Hugh Green ( American football ) Hugh Donell Green ( born July 27 , 1959 ) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League ( NFL ) for eleven seasons during the 1980s and 1990s . He played college football for the University of Pittsburgh , and was recognized as a three - time consensus All - American . Green was selected in the first round of the 1981 NFL Draft , and played professionally for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Miami Dolphins of the NFL . He is considered to be one of the greatest linebackers in Buccaneers history . Early years . Green was born in Natchez , Mississippi . He attended North Natchez High School . College career . Green attended the University of Pittsburgh , where he played defensive end for the University of Pittsburgh Panthers from 1977 to 1980 . He was a three - time consensus first - team All - American ( 1978 , 1979 , 1980 ) and a second - team All - America selection as a freshman in 1977 . He was a consensus four - time All - East selection as well . In the 4 years Green was playing the Pittsburgh Panthers complied a 39 – 8 – 1 record , winning three bowl games en route ( two Gator Bowl s and one Fiesta Bowl ) . His No . 99 jersey was retired at halftime of his final home game in the 1980 season . After the season he played in both the Hula Bowl and Japan Bowl All - star games . Green left the university with 460 tackles and 53 career sacks in his college career . According to USC and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach John McKay , " Hugh Green is the most productive player at his position I have ever seen in college " . The table is a year - by - year showing of Green ' s defensive statistics . In 1980 , Green won the Walter Camp Award , the Maxwell Award , the Lombardi Award and was the Sporting News Player of the Year , the UPI Player of the Year and finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting , losing to running back George Rogers of the University of South Carolina . Green ' s second - place finish in the voting was the best a defensive specialist had ever attained until 1997 , when Charles Woodson won the award . The Top 10 in the Voting Green was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996 and was named the fifth greatest college football player of All - Time by collegefootballnews . com . He was named to the all - time All - American team compiled by The Sporting News in 1983 . In 2007 , Green was ranked # 14 on ESPN ' s Top 25 Players In College Football History list . He was also named to Sports Illustrated ' s College Football All - Century team in 1999 . Professional career . Green was selected as the seventh overall pick of the first round by the Buccaneers in the 1981 NFL Draft . He was a 1982 All - Pro and 1983 All - Pro and was elected to the Pro Bowl twice in his career , in 1982 and 1983 . Later in his career he suffered several injuries , including a car accident in the middle of the 1984 season for a fracture near the eye . He was traded to the Miami Dolphins in the middle of the 1985 season . In the 1985 season he was on to a career high in sacks and ended the season getting 7 . 5 while playing all 16 games despite the mid - season trade . In Miami , Green played six more solid seasons before retiring . He was a member of Don Shula ' s teams which were often playoff contenders and Green was a starter on those teams , racking up 7 . 5 sacks in 1989 , to tie a career high , for example .