[1] A man of towering stature, at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) tall and 210 pounds (95 kg), Green achieved notoriety for his blunt manner.

He led the Phillies to their third National League pennant and the first World Series title in their 97-year history in 1980, when they defeated the Kansas City Royals.

When Owens was promoted to general manager in June of 1972, Green succeeded him as the Phils' director of player development.

[9] His difficult manner led to clashes with many of the team's star players, such as slugger Greg Luzinski, shortstop Larry Bowa, and catcher Bob Boone.

[11] Green hired a number of coaches and scouts away from the Phillies, such as Lee Elia, John Vukovich, and Gordon Goldsberry.

[12] Green also made some trades with the Phillies, acquiring players such as Bowa, Keith Moreland, Dickie Noles, and Ryne Sandberg.

[14] Because Green neglected to renew waivers on Hall and Carter, the status of the trade was in doubt for a while, and the two did not play for a week.

[15] Green then won a power struggle within the Cubs front office; he was promoted to team president, replacing Jim Finks, who resigned to take a job with the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League.

He also considered shutting down Wrigley Field for a year and playing at Comiskey Park as tenants of the Chicago White Sox, in hopes that the loss of revenue would temper or eliminate neighborhood opposition.

Green's stance changed the context of the debate, as even the staunchest opponents of installing lights did not want to be held responsible for the Cubs leaving town.

Shortly before Green's departure, the Chicago City Council and Mayor Harold Washington approved a change to the ordinance, allowing the Cubs to install lights in 1988.

[11][18] Green also rebuilt the Cubs' farm system with Goldsberry, developing stars like Shawon Dunston, Greg Maddux, Rafael Palmeiro, Jamie Moyer, and Mark Grace.

[21] The Yankees had slumped to fall out of the playoff race late in 1988, and team owner George Steinbrenner wanted a manager who would be more of a disciplinarian with the players.

[10] On January 31, 1958, Green married Sylvia Lowe Taylor at Calvary United Presbyterian Church in Hayden Park, Delaware.

[28][29] His son, John Green, Christina's father, is a supervisor of amateur scouts (east coast) and is currently working for the Los Angeles Dodgers.