| Date of birth: | October 15, 1938 |
| Place of birth: | Columbus, Georgia, USA |
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| Position(s): | Running back, Fullback |
| College: | Louisville |
| NFL Draft: | 1962 / Round: 14 / Pick: 196 |
| Organizations | |
| As player: | |
| 1962 1962-1968 |
Green Bay Packers Cleveland Browns |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Pro Bowls: | 2 |
| Playing stats at DatabaseFootball.com | |
Ernest "Ernie" Green (born October 15, 1938, Columbus, Georgia) is a former American football fullback for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League.
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Green was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia, and attended Spencer High School there.
Green attended the University of Louisville 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.[1]
In 1962 the reigning world champion Green Bay Packers 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.[1]
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 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[2] 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.[1]
Green runs Ernie Green Industries, which manufactures components for the automotive industry in suburban Dayton, Ohio.
Green was diagnosed with breast cancer 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. [3] 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. [4]
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