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Shonn Greene
refer to caption
Greene with the New York Jets in 2011
No. 23
Position: Running back
Personal information
Born: (1985-08-21) August 21, 1985 (age 39)
Sicklerville, New Jersey, U.S.
Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight: 233 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High school: Winslow Township
(Atco, New Jersey)
College: Iowa (2005–2006, 2008)
NFL Draft: 2009 / Round: 3 / Pick: 65
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • Doak Walker Award (2008)
  • Jim Brown Trophy (2008)
  • Unanimous All-American (2008)
  • Big Ten Most Valuable Player (2008)
  • Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (2008)
  • First-team All-Big Ten (2008)
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts: 993
Rushing yards: 4,110
Rushing touchdowns: 24
Receptions: 72
Receiving yards: 534
Player stats at PFR

Shonn Greene (born August 21, 1985) is a former professional football player. He was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). Greene played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes. In 2008, he was named a unanimous All-American. He also won the Doak Walker Award and the Jim Brown Trophy. The New York Jets picked him in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played four seasons with the Jets. After that, he played two more seasons for the Tennessee Titans.

Early Life and High School Football

Shonn Greene was born in Sicklerville, New Jersey. He grew up in Winslow Township, New Jersey. He went to Winslow Township High School in Atco, New Jersey.

Greene played for the Winslow Eagles high school football team. He was the starting running back and linebacker in his junior and senior years. In his junior year, he ran for 1,267 yards and scored 18 touchdowns. He was named to the all-conference, all-South Jersey, and all-state teams. As a senior, he rushed for 1,378 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also made 191 tackles on defense during his high school career.

College Football Career

Greene attended the University of Iowa. He played for coach Kirk Ferentz's Iowa Hawkeyes football team. He did not play in the 2007 season. He left the university to improve his grades at Kirkwood Community College.

He returned to the University of Iowa in 2008. That year, Greene had an amazing season. He won the Doak Walker Award, given to the best college running back. He was the first Iowa player to win this award. He was also named a unanimous All-American. Greene finished the 2008 season with 1,850 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns.

After the Hawkeyes won the 2009 Outback Bowl, Greene decided to enter the 2009 NFL draft. He was the only college player that year to rush for over 100 yards in every game.

College Awards and Honors

  • 2008 unanimous first-team All-American
  • Only FBS running back to rush for over 100 yards in every game in 2008
  • Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in 2008
  • 2009 Outback Bowl Most Valuable Player

College Statistics

Year Team GP Rushing Receiving
Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD
2005 Iowa 11 37 173 4.7 1 0 0 0 0
2006 Iowa 10 32 205 6.4 1 3 23 7.7 0
2008 Iowa 13 307 1,850 6.0 20 8 49 6.1 0
Career 34 376 2,228 5.9 22 11 72 6.5 0

Professional Football Career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 10+12 in
(1.79 m)
227 lb
(103 kg)
31+34 in
(0.81 m)
8+12 in
(0.22 m)
4.65 s 1.68 s 2.76 s 4.40 s 7.10 s 37.0 in
(0.94 m)
10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)
19 reps
All values from NFL Combine

New York Jets

The New York Jets picked Shonn Greene in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft. This was the 65th pick overall.

2009 Season with the Jets

Greene played his first regular season game after another player, Leon Washington, got injured. In a game against the Oakland Raiders, Greene ran for 144 yards and scored two touchdowns. The Jets won that game 38–0.

In the playoffs, Greene had a great game against the San Diego Chargers. He ran for 128 yards and scored a 53-yard touchdown. This helped the Jets reach the AFC Championship game. He finished his first NFL season with 540 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.

2010 Season with the Jets

For the 2010 season, the Jets signed LaDainian Tomlinson as their main running back. Greene became the backup. Greene scored his first touchdown of the season in a win against the Minnesota Vikings. He also scored a game-winning touchdown against the Patriots in a playoff game.

2011 Season with the Jets

In 2011, Greene became the starting running back for the Jets. In his first game as a starter, he rushed for 26 yards. He scored his first touchdown of the year in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Greene had a strong game against the San Diego Chargers, rushing for 112 yards. He also had a big game against the Redskins, rushing for 88 yards and three touchdowns. He finished the 2011 season with 1,054 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns.

2012 Season with the Jets

Shonn Greene
Greene running against the Rams in 2012

In 2012, Greene had his best game against the Indianapolis Colts. He ran for a career-high 161 yards and scored three touchdowns. The Jets won that game 35–9. For the entire 2012 season, Greene rushed for 1,063 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Tennessee Titans

2013 Season with the Titans

On March 13, 2013, Greene signed a three-year contract with the Tennessee Titans. In his first preseason game with the Titans, he rushed for 32 yards and a touchdown.

He got injured in the first game of the regular season, which kept him out for five weeks. Later in the season, he rushed for 38 yards and a touchdown against the Rams. He finished the 2013 season with 295 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns.

2014 Season with the Titans

In Week 1 of the 2014 season, Greene rushed for 71 yards in a win against the Chiefs. He played against his former team, the New York Jets, later that year. In the final game of the season, Greene had his best game, rushing for 94 yards. He also had a career-long run of 52 yards.

On June 16, 2015, Greene was released from the Titans.

NFL Career Statistics

Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2009 NYJ 14 0 108 540 5.0 33T 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 3
2010 NYJ 15 2 185 766 4.1 23T 2 16 120 7.5 15 0 3 2
2011 NYJ 16 15 253 1,054 4.2 31 6 30 211 7.0 36 0 1 0
2012 NYJ 16 14 276 1,063 3.9 36 8 19 151 7.9 30 0 4 1
2013 TEN 11 0 77 295 3.8 29 4 6 39 6.5 28 0 0 0
2014 TEN 13 5 94 392 4.2 52 2 1 13 13.0 13 0 1 1
Total 85 36 993 4,110 4.1 52 24 72 534 7.4 36 0 12 7
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