Former Miami Southridge and Florida State standout linebacker Lamont Green dies at age 49

Former Miami Southridge linebacker Lamont Green – rated the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the Class of 1994 – died on Monday.

He was 49.

Lamont Green Jr., who is in his first year as an FIU defensive lineman, is among his survivors.

“It’s pretty sad news,” former Southridge coach Don Soldinger told The Miami Herald on Tuesday. “Everybody’s been calling me. I don’t know what happened, but he has a sad family history. His father died when Lamont was in the ninth grade, and his mother had a history of kidney disease.”

Former Southridge and Iowa State running back Troy Davis – who is also 49 – said he spoke to his former teammate a few weeks ago.

“Lamont told me he had been in and out of the hospital,” Davis said. “He never told me what the problem was, but I know he had been losing weight.

“This hurts. It’s not like a friend – it’s more like losing a brother. We grew up together -- played for the Palmetto Raiders (youth football) and then stuck together at Southridge.”

Green, who was 6-3 and 230 pounds and could run the 40 in 4.6 seconds, led Southridge to state championships in 1991 and 1993. He signed with Florida State, leaving high school ranked ahead of Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, Hall of Fame offensive tackle Orlando Pace; and former Pro Bowl running back Fred Taylor, among others.

The rest of Green’s career didn’t go quite like high school, but Green still had a solid run under coach Bobby Bowden at FSU. Green redshirted his first year, played special teams his second season and – as a redshirt sophomore – he made his first career start against Georgia Tech, running an interception 56 yards for a touchdown.

Green became a starter as a redshirt junior, and he was selected as a team captain as a senior, leading FSU to the national title game, a 23-16 loss to Tennessee. Green made first-team All-ACC that season.

In the 1999 NFL Draft, Green was ranked fourth among outside linebackers. However, Green went undrafted, and he played just one NFL game – as a backup for the Atlanta Falcons in 1999.

Green also spent the 2000 season on injured reserve for the Carolina Panthers, and he briefly played for the Berlin Thunder in NFL Europe.

“That 1993 team he played on was named Florida’s Team of the Decade,” Soldinger said. “He was a special cat.”

Soldinger said Green was the only one of his players to start as a freshman and continue through his senior year.

Just before Green’s junior year, his family home was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew.

“He stayed at my townhouse after that,” Soldinger said. “We were tight.”

Green had a school-record 135 tackles, including 13 for losses, as a senior. Soldinger recalls Green that year returning an interception 99 yards for a touchdown in a 41-26 state semifinal victory over Vero Beach.

“He jumped in front of a slant,” Soldinger said, “and that probably got him Player of the Year.”

Indeed, Green was named a Parade All-American; USA Today’s National Defensive Player of the Year and the Gatorade Player of the Year in Florida.

Green was also invited to the Columbus (Ohio) Touchdown Club. Soldinger was Green’s invited guest, and they hung out with Archie Manning and his son Peyton. That night, Green won the Player of the Year award … over Manning.

Jeff Bertani, who coaches North Miami Beach, said his team played against Green and Southridge in the early 1990s.

“The only other player I ever saw in high school who was as dominant as Lamont was (ex-Carol City linebacker) Willie Williams,” Bertani said. “Lamont had great size and speed, and he was a great communicator in terms of getting his guys lined up correctly.”

Green later became a high school football coach in Dade County in the years following his playing career, which included stints as head coach at his alma mater, Southridge, as well as South Miami and Dr. Krop.

In recent years, Green spent most of his time mentoring his son, Lamont Jr., who starred at Gulliver Prep and followed in his father’s footsteps, signing at FSU before transferring this offseason to FIU.

As for other survivors, Lamont Green Jr.’s bio lists his mother, Latonya Green; as well as five siblings: Montese de Jesus; Emoni Green; Lataisha Green; Courtney Green; and Latonya Green.