Former Browns running back Ernie Green had no problem staying in the shadows while his much more celebrated backfield mates, Pro Football Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly, basked in the limelight.
However, should Green be standing in the spotlight as well, but for a completely different reason, one that had nothing to do with his playing career?
Perhaps.
Green was not just one of the top backs the Browns have ever had, but also one of the best runners in the NFL, during his seven seasons (1962-68). Upon his retirement, head coach Blanton Collier, a forward-thinker in so many ways, hired him as an assistant coach, in fact the first running backs coach in Browns history and their first African-American assistant coach.
Green may also be the first African-American assistant coach in pro football history. The exact history of that topic is not clear. It is hazy, at best. But if he’s not the first, then he is certainly one of the first.
Either way, that’s something special.
Steve King
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