Shonn Greene is a running back for the New York Jets. Greene played college football at the University of Iowa, and was the 2008 winner of the Doak Walker Award as the best running back in the nation. After leading Iowa to a win in the 2009 Outback Bowl, Greene chose to forgo his final season of eligibility and enter the 2009 NFL Draft, where the Jets selected him in the third round. Greene is 5-feet, 11-inches tall and weighs 230 pounds.

Greene didn't qualify academically out of high school in Sicklerville, NJ, so he attended prep school at Milford Academy for a year. He rushed for 1,274 yards during his one season at Milford, after running for 1,378 yards and 16 touchdowns as a high school senior.

Greene saw limited action during his first two seasons at Iowa, totaling 378 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He had 116 yards and a touchdown in his first career game against Ball State, but then carried the ball in just eight of the next 24 games.

Greene's academic struggles continued, forcing him to withdraw from Iowa and attend Kirkwood Community College during 2007. During that time he worked at a furniture store to pay for his tuition. After the 2007-08 school year, he returned to Iowa and became the Hawkeyes starting running back.

Entering the 2008 season, Greene wasn't on the watch lists for most national awards, but he quickly garnered national attention, becoming the only bowl subdivision running back to rush for at least 100 yards in every game. He finished the season with 1,850 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns, both of which were Iowa single-season records. Greene was a consensus first team All-America selection and the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. He beat out Knowshon Moreno in the voting for the 2008 Doak Walker Award as the best running back in the nation. Greene was the first Iowa player to win the Award, and the first Big Ten running back since Chris Perry of Michigan in 2003. Shonn Greene finished the season by running for 121 yards and three touchdowns in Iowa's win over South Carolina in the Outback Bowl. He was named the game's MVP.

Greene was selected in the third round (65th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. Before the 2009 season, Greene signed a 4-year/$2.655M contract with the Jets.

Greene missed the first two games of the 2009 season with a rib injury he suffered in the preseason. After an injury to Leon Washington, Greene moved up the depth chart, serving as Thomas Jones's primary backup. In Week 7 against the Raiders, he rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns. The 144 yards were the third-most in a game by a Jets rookie, behind a pair of games by Matt Snell in 1964. He finished the regular season with 540 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Greene broke out in the playoffs, rushing for 135 yards in the Wild Card round against the Bengals and 128 yards in the Divisional round against the Chargers. In the 2009 AFC Championship game, Greene rushed for 41 yards before leaving in the second half due to a rib injury.