Cornelius Greene

Cornelius Greene
Position: Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1954-01-21) January 21, 1954
Washington, DC
Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight: 170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High school: Dunbar (Washington, D.C.)
College: Ohio State Buckeyes
NFL Draft: 1976 / Round: 11 / Pick: 318
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

Cornelius Greene (born January 21, 1954) is a former American football quarterback who played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was the first African American quarterback to start at Ohio State.[1]

Early years

Greene attended Dunbar High School where he practiced football, basketball and baseball. He was an option quarterback that also played defense.

He accepted a football scholarship from Ohio State University to play under head coach Woody Hayes.[2] As a sophomore, he was named the starter at quarterback over Greg Hare. He was named Big 10 Conference MVP for the 1975 season, when his teammate Archie Griffin became the first two-time Heisman Trophy winner.

Greene compiled a 31-2-1 record in the regular season, played in 4 Rose Bowls (3 as the starting quarterback), won the 1974 Rose Bowl against USC, won three Big Ten Championships and led the team to an undefeated season in 1973.

Although his teams were based on run oriented offenses, he still held the record of most career passing yards in school history for many years. He finished with 138-of-251 (55.0 percent) attempts for 2,255 yards and 17 touchdowns, while having 409 carries for 2,014 yards (4.9 YPC) and 28 touchdowns.

In 1998, he was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Greene was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the eleventh round (318th overall) of the 1976 NFL draft to play him at wide receiver. On August 24, he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for future considerations. He was released him on September 7.

In 1977, he signed with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He was released on June 13.

Personal life

After his time in the Canadian Football League, he played semi-pro ball in Columbus, Ohio. In 1982, he moved back to his hometown of Washington, D.C., to work for the city and to manage a recreation center. He was a faculty member and multi-sport coach at St. Albans High School.

References

  1. ↑ Hallett, Joe; Jack Torry (20 January 2009). "Past rights, wrongs shaped No. 44". Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  2. ↑ "Greene Scores 2 As Bucks Batter Illinois". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 4 November 1973. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.