"I kind of thought if I didn't go in
the first round (of the USFL draft)
I might try to work on becoming a
decathlete," Greenwood said.
46
of Tampa. Julie is a first grade teacher; David is a
PGA golf pro. They've been married since 1982.
It was during the '82 season that the Badgers shut
out Ohio State, 6-0, in Columbus. It ranks as one of
his fondest memories, along with the 1981 upset of
No. 1-ranked Michigan at Camp Randall.
"You still kind of remember the defeats more," he
conceded.
None was more painful than a 29-28 loss to Illinois; a game that will forever be remembered for
Randy Wright's bounce pass to Al Toon, who tossed
a strike to tight end Jeff Nault for a touchdown.
That pushed the Badgers into the lead with 52
seconds left, but they couldn't hold on. As time expired, Illinois' Mike Bass converted on a 46-yard
field goal, his fifth of the game.
Greenwood was positioned under the crossbar
with the hopes of batting away a low kick. "But the
ball sailed so high, there was no chance," he remembered. "That kid (Bass) nailed it."
As a tackler, Greenwood was a hammer ― nailing
opposing ball-carriers. "I made my living by keeping people in front of me," he said of his estimable
game, "and knocking their heads off."
In the early '80s, the Badgers were blessed with
//
VARSITY August 29, 2013
extraordinary safeties in the 6-foot-3, 208-pound
Greenwood and the 6-3, 198-pound Matt Vanden
Boom, a 1981 All-American.
"I think we were probably two of the biggest safeties that played at one time together in the Big Ten,"
Greenwood said. "Matt was a good leader and freed
me up to do whatever I was doing."
Greenwood, a four-year starter, had the ability to
do it all. When he wasn't blowing up the running
back, he was a ball-hawk in the secondary. He finished with 10 career interceptions.
In 1981, Greenwood had 156 interception return yards, the second most for a single season in
UW history behind Jamar Fletcher's 179 in 2000.
Fletcher is also in the 2013 Hall of Fame class.
Besides Vanden Boom, a walk-on, Greenwood
played on defense with nose guard Tim Krumrie,
defensive tackle Darryl Sims, linebackers Jim Melka
and Kyle Borland and cornerback Richard Johnson.
Sims and Johnson would become first-round
draft picks in the NFL.
Greenwood headed to the fledgling USFL when
