Navy's Buddy Green to retire after Military Bowl
Navy defensive coordinator Buddy Green is ending his coaching career after the Military Bowl.
The school announced that Green would retire Tuesday afternoon. Green has served as a consultant for Navy in 2015 after taking a sabbatical for health-related reasons. He's been Navy's defensive coordinator since 2002. He had neck surgery over the summer.
“It’s been a wonderful run of 37 years coaching in the college ranks starting back in 1979 as a graduate assistant at my alma mater, NC State, and finishing with 14 seasons at the Naval Academy,” Green said in a statement. “Coaching at the Naval Academy is a once in a lifetime experience. We won a lot of games, but what I will remember more than anything are the people I worked with and especially the young men I had an opportunity to coach. When I sit back and reflect on all the players that came through these doors and what they went on to accomplish in the Navy and Marine Corps, it is a satisfying feeling to know that you contributed in a small way to their success. I want to thank Mr. Gladchuk and Coach Niumatalolo for all their support when I was unable to coach on the field and I wish nothing but success for Navy football in the future. It’s been a blessing to coach here.”
Navy finished the regular season No. 43 in total defense and gave up just over 5.5 yards per play.
Dale Pehrson was the team's acting defensive coordinator in Green's absence. Green even coached a game in 2014 after he spent the morning in the hospital.
Before arriving at Navy, Green was the defensive coordinator at NC State for three seasons. He was a head coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga for six seasons.
Navy, 10-2, plays Pitt in the Military Bowl on Dec. 28. Niumatalolo elected to stay with the school after interviewing with BYU for its head coaching vacancy.
“Coach Green has enjoyed a long and illustrious coaching career, a career in which he has influenced and mentored thousands of young men,” Niumatalolo said. “Many of those young men have grown into loving fathers and husbands. He has been a major reason in our 10 CIC trophy's, 14 straight wins over Army, and 12 bowl games. It has been an honor to work alongside Buddy Green for the last 14 years. We love Buddy, Sharon, and their family. We pray for the choicest blessings for Buddy and Sharon as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
