Darrell Green

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Darrell Green
Darrell Green
Date of birth	February 15, 1960 (age 47)
Place of birth	Houston, Texas
Position(s)	Cornerback
College	Texas A&I University
NFL Draft	1983 / Round 1 / Pick 28
Career Highlights
Pro Bowls	7
Awards	1996 Walter Payton Award
Honors	NFL 1990s All-Decade Team 70 Greatest Redskins Redskins' Ring of Fame College Football HOF
Records	Most Seasons With One NFL Team (20), tied with Jackie Slater
Stats
Statistics	Pro Football Reference CBS.com DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1983-2002	Washington Redskins
College Hall of Fame

Darrell Green (born February 15, 1960 in Houston, Texas) is a former NFL cornerback for the Washington Redskins from 1983 to 2002. Darrell was the last player selected in the first round of the famous 1983 NFL draft and spent his entire 20 year, pro football career with the Washington Redskins which spands through three decades. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play the game. Darrell was nicknamed as The Ageless Wonder by his peers and the general media 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 NFL.

In his first game as a pro on September 5, 1983 -- a Monday night season opener at Washington's RFK Stadium against the rival Dallas Cowboys -- Green used his blazing speed to chase down Tony Dorsett from behind on a 77-yard run to prevent a touchdown. Washington lost the game 31-30, but the national audience watching the game took notice of the rookie cornerback who could outrun Dorsett in his prime.

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 Super Bowl record 34-yard punt return in Super Bowl XVIII.

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 while nursing broken ribs. Darrell also had an outstanding college football career at Texas A&I University but left after his junior year for the NFL. He would later finish his Bachelor of Science degree at St. Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, VA^[1].

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.

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. He will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

Darrell Green was one of the unlockable legends on the videogame NFL Street 2.

1 Christianity
2 Foundation
3 Honors
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Christianity

Green is well known for his Christianity. In 1998 he served as a board member of the organization Champions for Christ.^[2] Champions for Christ is an Every Nation ministry but was funded under the auspices of the controversial Maranatha Campus Ministries.

[edit] Foundation

In 1988, Green created the Youth Life Foundation in an effort to meet the needs of children, their families and the communities in which they live. See Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation.^[3]

[edit] Honors

Most consecutive seasons with an interception (19)
Oldest NFL cornerback (42 years old)
4-time NFL Fastest Man^[4]
1991 Fastest Athlete
Selected as one of the top 70 Redskins
Named as a cornerback on the 1990's NFL All-Decade Team
7 Pro Bowl selections ('84,'86,'87,'90,'91,'96,'97)
Redskins franchise record for most career interceptions (54)
Redskins franchise record for most game starts (258) and games played (295)
Darrell has been awarded three honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degrees by Marymount University, George Washington University, and St. Paul’s College for his extraordinary humanitarian endeavors^[5].
In his prime, Darrell could run the 40 yard dash in 4.125 seconds. He also ran an Olympic caliber (10.08) 100 meter dash.