Honors & Awards
- Four-Time NCAA All-American (7th, 157, 2012; 7th, 157, 2013; 3rd, 157, 2014; 3rd, 157, 2015)
- Four-Time NCAA Championships Qualifier (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
- Big Ten Champion (157, 2014)
- Nebraska 100-Win Club
- Fifth-Most Wins in School History (129)
- Nebraska Co-Outstanding Wrestler of the Year (2013-14)
- Nebraska Most Improved Award (2011-12)
2014-15 (Senior)
NCAA Championships
James Green became the second four-time All-American in school history with his third-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Championships. In his first three matches, Green won two major decisions and one technical fall en route to a semifinal berth. He fell to top-seeded Isaiah Martinez of Illinois, 3-2, but responded with a pair of victories to end his season. Green downed seventh-seeded Ian Miller of Kent State, 13-4, before winning a 3-2 decision of Virginia Tech's Nick Brascetta.
Big Ten Championships
Green earned a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships with a 4-1 mark. He opened with a pin before winning an 8-2 decision over No. 13 Josh Demas of Ohio State. In the semifinals, Green lost to No. 2 Dylan Ness of Minnesota, 6-5. In the consolation bracket, the Husker senior pinned his first opponent before defeating Demas in the third-place match.
Regular Season
Green went 35-5 as a senior and led the team in technical falls with 10. He managed a 13-2 dual mark and earned four pins and nine major decisions during the season. On Nov. 16, Green joined Nebraska's 100-win club and ended the season as the fifth-winningest wrestler in school history with 129 victories.Â
Green captured tournament titles at the Cowboy Open and Southern Scuffle, while adding a runner-up finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. He finished his dual career with a 50-9 record, which included eight straight wins to end the season.Â
2013-14 (Junior)
NCAA Championships
For the third consecutive season, Green collected All-America honors, finishing third as a junior with a 6-1 mark. Green, the No. 1 seed, notched a pair of major decisions to open his tournament against Air Force’s Joshua Kreimier and Illinois’ Zac Brunson. Green’s run at the title came to an end in the quarterfinals when he was pinned by ninth-seeded Dylan Ness of Minnesota.
Green dominated all four of his opponents in the consolation bracket, notching four bonus-point victories by a combined score of 40-3 and a medical forfeit. After taking down 14th seed Joseph LaVallee of Missouri, 12-2, Green avenged a loss from earlier in the season to fifth-seeded Isaac Jordan of Wisconsin, 15-0. In the third-place match, Green won a 13-1 major decision over No. 4 seed Ian Miller of Kent State.
Big Ten Championships
Green was one of two Huskers to claim Big Ten titles in 2014, joining 174-pounder Robert Kokesh to become the first two Big Ten champions in school history. Green pinned Illinois’ Zac Brunson in 2:15 in his opening match before a pair of decisions to wrap up the title. He took down No. 6 Dylan Ness of Minnesota, 7-3, before defeating No. 4 Derek St. John of Iowa, 7-4, in the championship match.
Regular Season
Green opened his season with 26 consecutive wins before suffering his first loss, and completed the 2013-14 campaign with a 35-2 record. He captured the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open, Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and Reno Tournament of Champions titles to go along with his 12-1 dual record. Green had 10 major decisions, five pins and four technical falls as a junior. He was 13-2 against ranked opponents.
On Jan. 18, Green defeated top-ranked Derek St. John of Iowa, 9-7, to become the No. 1 wrestler at 157 pounds in every major poll across the country. During the week of his ascent, Green also captured USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week and Flowrestling.com’s Brute Wrestler-of-the-Week Award. He held the top spot for four weeks before falling to Isaac Jordan of Wisconsin by sudden victory 2. Green was also named to the Hodge Trophy’s Sensational Six List on Feb. 3.
2012-13 (Sophomore)
NCAA Championships
Green garnered All-America accolades at 157 pounds for the second consecutive season, finishing seventh in 2013. His NCAA Championships appearance got off to a rocky start with a 6-5 tiebreaker loss to Missouri’s Kyle Bradley in the first round. Green responded in the wrestleback bracket, reeling off four consecutive dominating victories. He won a 21-6 technical fall over Navy’s Bobby Barnhisel before a major decision over Indiana’s Taylor Walsh, a pin over Purdue’s Tommy Churchard and a 14-4 major decision over Dylan Alton of Penn State.
