Anthony Wayne "Bubba" Green (September 30, 1957 – June 21, 2019) was a professional
American football player who played
defensive lineman
In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...
for one season for the
Baltimore Colts
The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...
.
Background
Green was born in
Cape May, New Jersey and grew up in
Woodbine. He graduated from
Millville High School. His father, who was a police officer, left the family when Green was 13 years old. Despite Green's
dyslexia
Dyslexia, also known until the 1960s as word blindness, is a disorder characterized by reading below the expected level for one's age. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, r ...
, he was accepted at
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...
, where he played football.
College career
Green entered North Carolina State in 1976 and lettered in football for four years. At and , Green played defensive tackle and won several individual honors during his college career. He was also a member of the 1977 and 1978 NC State track teams.
NFL
Green was picked in the 6th round of the NFL draft in 1981 by the
Baltimore Colts
The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...
. Green wore jersey #91 and played right defensive tackle. In his first season, he played in 15 games and started 10 of them with one interception, one fumble recovery and no sacks. Green suffered a knee injury and never played another game in the NFL.
Personal
Green lived with his wife, Nancy (Arrington), in
Randallstown, Maryland. Green's daughter, Deanna Camille Green died in an accident on May 5, 2006, when she made contact with a chain-link fence that had become electrified by the city's power grid. The fence was part of a softball field in Baltimore's
Druid Hill Park where Deanna was playing. Deanna was stretching before her at-bat when she touched the electrified fence. Her death was instantaneous. The Greens subsequently petitioned the
Maryland Public Service Commission and the
Maryland State Legislature for stricter safety measures. He died from cancer on June 21, 2019.
References
1957 births
2019 deaths
People from Cape May, New Jersey
People from Woodbine, New Jersey
Players of American football from New Jersey
African-American players of American football
American football defensive linemen
Millville Senior High School alumni
NC State Wolfpack football players
Baltimore Colts players
Deaths from cancer in Maryland
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