Washington Redskin Greats: Darrell Green

If you ever had the pleasure of watching Darrell Green play, you knew you were witnessing one of the greatest cornerbacks in the history of the NFL, and one of its fastest players to ever put on a football helmet. He played for over 20 years and retired at the young age of 42. He is but one of two players, Jackie Slater being the other with the Rams, that played over 20 years with the same team his entire career . Nicknamed the "Ageless Wonder" by his teammates, he always matched up against the opposing teams best receiver. A 7 time pro-bowler and 4 time all pro, he epitomized greatness both on and off the field. He won the NFL's fastest man competition 4 times and is the only multiple winner never to have lost a race. He beat them all, from Eric Dickerson of the Rams, Tony Dorsett of the Cowboys, to Willie Gault of the Chicago Bears, Darrell Green was faster than all of them. However, how he came to be, and where he came from is as inspirational as his play was.

Coming out of Texas A&I University (which is now Texas A&M Kingsville) he set numerous school and division records in track and ran a 10.08 time in the 100. He even beat future multiple gold medal winner Carl Lewis as a sophomore in the 100. They never raced each other again. Considered too small to play football, Darrell had to prove everyone wrong. From being a walk on at High School to playing college football, nobody ever gave Darrell much of a chance to make an impression. However, it was his speed that set him apart. In the 1983 NFL draft, then General Manager Bobby Beathard promised Green that if he was available, the Redskins would draft him. In a draft full of future stars, nobody gave Green much of a chance. Even Darrell himself did not believe he would go in the first round. The 1983 draft was full of future stars like John Elway, Eric Dickerson, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, Willie Gault and many others. There just didn't seem much room for a small 5 foot 9 inch 175 pound corner. However, with the last pick of the first round, the Washington Redskins picked Darrell Green. In his rookie season, Darrell made an immediate impact. In the first game of the season, against their archrival the Dallas Cowboys, Darrell made one of the signature plays that would forever solidify his position in Redskin lore. As Tony Dorsett broke through the line, and appeared headed for a touchdown, Darrell Green made up a distance of 10-15 yards in no time to bring Dorsett down and save a touchdown. He would go on to make similar plays throughout his career, again using speed to run down Eric Dickerson in the same manner. He was simply the NFL's fastest man and he beat them all. Nobody ever caught Dorsett, but Darrell Green did. Nobody ever caught Eric Dickerson, but Darrell Green did. Nobody ever caught Willie Gault, but Darrell Green did. He caught them all.

There remains two pivotal plays that all Redskin fans will remember. In the 1987 playoffs, against the Chicago Bears and in Chicago's backyard, Darrell Green returned a punt 52 yards for a touchdown. Running along the sidelines, he hurdled a Chicago Bear and immediately cut across midfield. As he did, he appeared to injury himself and grabbed his stomach. It later turned out to be torn rib cartilage. After beating the Bears and playing at home for the NFC championship, Darrell finally agreed to take a needle to numb the pain. On a pivotal 4^th and 4 with Washington ahead and the Vikings on their last play, Darrell made the pivotal play that send Washington to the Superbowl. As the Viking's Darren Nelson came out of the backfield, Darrell swung away from WR Anthony Carter (whom he was covering) to lay a thunderous hit on Nelson just as the ball arrived. Had Nelson caught the ball, the Vikings easily would have scored the touchdown.

Darrell Green was a class act on and off the field. Playing for 20 years in Washington, he always went up against the other teams best players. Typically, he came out on top. He was a member of the NFL's 1990's All-Decade Team and was inducted in the Pro-Football Hall of Fame on August 2, 2008. He now devotes his time to his charitable foundation, the Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation with is a non-profit, faith based charitable organization. He epitomizes class both on and off the field.