Ron Greene is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 coach

Coach (sport)

In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...

 who served as head coach of three Division I college basketball

College basketball

College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....

 teams, as well as teams in Division II, the World Basketball League

World Basketball League

World Basketball League was a minor professional basketball league in the United States and Canada. It was founded as the International Basketball Association in November 1987, before changing its name prior to the 1988 season. One of the major differences between it and other leagues was that it...

, the American Basketball Association

American Basketball Association (2000–present)

The American Basketball Association, often abbreviated as ABA, is a semi-professional men's basketball league that was founded in 1999. The current ABA has no affiliation with the original American Basketball Association that merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976...

, and high school.

Early career

Greene's coaching career began in 1965 where he was an assistant coach at Loyola University New Orleans

Loyola University New Orleans

Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...

. The team went 9-17 in his only season as an assistant before being promoted to the head coaching position. He spent two seasons as the Wolfpack head coach before leaving to coach at the University of New Orleans

University of New Orleans

The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...

, then known as LSU-New Orleans.

University of New Orleans

Greene was hired by UNO when the school began intercollegiate varsity competition in 1969-70 season. He compiled a 149–64 (.700) record in eight seasons. Four of his teams qualified for NCAA tournaments. The Privateers finished fourth in 1974 Division II tourney and second in the 1975 tourney. Greene paved the way for the Privateers’ move to Division I in the 1975–76 season.

Mississippi State University

Greene only spent the 1977–1978 season with the Bulldogs. That year, the Bulldogs finished with a 18-9 record. Several hours after The Associated Press had named Ron Greene 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...

 basketball coach of the year and the Mississippi state board had voted him a $7500 raise, Greene announced he was leaving the job to become coach of his alma mater Murray State.

Murray State University

After managing only 4 wins in his first season in Murray, Greene coached the Racers to 23 wins the following year and an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament

National Invitation Tournament

The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...

. The Racers knocked off Jacksonville

Jacksonville University

Jacksonville University is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida, on the banks of the St. Johns River. The school was founded in 1934 as a two year college and was known as Jacksonville Junior College until 1958, when it shifted its focus to four-year university degrees and adopted its...

 and Alabama

University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....

 before losing to Illinois 65-63 in the Quarterfinals. Greene’s Racers would reach the NIT twice more before he left in 1985. His overall record at Murray was 119-78. While at the Racer helm, Greene coached Racer greats, such as Gary Hooker and Lamont Sleets.

Indiana State University

Greene returned to his native Terre Haute in 1985 when he became head coach of the Indiana State Sycamores. Greene inherited a young team and finished 11–17 in his first season as head coach. The team, however never matched this success and Greene resigned after a 4–24 1988–89 season. His overall record at ISU was 31–79.

One of Ron’s players was Eddie Bird, brother of NBA legend Larry Bird

Larry Bird

Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...

.

Later career

Greene was head coach of the Nashville Stars during the 1991 WBL season. The Stars went 23-28 in their first and only season of existence. He resigned in July 1991 to become the 12th head coach at Calloway County High School. His tenure at Calloway County started rough, including a 16 game losing streak in his first season. Greene posted a few good seasons for the Lakers including a 23-6 season as well as two 17-9 seasons, spending 8 years at Calloway. He resigned following the 1999 season and former Murray State and Western Kentucky player Terry Birdsong took over. He returned to coaching in 2007 when he was named head coach of the ABA’s Kentucky Retros

Kentucky Retros

The Kentucky Retros was a professional basketball team based in Louisville, Kentucky that was scheduled to begin play in the American Basketball Association in 2007...

. In 2008 Greene was named head coach at Murray High School. He retired after the 2010–11 season. Greene has coached all three schools in Calloway County, Kentucky

Calloway County, Kentucky

Calloway County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1823. As of 2010, the population was 37,191. Its county seat is Murray, Kentucky. The county is named for Colonel Richard Callaway, one of the founders of Boonesborough...

.