Famed Dade South coach Greene dies at 94
Charlie Greene was many things — a Hall of Fame baseball coach, a Korean War veteran, a devoted family man and a person who once taught physical education to Joe Namath and Kenny Stabler at the University of Alabama.
But Greene — who died last week at 94 — was best known as the legendary coach of the Dade South Jaguars, leading them to a junior college national title in 1981.
Greene won nearly 1,000 games at Dade South, going 935-485 from 1968 to ’96.
For decades, Dade South’s biggest rivals were the Dade North Falcons, coached by another legend, the late Demie “Doc” Mainieri.
And even though both the Jaguars and Falcons were part of Miami-Dade College, the athletic programs competed against each other, and the baseball teams had perhaps the most heated rivalry in the area.
“Charlie once told me that he would rather paint his house with a toothbrush than go fight the traffic and play at Dade North,” said Steve Hertz, who coached at Dade Downtown/Wolfson.
Greene led Dade South to three state titles (1970, ’78 and ’81). But Mainieri, who won more than 1,000 games at Dade North, was a constant thorn in Greene’s side.
Just ask Rudy Arias, a catcher for Greene in 1977-78. Arias was in the middle of perhaps the biggest brawl between the programs.
His memory is a bit hazy, but Arias remembers getting run over at the plate early in one game at Dade South only to hit a walk-off homer that same night.
The next day, at Dade North, Arias got hit with a pitch in his first at-bat, triggering the brawl.
“At that time,” Arias said, “Dade North and Dade South were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation. It was intense.”
According to Hertz, Mainieri was fiery, and Greene was more laidback.
Arias, though, said Greene ran his program with military-type discipline.
“Your shoes had to shine,” Arias said. “You had to have a haircut and shave. Your shirt had to be tucked in.
“He was strict, but he made me a better person.”
Former pitcher Alex Fernandez, one of the greatest players to come out of Dade South, said
Greene commanded respect without screaming.
“I loved playing for him,” Fernandez said.
“He wanted to win but not at the expense of his players. He protected his players.”
Greene’s passing close to St. Patrick’s Day is fitting. Greene, who was born in New Jersey, went to elementary school in Ireland.
“Coach would rattle off Irish tunes to me,” said former baseball coach Red
Berry.
Greene started playing baseball as a high school kid in New Hampshire. After pitching for the University of New Hampshire, he attended the University of Alabama for his doctorate degree in physical education.
He signed up as a graduate assistant to help pay for school, and that’s how he taught physical education to star quarterbacks Namath and Stabler. Both played for coach Bear
Bryant, the most revered man in the state at that time.
“Charlie used to say he didn’t dare fail Bear Bryant’s players,” Berry said. “Charlie idolized The Bear.”
As for Greene’s military duty, he built bridges in Korea as a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
After his service, he started his coaching career, and he became an expert in the art of throwing a baseball, writing several books on the subject.
He was such a sage that he was chosen to coach Team USA in 1988 and ’89, directing Barry Bonds among other stars.
Greene was also inducted into three Halls of Fame – Junior College World Series in 1991, American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) in ’94 and the Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) in ’95.
Greene is survived by his wife of 57 years, Pat; and their three sons, Charlie Jr., Mick and Chris. Greene and Pat also had four grandchildren: Patrick, Gavin, Shannon and Garrett, who is the star quarterback at West Virginia University.
“Garrett is so popular — he could run for governor of West Virginia,” Berry said of the QB who passed for 16 touchdowns with just four interceptions last year, adding 772 yards and 13 scores on the ground.
“Charlie was so proud of him. Garrett hosts Bible study for his teammates. He visits sick kids in hospitals. He’s a Greene.”
Garrett’s father is Charlie Greene Jr., a former major-league player who has been coaching in the Milwaukee Brewers organization for 20 years. This year, Charlie Jr. is in the majors as Milwaukee’s bullpen coach.
“My father was a great man who did it the right way,” Greene Jr. said.
“I’m getting calls from all over the world [regarding his father].
“My dad taught baseball and gave lectures on the game all over Europe,
Asia, South America …”
Greene Jr. said he will honor his father by hanging one of his old jerseys — No. 25 — in his Brewers locker room this season.
His father, Greene Jr. said, died peacefully, surrounded by family members and friends.
“My dad was a selfmade man, born the year the Great Depression started,” Greene Jr. said. “He impacted lives.
“Many of his former players came to see him in the final days before he passed.
“He had a hell of a run.”