Hall of Fame LB Kevin Greene dies at 58

Hall of Fame linebacker Kevin Greene, considered one of the fiercest pass rushers in NFL history, has died. He was 58.

Greene died Monday, the family confirmed, as did the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

No cause of death was given.

“The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Kevin Greene,” Hall of Fame president and CEO David Baker said in a statement Monday. “I regarded him as a personal friend and a true Hall of Famer in every sense. He possessed the most incredible can-do attitude of anyone I ever met. He was a great player, but more than that, he was a great man.”

Known for his long blonde locks, his relentless pursuit of the quarterback and his omnipresent charisma — which helped him in his brief career as a professional wrestler — Greene made the most of his skills.

“I wasn’t the biggest (and) I wasn’t fastest,” Greene once said. “But as long as you have a motor, you have heart ... that will overcome any physical limitations.”

Greene regularly used film study to search for an opponent’s weakness.

“I figured out how to pass rush,” Greene said. “I figured out how to put a guy, an offensive tackle three to four inches taller, 80 pounds heavier, put him in a position of failure, and I did that.”

A two-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection, Greene finished his career with 160 sacks, which ranks third in league history behind only Bruce Smith (200) and Reggie White (198). He also had 23 forced fumbles and five interceptions.