ATHENS — Georgia’s Steve Greer, an All-American football player and longtime assistant coach, died Monday after a long illness. He was 73.
Despite weighing in at less than 200 pounds, Greer starred at defensive guard for the Bulldogs from 1967-69 and was a key player on the 1968 SEC championship team. Vince Dooley called him, “pound for pound, the greatest athlete I ever coached.” Likewise, legendary defensive coordinator Erk Russell described Greer as “the toughest player I ever coached.”
After college and a brief stint in the Canadian Football League, Greer returned to Georgia as a graduate assistant coach. He obtained a master’s degree, then was hired away by Auburn as a defensive assistant coach. Greer returned to UGA in 1979 and was part of the staff that won a national championship in 1980 and played for two others. He remained at Georgia until his retirement in 2009.
Greer coached defensive line for Dooley. Ray Goff and Jim Donnan, before assuming administrative roles for the remainder of his career. Greer was inducted into the University of Georgia Circle of Honor in 2014 and the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame in 2019. Greer was a native of Greer, S.C., and starred at Greer High School.
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