The evening when the three men equaled the world record (and several others were very close), June 20, 1968, at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California has been dubbed by track and field historians as the "Night of Speed".

[1][2] As a University of Nebraska student, Greene won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships in the 100-yard dash from 1965 to 1967 and tied the world record at 9.1 seconds.

He was the fastest man in the trials and semifinals, but before the final race he was injured although started anyway with a bandaged leg.

Despite the injury, he also led off the American 4 × 100 metres relay team which won the gold medal and set a new world record of 38.24 seconds.

Greene, who spent most of his childhood in Seattle, Washington, was slowed down later in life due to a number of medical complications and surgeries.