Ernie Green (American football)
Encyclopedia
Ernest "Ernie" Green is a former American football
fullback
for the Cleveland Browns
in the National Football League
.
there.
from 1958-61, rushing for more than 1,500 yards in his college football
career with the Cardinals and twice leading the team in that department. He also excelled on the baseball diamond, spurning contract offers in order to remain on the gridiron
.
drafted Green in the 14th round of the 1962 NFL Draft
. During that year's training camp, Green was traded to the Cleveland Browns where he would make a name for himself as one of the league's top fullbacks.
After seeing limited action as a rookie
in 1962, Green entered the Cleveland backfield the following year alongside legendary Hall of Famer
Jim Brown
. Green finished his first full season of action with 526 rushing yards and catching 28 passes out of the backfield. Even more importantly, he also helped open holes for Brown to gain a then-NFL record 1,863 yards. In 1964, the two helped the Browns capture their fourth NFL championship, capping the year with a stunning 27-0 shutout1964 NFL Championship team
of the Baltimore Colts.
Following Brown's retirement in July 1966, Green was switched from halfback to fullback and teamed with another future Hall of Famer, Leroy Kelly
, to continue giving Cleveland one of the most dangerous backfield combinations in the NFL. Green earned a pair of Pro Bowl
appearances over the next two seasons and also twice earned All-Pro
accolades.
In August 1968, Green injured his knee during a preseason contest in Los Angeles and missed the next two months. Upon his return, he saw limited action due to lingering problems with the knee. Just after the end of the season, he underwent surgery to repair torn cartilage in the troublesome knee and was advised to retire. He followed that advice and accepted a position to work with the team's running backs coach.
He completed his six-year NFL career gaining 3,204 yards while catching 179 passes out of the backfield.
in suburban Dayton, Ohio
.
in July 2005 after finding a small lump in his chest. He underwent a mastectomy
in September 2005 and endured eight sessions of chemotherapy
which ended in March 2006.
Green has become a breast cancer activist to educate other men about the disease and how it can affect them personally. Green's two older sisters were diagnosed with breast cancer, and one of them died from the disease. After getting a second opinion, Green received treatment from Dr. Robert Shenk, a breast surgeon at University Hospitals Case Medical Center
in Cleveland.
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...
fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
for the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 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...
.
Early years
Green was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia, and attended Spencer High SchoolSpencer High School (Georgia)
Spencer High School is located at 4340 Victory Drive in Columbus, Georgia. It was established in 1930 by the Columbus Public Schools as the first black high school in Columbus, Georgia. The school was named in honor of Dr. William Henry Spencer...
there.
College
Green attended the University of LouisvilleUniversity of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
from 1958-61, rushing for more than 1,500 yards in his 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...
career with the Cardinals and twice leading the team in that department. He also excelled on the baseball diamond, spurning contract offers in order to remain on the gridiron
Gridiron football
Gridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...
.
Green Bay Packers
In 1962 the reigning world champion Green Bay PackersGreen Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
drafted Green in the 14th round of the 1962 NFL Draft
1962 NFL Draft
The 1962 National Football League Draft was held on December 4, 1961.-Player selections:-Round one:* HOF: Member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:...
. During that year's training camp, Green was traded to the Cleveland Browns where he would make a name for himself as one of the league's top fullbacks.
Cleveland Browns
Green was sold by the Green Bay Packers in 1962 to the Cleveland Browns where he would make a name for himself as one of the league's top fullbacks.After seeing limited action as a rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
in 1962, Green entered the Cleveland backfield the following year alongside legendary Hall of Famer
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
Jim Brown
Jim Brown
James Nathaniel "Jim" Brown is an American former professional football player who has also made his mark as an actor. He is best known for his exceptional and record-setting nine-year career as a running back for the NFL Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965. In 2002, he was named by Sporting News...
. Green finished his first full season of action with 526 rushing yards and catching 28 passes out of the backfield. Even more importantly, he also helped open holes for Brown to gain a then-NFL record 1,863 yards. In 1964, the two helped the Browns capture their fourth NFL championship, capping the year with a stunning 27-0 shutout1964 NFL Championship team
NFL Championship Game, 1964
The 1964 National Football League championship game was the 32nd annual championship game. The NFL title game was held on December 27, 1964 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio before a crowd of 79,544...
of the Baltimore Colts.
Following Brown's retirement in July 1966, Green was switched from halfback to fullback and teamed with another future Hall of Famer, Leroy Kelly
Leroy Kelly
Leroy Kelly was an American football player. A Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, he played for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League from 1964-73....
, to continue giving Cleveland one of the most dangerous backfield combinations in the NFL. Green earned a pair of Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
appearances over the next two seasons and also twice earned All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
accolades.
In August 1968, Green injured his knee during a preseason contest in Los Angeles and missed the next two months. Upon his return, he saw limited action due to lingering problems with the knee. Just after the end of the season, he underwent surgery to repair torn cartilage in the troublesome knee and was advised to retire. He followed that advice and accepted a position to work with the team's running backs coach.
He completed his six-year NFL career gaining 3,204 yards while catching 179 passes out of the backfield.
Retirement and Business Interests
Green runs Ernie Green Industries, which manufactures components for the automotive industryAutomotive industry
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
in suburban Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
.
Breast Cancer
Green was diagnosed with breast cancerBreast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
in July 2005 after finding a small lump in his chest. He underwent a mastectomy
Mastectomy
Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. Mastectomy is usually done to treat breast cancer; in some cases, women and some men believed to be at high risk of breast cancer have the operation prophylactically, that is, to prevent cancer...
in September 2005 and endured eight sessions of chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
which ended in March 2006.
Green has become a breast cancer activist to educate other men about the disease and how it can affect them personally. Green's two older sisters were diagnosed with breast cancer, and one of them died from the disease. After getting a second opinion, Green received treatment from Dr. Robert Shenk, a breast surgeon at University Hospitals Case Medical Center
University Hospitals of Cleveland
University Hospitals is a major not-for-profit medical center in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Case Medical Center is the primary affiliate hospital of Case Western Reserve University - a relationship that was first established in 1896...
in Cleveland.