With two full seasons of eligibility remaining, redshirt-junior running back Shamar Greene is in good position to contend for SRU’s school record in career rushing yards.
Through his first two seasons, Greene has rushed for 2,209 yards, which is already good enough for the 13th position on the record list.
To catch SRU’s all-time leading rusher, Stan Kennedy, Greene needs just 1,723 yards to match him.
“For me, it’s more about winning and playing football,” Greene said. “In terms of my career and my stats, I want to be the best I can be and the best in Slippery Rock history. I’ve got to continue to work hard and be consistent.”
Before coming to Slippery Rock, Greene played at West Mifflin High School, where he lettered four times in football. During his senior year, he averaged 12.6 yards per catch and 5.37 yards per carry, as well as 11.4 points per game.
“It was different coming from Duquesne to West Mifflin every day,” Greene said. “A lot of people felt like people from West Mifflin didn’t want Duquesne kids there.
I took myself and the game very seriously, worked my butt off, and ended up becoming the starting running back for the football team.”
Realizing he had the potential to play football at the collegiate level he began to look for colleges to attend. After a conversation with his high school principal, a Slippery Rock alum, Greene learned that SRU had an exceptional Athletic Training program.
Originally wanting to pursue athletic training, Greene began to look at Slippery Rock very closely.
Despite being intrigued by SRU’s athletic training department, Greene insists that Slippery Rock’s successful football program was his number one reason for attending the Rock.
“In 2011, Slippery Rock had just won the PSAC-West and the running back was leaving,” Greene said. “I really enjoyed the school when I came on my visit. The players made me feel like I was right at home, and it was the first time I was able to meet any of them, and that made me feel comfortable.”
After redshirting his freshman year at SRU, Greene worked his way into a starting role with the team, eventually breaking out his redshirt-sophomore season with 1,482 rushing yards.
That mark is good for the second most rushing yards by a Slippery Rock player in a single season.
Ever since becoming an every day player for the Rock, Greene has been a part of a successful and winning football team, winning one PSAC Championship in two appearances. Entering 2015, Greene thinks his team is not only ready to repeat its PSAC title, but also make a run for national championship.
“Our goal is to get back to the PSAC championship and winning it,” Greene said. “We want to get to that national championship. We just need to take things game by game, and hopefully it all works out for us in the end.”
For the team to reach it’s national championship goal, Greene understands that his individual play will make a big impact on how his team will perform this season.
To ensure that he’s going to be a productive member of his team, Greene must put in an extraordinary amount of effort.
“Each day, it’s all about keeping my mentality,” Greene said. “I have to think about what I want in life, and each time I have to go out to practice I focus on getting better. It’s a daily grind by just staying focused, pushing myself mentally, and my teammates pushing me mentally each day.”