Having already clinched All-America honors, Green was pinned by Virginia’s Jedd Moore in 6:15. Green bounced back in the seventh-place match to win a 14-4 major decision over Clarion’s James Fleming.
Big Ten Championships
Green opened with a 15-5 major decision over Indiana’s Taylor Walsh before upsetting No. 2 Derek St. John of Iowa by a 5-4 decision in the semifinals. Green battled No. 1 Jason Welch in a back and forth championship match before Welch pinned him in the third period. Green finished second at the conference tournament with a 2-1 record.
Regular Season
Green completed his sophomore season at 157 pounds with a 25-6 record, which included an 11-2 dual mark. He achieved one pin, four technical falls and nine major decisions in 2012-13. He tore through his first 11 matches of the season, picking up the 157-pound title at the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open but an injury at the Cliff Keen Invitational led to an eighth-place finish.
Green returned six weeks later to help the Huskers defeat ranked conference foes Michigan and Northwestern on the road. He handed No. 2 Jason Welch of Northwestern his first loss of the season in a 9-8 decision in Evanston, Ill. Green stepped up to wrestle at 165 pounds in Nebraska’s win over No. 11 Virginia. He won a 5-2 decision over No. 7 Nick Sulzer.
2011-12 (Freshman)
NCAA Championships
Green earned All-America honors in his first season as a Husker, taking seventh place at the NCAA Championships at 157 pounds. He opened with a major decision victory over Lehigh’s Brian Tanen before defeating No. 6 seed James Fleming of Clarion by an 8-3 decision in overtime. In the following round, Green lost by a 2-1 decision to No. 3 seed Jason Welch of Northwestern.
In the wrestleback bracket, Green won a 3-1 decision over North Dakota State’s Steven Monk before losing a 4-3 decision to No. 7 seed Dylan Alton of Penn State. In the seventh-place match, Green won by major decision over Harvard’s Walter Peppelman, 9-1.
Big Ten Championships
Green took fifth at the Big Ten Championships, going 3-2 in his first appearance. After opening with a 15-2 major decision over Wisconsin’s Shawn Perry, Green lost a 6-4 sudden victory to Iowa’s Derek St. John, the No. 6 seed. Green responded in the wrestleback bracket with a 9-6 decision over Purdue’s Tommy Churchard, advancing to wrestle No. 4 seed Anthony Jones of Michigan State.
Green was pinned by Jones in 4:44, but ended his Big Ten Championships with an 8-3 decision over Ohio State’s Josh Demas in the fifth-place match.
Regular Season
Green won a team-high 34 matches as a freshman, going 14-4 in duals. He earned one pin and won 13 matches by major decision, also a team high. Green started his Husker career on a high note, winning the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open at 157 pounds. He outscored his opponents 76-26, winning three matches by major decision and the other one by technical fall.
Green suffered a pair of dual losses before achieving another open tournament title at the Nebraska-Kearney Holiday Inn Open. At the Cliff Keen Invitational, Green went 5-1 and earned a third-place finish. He reeled off a 13-match winning streak that included four victories over ranked opponents and five major decisions. Green went 8-1 in Big Ten duals.
Before Nebraska
As a senior at Willingboro High School, Green became the first wrestler in school history to win a state championship after a perfect 29-0 season. Green capped his title run with a 16-4 major decision win over Nicholas Alpher of Paramus in the 145-pound finals. Green closed his career with a 148-8 overall record. During his senior year, Green recorded 13 pins and three technical falls to go along with five major decisions. He was the state runner-up at 140 pounds his junior season, and took fourth place at 130 pounds as a sophomore. Green finished his high school career by winning the 145-pound national title at the NHSCA Senior National Wrestling Championships. Green was a four-time District 26 champion in New Jersey and a two-time regional champion.
Personal
The son of James and Joyce H. Green, James was born on Dec. 19, 1992, in Brooklyn, N.Y. He has two sisters, Autumn and Heaven. James is a sociology and communication studies major at Nebraska.