In Play Magazine
GREENE WAS ONE OF NFL’S TOP RECEIVERS
ALLEN PARK, MICH. -- John Greene, one of the Lions' star players in the 1940s, died Thursday, November 4, at his home in Franklin at age 90 after a brief illness. He was a pioneer of professional football during a turbulent decade long before the sport had the popularity it now enjoys.
Greene came to the Lions as a fifth-round (35th overall) selection in the 1944 NFL Draft after lettering three years as a lineman at the University of Michigan. A two-way performer early in his career, Lions' coach Gus Dorais was impressed by Greene’s speed so he moved him from the line to end in 1945. It was a move that soon vaulted Greene to star status among NFL receivers.
The 6-foot, 215-pounder led the Lions in receiving from 1945-47 and ended his seven-year pro career (1944-50) as Detroit's all-time leading receiver with 2,965 receiving yards, 26 touchdown catches and 173 receptions.
A two-time captain for the Lions, he averaged an impressive 16.9 yards per catch for his career. His 88-yard TD catch was the longest in the NFL in 1946.
Greene was more than a star on the field. Former Lions’ teammate Wally Triplett has fond memories of Greene off the field. Triplett (1949-50), Bob Mann (1948-49) and Mel Groomes (1948-49) were the first African-American players with Lions and among the first in the National Football League.
“I want to say ‘thank you” to John because what we have now in the NFL would not have been possible had it not been for him and others like (future Pro Football Hall of Famer) Bill Dudley,” said Triplett. “John was a star and a captain for the Lions. So, when he and Bill came over to me in the locker room, shook my hand and welcomed me to the Lions, it made a huge impact in my acceptance on the team and in the League. I will always appreciate what John and Bill did for me.”
Greene was nicknamed "the Cinderella Kid" for his rise to stardom after comparative obscurity while a lineman in college and early in his Lions’ career. That all changed when Dorais shifted him to end. Greene wore the number “81” during his best seasons in Detroit. When visiting Lions' training camp in 2009, he met and spent time with the Lions' current star receiver and number 81, Calvin Johnson. Lions' fans last saw Greene when he was introduced at halftime of the Lions-Rams game at Ford Field, October 10, during Alumni Day festivities.
He survived by his wife Alice and his niece Patricia Ruscello and two nephews Jack and Bill Gannon.
Visitation for John Greene will be from 3:00 - 8:00 p.m. Monday, November 8, at Lynch and Sons Funeral Home in Clawson (1368 N. Crooks Road). The funeral mass will be at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 9, at The Church of St. Owen in Bloomfield Hills (6869 Franklin Road).
