Saying Goodbye to a Football Saint
Darrell Green retired last Sunday after 20 stellar years with the Washington Redskins. He not only brought talent to the field as an NFL player, he also brought dignity. He never asked to be traded. (He is only the second player in history to remain with a single team for two decades). He didn't drink, didn't smoke, said 'shucks'. He still has his VW bug with over 100,000 miles on it.
A native of Houston, Texas, Green made up for his size (only 5'8") with his speed. He was a decisive four-time winner of the NFL's Fastest Man contest, and a seven-time All-Pro defensive back. He won two Super Bowl rings. But perhaps Green's most enduring legacy was his choice of values; modesty, hard work, charity, and friendliness.
With his memorable smile, #28 did farewell laps before and after his final game, both times with tears, seemingly shaking every hand in the stadium. In pregame ceremonies he told the crowd, 'I want to go around and look you in the eye.'
He told his teammates after the game, 'As you are on your way to stardom and fame, don't forget to produce a life that is more than just football.' Green has been a model for community service in the Washington area by launching the Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation in 1988, which provides comprehensive after-school and summer programs, academic instruction and values training for youth and families.
As a retirement gift, the Redskins presented a check for $150,000 to Green's foundation. He said he hoped to use his celebrity to 'change the world for all that is good, right and Godly. It is my goal not only to end a career, but to launch into a life that carries on the purpose of God in this generation.' In an open letter to his fans in the Washington Post, Green requested they join him in 'making sure that all children are nurtured in healthy environments, educated with excellence, and strengthened in their moral character.'
What does Green want kids to know about his career? 'There are greater and more important things in life [than being a famous athlete] . . . if [kids] could see through the running and tackling, and if they could see through the cool shoes and the dunks and the baseballs hit over the fence to the simplicity of life and relationships, friendships and families. . . . Those are the things that are important. Even if you're not a star and famous, you can still be a champion.'
A really great man is known by three signs-- generosity in the design, humanity in the execution, moderation in success.
- Otto Bismarck (German statesman, 1815-98 )
