Name Cornelius Greene Role American football player | ||
 | ||
1975: Ohio State v. UCLA (Drive-Thru)
Cornelius Greene (born January 21, 1954) is a former American football quarterback who played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and professionally in the Canadian Football League. He played under coach Woody Hayes. He was the first African American quarterback to start at Ohio State.
Contents
- 1975 Ohio State v UCLA Drive Thru
- Doug Williams and Cornelius Greene
- Early years
- Professional career
- Personal life
- References
Doug Williams and Cornelius Greene
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. 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.
He 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 elevnth 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.
The Seattle Seahawks 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.