Greg Lens
{{Short description|American football player (1945–2009)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Greg Lens
| image = Greg Lens.png
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| number = 72
| position = Defensive tackle
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1945|3|11}}
| birth_place = Marshall, Minnesota, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2009|11|18|1945|3|11|mf=y}}
| death_place = San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 5
| weight_lbs = 261
| high_school = Central Catholic (MN)
| college = Trinity (TX)
| draftyear = 1970
| draftround = 4
| draftpick = 86
| pastteams =
- Atlanta Falcons ({{NFL Year|1970|1971}})
- New York Stars (1974)
- Charlotte Hornets (1974–1975)
| highlights =
| statlabel1 = Games
| statvalue1 = 21
| statlabel2 =
| statvalue2 =
| statlabel3 =
| statvalue3 =
| pfr = LensGr20
}}
Gregory Joseph Lens (March 11, 1945 – November 18, 2009) was an American football defensive tackle.
Lens was born in Marshall, Minnesota, in 1945 and attended Central Catholic High School in Marshall. He played college football at Trinity University in San Antonio and was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth round (86th overall pick) of the 1970 NFL draft. He appeared in 21 games for the Atlanta Falcons, 14 of them as a starter, during the 1970 and 1971 seasons.{{cite web|title=Greg Lens|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|accessdate=November 18, 2020|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/L/LensGr20.htm}}{{cite web|title=Greg Lens|publisher=Trinity University|accessdate=November 18, 2020|url=https://www.trinitytigers.com/history/halloffame/hof2007/Greg_Lens}} He also played for the New York Stars and Charlotte Hornets of the World Football League during the 1974 and 1975 seasons.{{cite web|title=Greg Lens|publisher=Pro Football Archives|accessdate=November 18, 2020|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/playerl/lens00200.html}}
Lens was inducted into the Trinity University Hall of Fame in 2007. He died in 2009. He is one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is caused by repeated hits to the head.{{cite news |title=The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) |website=Concussion Legacy Foundation |url=https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts |access-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702123543/https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |author=Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/20/sports/football/cte-study-concussions-brain-tackle.html |title=Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease. |work= The New York Times |date=June 20, 2023 |access-date=July 2, 2023 }}