[1] At the time of the 1900 United States census, Greene was living with his parents and three sisters (Lucy, Bernice and Marian) in Staunton, Virginia.

Greene worked on his father's newspaper as a boy, handling responsibilities that included delivering papers, sweeping floors, setting type, collecting bills, and proofreading.

He was married to Kittie (Karr) Greene, a Texas native, and his occupation was listed as a newspaper reporter.

Respected as an expert in each of those sports, Greene was on the committee that chose the American League's Most Valuable Player, and his writing about the Tigers was "looked on by other baseball writers as the last word on the matter.

When the Pro Football Hall of Fame was established in the early 1960s, Greene was one of a member of the board of selectors that chose the initial 17 inductees.

[14][15] His fellow sportswriters recalled him as "a gentlemanly patriarch" who "brought dignity and graciousness to the press boxes of major league sports and to his profession.

"[12] Jack Dulmage of the Windsor Star described him as follows: "He would observe the game with his hat at a rakish tilt, and clench a cigar in his teeth at an impertinent angle.

"[16] Greene also befriended many of the great sports figures of his time, counting among his friends Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, and Tex Rickard.

"[19] The United Press International wrote: "The sports world lost one of its most beloved figures yesterday when Sam Greene died at the age of 68.