterback, and Atlanta Club Quarterback of the Year. After his senior season, he participated in the Georgia-Florida All-Star game.
in college. He began his career as a redshirt
freshman in 2001, being named the starter before the season. His most notable freshman game occurred at #5 Tennessee, known as the "hobnail boot" game. This phrase was coined by Georgia's famous play-by-play announcer Larry Munson
. After Tennessee
took the lead in the fourth quarter on a successful screen pass with :44 left, Greene led the Bulldogs back down the field with an inspiring series of quick passes. The winning touchdown pass went to fullback Verron Haynes
in a now famous play known as "P-44 Haynes" or the "Hobnail Boot" play with just five seconds remaining on the clock. Upon Greene's completion to Haynes in the endzone for the winning touchdown, announcer Munson made this fateful call: "We just stepped on their face with a hobnail boot and broke their nose. We just crushed their face!"
This play marked the beginning of Greene's record-setting career at Georgia, highlighted by guiding the team to a Sugar Bowl
victory in 2002. The same season he led the Bulldogs
to their first SEC
championship
since 1982. He was named SEC Offensive Rookie of the Year after the 2001 season, and was the 2002 Offensive Player of the Year for The Southeastern Conference
. In 2004, Greene made 214 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, a record that stood until broken by Andre Woodson
from Kentucky in 2007.
At Georgia, one of Greene's roommates was friend and future Cincinnati Bengals
defensive line David Pollack
, who was drafted 17th in 2005. The two played football together when they were younger in Snellville
, though they went to different high schools.
Greene finished his college career as the winningest quarterback in NCAA Division I history with 42 wins in four years, eclipsing the record previously held by Peyton Manning
. However, on November 21, 2009, University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy
broke his record with a win over University of Kansas
. Greene is the Southeastern Conference
all-time career leader in yards gained with 11,270.
and Seneca Wallace
. He had been expected to compete with Seneca Wallace
to be #2 on the Seahawks' depth chart for the 2007 NFL Season, but disappointed with his play during the preseason. At one point, coach Mike Holmgren
expressed his dissatisfaction with Greene's progress as a quarterback. In September, 2007, Greene was released from the Seattle Seahawks. http://seahawks.scout.com/2/670574.html
' practice squad on September 19, 2007, http://www.patriots.com/search/index.cfm?ac=searchdetail&pid=27803&pcid=47&rss=1 only to be released on November 20, 2007. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/11/20/patriots.greene.ap/
on September 25, 2008 after the team released quarterback
Josh Betts
. The Colts released Greene on November 14, 2008.
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
.
Greene has also been a member of the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
and Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
. He retired following the 2008 season, having never played in a regular season game.
Early years
While attending South Gwinnett High SchoolSouth Gwinnett High School
South Gwinnett High School is a public high school in the United States for students in grades 9–12. The school is located in Snellville, Georgia and is part of the Gwinnett County Public Schools system, one of the 15 largest public school systems in the country...
in Snellville, Georgia
Snellville, Georgia
Snellville is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States, east of Atlanta. The population was 15,351 at the 2000 census. The city's mayor, Jerry Oberholtzer, was elected to a 4-year term in 2007. The city's commercial and residential development has grown enormously in recent years...
, David Greene was a two-sport standout as a quarterback in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, and as a right fielder in baseball. In football, he led his team to two consecutive playoff appearances and as a senior, he completed 134 passes out of 227 pass attempts (59.0 completion percentage) for 2,102 yards, and 19 touchdowns, and earned USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
All-USA Honorable Mention honors, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super 11 honors, Super Southern 100 honors, Top 75 in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
honors, Class AAAA All-State honors, Georgia Sports Writers Association AAAA All-State honors, was named the Gwinnett County
Gwinnett County, Georgia
, Gwinnett County had a population of 805,321. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 53.3% white , 23.6% black , 2.7% Korean, 2.6% Asian Indian, 2.0% Vietnamese, 3.3% other Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.8% some other race and 3.1% from two or more races...
co-Offensive Player of the Year, Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
Touchdown Club Quarterback of the Year, Gwinnett Touchdown Club All-Star quarterback, and Atlanta Club Quarterback of the Year. After his senior season, he participated in the Georgia-Florida All-Star game.
College career
Greene played quarterback at the University of GeorgiaUniversity of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
in college. He began his career as a redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
freshman in 2001, being named the starter before the season. His most notable freshman game occurred at #5 Tennessee, known as the "hobnail boot" game. This phrase was coined by Georgia's famous play-by-play announcer Larry Munson
Larry Munson
Lawrence Harry "Larry" Munson was a sports announcer and talk-show host based out of the U.S. city of Atlanta. He was best known for handling radio play-by-play of University of Georgia Bulldogs football games from 1966 to 2008...
. After Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
took the lead in the fourth quarter on a successful screen pass with :44 left, Greene led the Bulldogs back down the field with an inspiring series of quick passes. The winning touchdown pass went to fullback Verron Haynes
Verron Haynes
Verron Ulric Haynes is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
in a now famous play known as "P-44 Haynes" or the "Hobnail Boot" play with just five seconds remaining on the clock. Upon Greene's completion to Haynes in the endzone for the winning touchdown, announcer Munson made this fateful call: "We just stepped on their face with a hobnail boot and broke their nose. We just crushed their face!"
