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As odd as it may seem to those who know him, Greene didn\u2019t grow up with grand dreams of coaching sports. While he played several sports, that included baseball and football, the idea of coaching would not become a reality until he became a student at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c<\/em>When I was in college, I played football and baseball for two years in Jackson, Mississippi and then transferred to MTSU and finished up with baseball,\u201d he explained. \u201cI was approached my sophomore year [and informed] that there was a private school, right off the campus, that needed help with their eighth-grade team. I coached the defense and realized then, that I had an aptitude for it. We won our conference, and they were so happy. And I had a good time with it even though I obviously had some really long hours. I had school, then I had my practice and their practice. But I realized that that\u2019s probably what I was going to do. Prior to that, I thought I was going to be a lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He then realized he wanted to be around good coaches and make quality connections that would help him grow as a coach. Over the years, Greene would find himself amongst great coaches who would do just that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was fortunate at that time that I had coach [Steve] Peterson in my life,\u201d he said. \u201cHe was the baseball coach at MTSU. He really supported me. There is a lot in me that he built into me. I was able to work with and be around some good coaches. I got blessed with being able to work with my old high school coach, Donnie Yates. He was my secondary coach in his high school and planted a seed of sorts. He realized that I knew what everyone was doing on the field. He pulled me aside and told me that I might be good at this coaching thing. I had some good people that just built things into me, and I appreciated them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the years, he would coach on both the high school and collegiate levels alongside coaches that included Ron Crawfrod, Gary Rankin, Doug Matthews, Benny Monroe, and Ken Sparks, just to name a few. These are coaches that Greene said helped mold him into the coach he is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, with a coaching tenure that spans more than two decades, Greene has found his success not only on the field, but off the field as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve always felt like I wanted to take care of the whole player,\u201d he said. \u201cYes, I want them to lift weights and be faster and know football, but I also want them to be successful in the classroom and to be able to hold down a job. Most importantly though, these guys are going to be husbands and dads, and the lessons you learn in football is that it ain\u2019t about you, it\u2019s about us. You are a part of a family and protecting that family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019s also learned that it\u2019s about making the most of what you\u2019ve got.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is more than one way to win football games,\u201d explained Greene. \u201cFor example, the University of Wisconsin wins a certain way, the University of Florida has their way and so does Alabama. It is not all 40-yard dashes. I noticed that for a long time and really appreciate it. People get in their minds that you have to have this certain type of player. But my job is to figure out what our kids do well and then put them in a position to be successful. It\u2019s about winning with what you have. You\u2019ve got to quit looking around at everyone else and focus on us and being the best version of us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he suits up for the 100th year of football at CCHS, he does so with a staff, community, and group of players that he knows will help him continue to grow and continue his successful journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe good Lord has put me in the right place and given me the experience that this is right where I need to be,\u201d said Greene. GN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WHEN WE tell the story of our lives, it is not solely about us. When we tell the story of our successes, our triumphs, and even our failures, it involves more than just ourselves. There are a whole cast of folks who show up throughout our story. Folks who have helped, inspired, challenged, and even […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":12440,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/DSC_7322-2-683x1024.jpg\")