Athlete’s Death Is a Suicide : College football: Body of former Orange Lutheran standout Gil Greene is found at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Gil Greene, a 1990 Orange Lutheran High School graduate and sophomore defensive back at Navy, was found dead in a campus shower stall Thursday in Annapolis, Md. The state medical examiner’s office in Baltimore ruled the death a “suicide by hanging.”

Greene was 21.

He played sparingly for Navy last season and was in the process of resigning from the academy, several school officials said. Tom Bates, sports information director, said the Navy athletic department had granted Greene his release last week so he could transfer to a West Coast school.

School spokesman Mike John said Greene was “having some academic difficulties,” but he did not know whether Greene was in jeopardy of falling below the school’s minimum 2.0 grade-point average.

“We really consider this a tragedy,” John said. “We don’t have situations like this very often. We pride ourselves in taking care of our own. We’re taking this very, very hard.”

So were family members, friends and Greene’s former coaches and teachers in Orange County. Greene, whose older brother, Gaylord, is a senior football player at Army, grew up in Santa Ana and was a standout in football, basketball and track at Orange Lutheran.

“The whole school is in shock,” said Orange Lutheran Athletic Director Bob Dowding, who was Greene’s football coach. “We’re all sitting here and asking, ‘Why?’ I don’t know what was going through his mind. Maybe it was all the pressure involved with the academy and all. None of us really know.”

In an interview before the Dec. 5 Army-Navy game, Gaylord Greene said he talked Gil into remaining at the academy last fall after Gil expressed a desire to quit. Gaylord Greene was en route from West Point to Annapolis Friday and could not be reached for comment.

A Navy source said Gil Greene left no note or last verbal message to a friend. A Naval Academy staff member found his body at about 11 a.m. Thursday in a private shower stall of one of the coaches’ offices in Ricketts Hall, which houses a visitors center, weight room, and ticket and coaching offices. School officials said there was no evidence to suggest foul play.

Dowding, who said several former classmates and teammates stopped by school Thursday, spoke with Greene when he was home for Christmas vacation and had no reason to believe there were any serious problems.

“It doesn’t add up because he was such a competitor--you put a challenge in front of him and he accepted it,” Dowding said. “But maybe he was keeping things inside. Not one thing causes you to do something like this. Something had to have triggered it. I don’t know what it was.”

Dowding knew Greene wasn’t happy with his playing time last season. Greene, a running back in high school, played in only two games, five plays against Rutgers and seven against Vanderbilt. Greene, who also saw some action on special teams, didn’t play at all in Navy’s last game, a 25-24 loss to Army.

“I think the kid had some problems and perceived some other problems,” Bates said. “This might have all gotten to him . . . but I’m not at liberty to discuss other things. It’s sad.”

Jim Greene, Gil’s father, spent much of Friday on the phone to Annapolis, trying to get details about his son’s death.

“It’s a bombshell,” he said. “The only thing I know is Gil’s not here.”

Jim Greene said funeral arrangements are pending. Survivors include Gil’s mother, Josie, three brothers, Greg, 28, Gaylord, 23, and Jeff, 17, and a sister, Gaylind, 26.

Several Navy chaplains were available Friday to counsel the 4,300 Midshipmen, and there will be a moment of silence in Greene’s memory before today’s Navy-Bucknell basketball game in Annapolis.

The Navy football coaching staff declined comment but did issue a one paragraph release, which said:

“Midshipman Greene was a well-liked member of our football team by both the players and the coaches. He was a good athlete who was very coachable and contributed to the overall effort of our team. His action has shocked and saddened our entire coaching staff and team. Our sympathies and prayers are with Midshipman Greene’s family.”

Times staff writer Otto Strong contributed to this story.