This play marked the beginning of Greene's record-setting career at Georgia, highlighted by guiding the team to a Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
victory in 2002. The same season he led the Bulldogs
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
to their first SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
championship
SEC Championship Game
The SEC Championship Game refers to the game determining the Southeastern Conference's football season champion. The championship game pits the SEC Western Division representative against the Eastern Division representative in a game held after the regular season has been completed. Thus far, nine...
since 1982. He was named SEC Offensive Rookie of the Year after the 2001 season, and was the 2002 Offensive Player of the Year for The Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
. In 2004, Greene made 214 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, a record that stood until broken by Andre Woodson
André Woodson
Andre' Woodson, Jr. is an American football quarterback. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft and is currently a free agent. Woodson played collegiately at the University of Kentucky...
from Kentucky in 2007.
At Georgia, one of Greene's roommates was friend and future Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
defensive line David Pollack
David Pollack
-Injury:In the Bengals' September 17, 2006 game against in-state rival Cleveland Browns, Pollack suffered what was later determined to be a broken sixth cervical vertebrae on a first quarter tackle on running back Reuben Droughns. He reportedly suffered no paralysis, but was taken off the field on...
, who was drafted 17th in 2005. The two played football together when they were younger in Snellville
Snellville, Georgia
Snellville is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States, east of Atlanta. The population was 15,351 at the 2000 census. The city's mayor, Jerry Oberholtzer, was elected to a 4-year term in 2007. The city's commercial and residential development has grown enormously in recent years...
, though they went to different high schools.
Greene finished his college career as the winningest quarterback in NCAA Division I history with 42 wins in four years, eclipsing the record previously held by Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
. However, on November 21, 2009, University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy
Colt McCoy
Daniel "Colt" McCoy is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Browns in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
broke his record with a win over University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
. Greene is the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
all-time career leader in yards gained with 11,270.
Awards and honors
- SECSoutheastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
Freshman of the Year (2001) - SEC Championship GameSEC Championship GameThe SEC Championship Game refers to the game determining the Southeastern Conference's football season champion. The championship game pits the SEC Western Division representative against the Eastern Division representative in a game held after the regular season has been completed. Thus far, nine...
MVP (20022002 SEC Championship GameThe 2002 SEC Championship Game was won by the Georgia Bulldogs 30-3 over the Arkansas Razorbacks. The game was played in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia on December 7, 2002 and was televised to a national audience on CBS....
) - First-team All-SEC (2002)
- Second-team All-SEC (2003)
- Second-team All-SEC (2004)
- Johnny Unitas Golden Arm AwardJohnny Unitas Golden Arm AwardThe Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is given annually in the United States to the nation's outstanding senior quarterback in college football. It was established in 1987 by a foundation named for Johnny Unitas , the Hall of Fame quarterback who played his college career at the University of...
finalist (2004)
Seattle Seahawks
Greene was drafted in the third round, 85th overall, in the 2005 NFL Draft. He spent 2006 #3 on the Seahawks' depth chart, behind Matt HasselbeckMatt Hasselbeck
Matthew Michael Hasselbeck is a National Football League quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft, and traded to Seattle in 2001. After becoming the starter in 2003, Hasselbeck led Seattle to six playoff appearances and...
and Seneca Wallace
Seneca Wallace
Seneca Isayha Wallace is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
. He had been expected to compete with Seneca Wallace
Seneca Wallace
Seneca Isayha Wallace is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
to be #2 on the Seahawks' depth chart for the 2007 NFL Season, but disappointed with his play during the preseason. At one point, coach Mike Holmgren
Mike Holmgren
Michael George Holmgren is a former professional football coach and current President of the Cleveland Browns. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008...
expressed his dissatisfaction with Greene's progress as a quarterback. In September, 2007, Greene was released from the Seattle Seahawks. http://seahawks.scout.com/2/670574.html
New England Patriots
Greene was signed to the New England PatriotsNew England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
' practice squad on September 19, 2007, http://www.patriots.com/search/index.cfm?ac=searchdetail&pid=27803&pcid=47&rss=1 only to be released on November 20, 2007. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/11/20/patriots.greene.ap/
Kansas City Chiefs
Greene was then signed to the practice squad of the Kansas City Chiefs, and eventually promoted to the active roster on December 29, 2007. He was waived by the team on July 18, 2008.Indianapolis Colts
Greene was signed to the practice squad of the Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
on September 25, 2008 after the team released quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Josh Betts
Josh Betts
Joshua David Betts is a professional Canadian football quarterback who is currently a Tennis player. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
. The Colts released Greene on November 14, 2008.
Retirement
In January 2009, Greene told the Gwinnett Daily Post that he was retiring from professional football. He returned to Atlanta in September 2008 and co-founded an insurance brokerage firm, along with fellow former Bulldog Matt StinchcombMatt Stinchcomb
Matt Stinchcomb is a former football offensive tackle, who played for the University of Georgia, the Oakland Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.-NFL Years:...
.