Darrell Green

Darrell Ray Green (born February 15, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins from 1983 to 2002.

He is widely considered to be one of the greatest cornerbacks to have ever played in the NFL.

He was selected to the Lone Star Conference Team of the Decade for the 1980s.

In track and field, Green set numerous national and conference records and earned ten All-America certificates.

He won gold medals at the LSC meet in the 100 meters in 1981 and in the 100 meters and 200 meters in 1982 and in 1983.

Green was named to the NCAA Division I All-America roster in 1981 and 1982, and was on the NCAA Division II All-America team in five events in 1981 and 1982.

He was NAIA All-America in 1981 and 1982 in four events.

In 1982, Green was selected by his teammates as captain, was named a first-team All-American, and was the Most Valuable Player in the Lone Star Conference.

During his senior year, Green had 56 tackles, four interceptions and two punt returns for touchdowns.

His first meet was in 1982 in San Angelo, Texas, where he ran a 10.08 in the 100 meters.

The mark still stands as the all-time best in the Lone Star Conference.

At the 1982 NCAA championships, Green finished sixth in the 100-meter dash and seventh in the 200-meter dash.

Green's all-time collegiate best in the 100 was 10.08, 20.50 in the 200 meters and 45.90 in the 400 meters.

He was named the most valuable track performer at the 1982 and 1983 Lone Star Conference Championships.

Green was the last player selected in the first round (28th overall) of the 1983 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins.

The first time he touched the ball, during a pre-season game against the Atlanta Falcons, he returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown.

During his first regular-season game, he made his first big play when he ran down running back Tony Dorsett of the Dallas Cowboys to prevent a touchdown.

Green started all 16 regular season games during his rookie season and finished fourth on the team in tackles with 109 and led the team in solo tackles with 79.

He was runner-up for the Associated Press NFL Rookie of the Year Award.

During the strike-shortened 1987 season, the Redskins went 11–4 and Green had a very successful year.

He registered a career-high three interceptions in a game against the Detroit Lions on November 15, 1987.

Two of his more notable performances occurred in that postseason.

One happened during a divisional playoff game against the Chicago Bears, where he returned a punt 52 yards for the game-winning touchdown.

Green tore rib cartilage while vaulting over a tackler during the return, but he merely grabbed his side and kept running until he scored.

Then in the 1987 NFC Championship game, on a pivotal fourth-down play at the Washington goal line with 56 seconds remaining, Green knocked away a pass intended for Minnesota's Darrin Nelson to secure a Redskins 17–10 victory that enabled the team to go to Super Bowl XXII.

Green was also successful in the 1990s.

In 1997, Green returned an interception 83 yards for a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles, which was the longest return of his career.

Then on December 13, 1997, he played in his 217th career game as a Redskin, breaking Monte Coleman's record for games played.

In a 1999 game against the Arizona Cardinals, he intercepted his 50th NFL pass against Jake Plummer at FedExField.

In the last game of his career on December 29, 2002, Green and the Redskins defeated the Dallas Cowboys 20–14 at FedExField.

During the game, he returned a punt on a reverse from Champ Bailey for 35 yards which is the longest gain of any kind for a player his age (42 years, 327 days).

Green retired after the 2002 season 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.

For several years, Green and former Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Jackie Slater were the only players in NFL history to play for the same team for 20 seasons; kicker Jason Hanson broke this record when he retired after 21 seasons with the Detroit Lions.

Green was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

The self-proclaimed "itty bitty guy," Green was nicknamed "the Ageless Wonder" by his peers and the general media for his ability to maintain a high level of play well into the twilight of his career.

Green was born in Houston, Texas and attended Jesse H. Jones High School.

While there, he was an All-State selection in track and an All-City pick in football.

Green made the junior varsity football team his junior year, and then made the varsity team as a senior.

Green attended and played college football and ran track at Texas A&I University (now Texas A&M-Kingsville).

He finished his Bachelor of Science degree in general studies at St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville, Virginia.