A total of 28 "tryout" players were invited to the Pittsburgh Steelers' rookie camp this week, and among those players is Mississippi College linebacker, Gavin Greene. Greene is the son of the late Steelers Hall of Fame linebacker, Kevin Greene.
Among the players at @steelers rookie minicamp on a tryout basis are Mississippi College LB Gavin Greene, the son of late Steelers Hall of Fame LB Kevin Greene, and South Carolina LB Damani Staley, the son of Duce Staley, a former Steelers RB now coaching with the Lions.
— Teresa Varley (@Teresa_Varley) May 13, 2022
[Kevin] Greene was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the fifth round (113th overall) of the 1985 NFL Draft before joining Pittsburgh in 1993 as a free agent. He later had stints with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers before retiring in 1999.
Greene was very charismatic and extremely dominant on the field as he was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year (NEA) and the NFC Defensive Player of the Year (UPI) in 1996. He was a 3x First Team All-Pro selection, a 1x Second Team All-Pro selection, and a 5x Pro Bowler throughout his career. He's a member of the NFL's 1990's All-Decade Team, and he was elected into the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor in 2017. Needless to say, Greene was one of the best to ever do it, and an absolute legend in the Steel City. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
The late Steelers' All-Pro linebacker, Kevin Greene (#91). | Steelers.com
Steelers invite Gavin Greene to camp
[Gavin] Greene knows exactly how influential his father Kevin was. While in a brief stint with the New York Jets, Greene spoke to the media last week and let the world know just how much his father still means to him:
"I just remember my dad being the biggest lover in my life. My dad supporting everything I did. He made sure that I tried every sport, but never forced me to play. That's why my first year of football was seventh grade." Greene continued. "I love my dad. Even though his time on this planet was cut short, we lived a thousand lifetimes together. My dad is my biggest hero and will stay as my biggest here to this day. He never wanted me younger [to] face that pressure because he knew he was one of the best linebackers. I mean 160 sacks, that's some pretty big shoes to fill you know what I mean? But he made sure that I had no pressure and that, especially when I wanted to play football in seventh grade, starting to become my own man and everything, and wanted to do this and follow my dad, he actually at first said, 'I don't want you playing football, Gavin. I don't want you to deal with that pressure.' But I just remember my dad being the most gentle giant."
Watch the full clip here:
"I love my dad. Even though his time on his planet was cut short, we lived a thousand lifetimes together. My dad is my biggest hero and will stay as my biggest hero to this day."
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) May 7, 2022
- Gavin Greene on his late father, Kevin Greene pic.twitter.com/ypYtzmyXxL
[Kevin] Greene died of a heart attack at the age of 58 at his home in Destin, Florida, on the morning of December 21, 2020. He will forever be remembered in the NFL community, especially among Steeler Nation. [Gavin] Greene continues to live out his dream and follow in his father's footsteps as he and the other tryouts this week will look to try and earn a spot on the team's 90-man roster heading into training camp this summer. [Gavin] Greene was a redshirt senior, but played in all 10 games in 2019, starting six on the defensive line for the Mississippi Choctaws. He tallied 19 tackles with 11 solo stops, while adding 2.0 sacks and two fumble recoveries on the season.
There's a total of 51 first year, rookie, and/or tryout players in camp right now for Pittsburgh, so making the final roster will definitely be an uphill battle for Greene, despite his pedigree. A cool story nonetheless.
Do yinz think Greene has a shot of making the final roster? Let us know what you think in the comment section below!
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