Former Packers OLBs coach Kevin Greene passes away

December 21, 2020
|In Packers
|By Zach Heilprin

Former Green Bay Packers outside linebacker coach Kevin Greene has passed away at the age of 58.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame, where Greene was enshrined in 2016, announced his death.

“The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Kevin Greene,” Hall of Fame President and CEO David Baker stated. “I regarded him as a personal friend and a true Hall of Famer in every sense. He possessed the most incredible can-do attitude of anyone I ever met. He was a great player, but more than that, he was a great man. Our thoughts and prayers are with Kevin’s wife, Tara, and their entire family. We will forever keep his legacy alive to serve as inspiration for future generations. The Hall of Fame flag will be flown at half-staff in Kevin’s memory.”

Greene played with four different teams over his 15 years in the NFL, including eight with the Los Angeles Rams. He tallied 160 sacks in his career, the third-most in NFL history. A three-time All-Pro, Greene was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1996 and part of the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade Team.

Ten years after retiring, Greene became a coach, joining his former head coach, Dom Capers, when he became the defensive coordinator for the Packers in 2009. He spent five seasons as the outside linebackers coach helping turn Clay Matthews into one of the top players at his position in the league.

Famously, in Super Bowl XLV, Greene is seen telling Matthews “it is time” for him to make a play, which is exactly what he did on the next series.

Greene left coaching after the 2013 season but returned to spend two more years with the New York Jets in 2017 and 2018.

Greene leaves behind his wife, Tara, and two children.

His impact across the league was evident Monday as teams, players and former teammates took to social media to express their condolences.