Darrell Green
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Darrell Green | |
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| Position(s): Cornerback |
Jersey #(s): 28 |
| Born: February 15, 1960 Houston, Texas |
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| Career Information | |
| Year(s): 1983–2002 | |
| NFL Draft: 1983 / Round: 1 / Pick: 28 | |
| College: Texas A&I University | |
| Professional Teams | |
| Career Stats | |
| INT | 54 |
| INT yards | 621 |
| Touchdowns | 6 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Career Highlights and Awards | |
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| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
| College Football Hall of Fame | |
Darrell Ray Green (born February 15, 1960 in Houston, Texas) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League who played for the Washington Redskins from 1983 to 2002. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play the game. The self-proclaimed "itty bitty guy,"[1] Darrell was nicknamed the Ageless Wonder by his peers and the general media[2][3] for his remarkable ability to maintain a high level of play well into the twilight of his career. Darrell was known for his great speed and was one of the fastest players in the history of the NFL. He was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 2, 2008.
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[edit] College years
Darrell also had an outstanding college football career at Texas A&I University (now Texas A&M-Kingsville), earning himself a 2004 induction into the College Football Hall of Fame,[4] but left after his junior year for the NFL. He would later finish his Bachelor of Science degree in general studies at St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville, VA.[5]
[edit] NFL career
Green was the last player selected in the first round of the famous 1983 NFL draft and spent his entire 20-year, professional football career with the Washington Redskins. He is the 4-time winner of the NFL's Fastest Man competition, and the only undefeated multiple winner in NFL history. In addition, Green ran the fastest verified (albeit unofficial) 40 yard dash to date, doing so in 1986 at Redskin training camp in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
In his 20 NFL seasons, Darrell recorded 54 interceptions, which he returned for 631 yards and 6 touchdowns. He also returned 51 punts for 611 yards and recovered 10 fumbles, returning them for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns. One of his more notable performances was in a divisional playoff game against the defending Champion Chicago Bears after the 1987 season, where he returned a punt 52 yards for the game winning touchdown. Darrell can be seen at the end of the return clutching his side as the result of torn rib cartilage he suffered while making a cut trying to avoid a Bears defender.
Green was with the Redskins for their victories in Super Bowls XXII and XXVI, and started in their loss to the Los Angeles Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII. Green recorded an interception in Super Bowl XXVI and a then-record 34-yard punt return in Super Bowl XVIII.[6]
Darrell retired in 2002 at the age of 42, the oldest Redskin, having played for six head coaches: Joe Gibbs, Richie Petitbon, Norv Turner, Terry Robiskie, Marty Schottenheimer and Steve Spurrier. Besides football he is known for his charitable work, including the Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation. Darrell and former Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams offensive lineman Jackie Slater are the only players in NFL history to play for the same team for 20 seasons.
[edit] Legacy
In 1999, while still active, he was ranked number 81 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. In 2004, Green was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Darrell Green was one of the unlockable legends in the videogame NFL Street 2.
Many consider him "The NFL's Fastest Man." His fastest 40 yard dash was 4.09 in 1986. It is the fastest legitimate time ever recorded.
On February 2, 2008 Green was voted into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot, and will be inducted along side former Redskins teamate Art Monk, and his former position coach Emmitt Thomas on August 2, 2008.
[edit] Outside football
In 1988, Green created the Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation, a faith-based charitable organization, in an effort to "meet the needs of children, their families and the communities in which they live."[7]
Green has received honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters from Marymount University in 1999, and St. Paul's College and George Washington University in 2002.[5][8]
[edit] Honors
- Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2008
- Most seasons with one club (20); tied with Jackie Slater
- Most seasons with one club in one city (20)
- Most consecutive seasons with an interception (19)
- Oldest NFL cornerback (42 years old)
- 4-time NFL Fastest Man, undefeated in competition
- 1991 World's Fastest Athlete
- Selected as one of the 70 Greatest Redskins
- Named as a cornerback on the 1990's NFL All-Decade Team
- 7 Pro Bowl selections ('84,'86,'87,'90,'91,'96,'97)
- Named All-Pro 3 times.
- Redskins franchise record for most career interceptions (54)
- Redskins franchise record for most game starts (258) and games played (295)
- In his prime, Green ran the 40-yard dash in 4.125 seconds. At training camp in 1986, he unofficially ran a 4.09 40-yard dash.
- Green ran an Olympic caliber (10.08) 100 meter dash while in college at Texas A&I.
[edit] References
- ^ Snider, Rick. "Green, Cowboys infuse meaning to season finale.", The Washington Times, 2002-12-29.
- ^ Elfin, David. "Ageless wonder: Redskins' Green defies laws of nature at cornerback.", The Washington Times, 1999-09-06.
- ^ Justice, Richard. "At 216 Games, Green Does His Energizer Imitation", The Washington Post, 1997-12-08, p. D7. Retrieved on 2007-12-06.
- ^ Darrell Green. College Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2007-12-04.
- ^ a b Darrell's Bio. Retrieved on 2007-12-04.
- ^ Super Bowl Records: Individual - Punt Returns. Retrieved on 2007-11-21.
- ^ Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation. Retrieved on 2007-12-04.
- ^ First African-American President of an Ivy League institution, Ruth J. Simmons, to keynote GW’s commencement on The Ellipse May 19 (2007-04-02). Retrieved on 2007-12-04.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation
- Green's stats
- Darrell Green's College Football Hall of Fame page
| Preceded by Boomer Esiason |
Walter Payton Man of the Year Award 1996 |
Succeeded by Troy Aikman |
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