DAVID GREENE

David Greene was the Class AAAA first-team all-state quarterback and the Touchdown Club of Atlanta’s Quarterback of the Year in 1999, when he became the first Gwinnett County player to pass for 2,000 yards in consecutive seasons. South Gwinnett, under newly hired coach T. McFerrin, changed its offense during Greene’s junior season to maximize Greene’s passing and leadership abilities. Winless the year before, South Gwinnett rose to 8-5 and 9-3 in Greene’s final two years. In 2017, GHSF Daily named Greene the best player in South Gwinnett football history. An AJC Super 11 pick, Greene signed with Georgia and set the NCAA record for victories by a starting quarterback with 42 as a four-year starter, breaking a record held by Peyton Manning. Greene led Georgia to an SEC championship in 2002, the Bulldogs’ first in 20 years. Also that year, Greene threw a famous touchdown pass to Verron Haynes in the closing seconds of Georgia’s hobnail-boot victory over Tennessee. Greene passed for an SEC-record 11,528 yards in his Georgia career. He was the SEC Freshman of the Year (2001), the SEC Championship Game MVP (2002), three-time All-SEC (2002 first team, 2003-04 second team) and the Citrus Bowl MVP (2004). Greene was a third-round NFL Draft pick. He remained in the NFL for four seasons before retiring.