Darrell Green managed to defy father time; Where is he now?
WASHINGTON (BVM) – The cornerback position is typically one where players age out quickly. Once they lose that burst of speed needed, they’ll make the adjustment to safety or some falter out of the league.
There are only a select few that can manage to hold down the fort as they age into their mid-to-late 30s.
Not only did Green manage to do that, but he arguably aged better than anyone to ever play the position.
Before the NFL
Green grew up in Houston where he attended Jesse H. Jones High School. But it was not the football field where he excelled the most. It was on the track.
He was an all-state selection in track and field and in fact, did not make the varsity football team until his senior year.
At Texas A&M-Kingsville, he got the opportunity to pursue both.
Green continued to be a track star at the collegiate level, being named to the NCAA Division I All-America roster in 1981 and 1982. His speed translated to football where he broke out as a senior.
He finished that season with 56 tackles and four interceptions. He was a first-team All-American and was named MVP in the Lone Star Conference in his final year in college.
NFL career
Despite playing against a lower caliber of talent, Green’s speed and overall fundamentals stood out to NFL evaluators enough to where he was selected No. 28 overall in the 1983 NFL Draft by Washington.
Green made an instant impact finishing fourth on the team in tackles with 109. He finished in second place for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award behind Vernon Maxwell.
He quickly emerged as one of the best secondary players in all of football and helped lead Washington to a Super Bowl Championship run in 1988.
Green did much of the same in 1991, helping the franchise win its third title.
Even as Green got older and older, he maintained his elite play throughout his entire career.
At age 37, he broke the Washington franchise record for games played, a record that he still holds today of 295 games.
Green retired following the 2002 season at 42 years old, capping off a 20-year NFL career, spent entirely in Washington D.C.
He finished his career with over 1,200 tackles and 54 interceptions. Green was a seven-time Pro Bowler with four first-team All-Pro selections as well.
In 2008, Green was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Where is he now?
Ever since his retirement from the game of football, Green has made an inspired effort to help future generations.
Green currently serves as the associate athletic director at George Mason University, where he can help provide guidance to young athletes.
He also still runs his non-profit organization, the Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation, which he started in 1988. They specialize in instilling leadership qualities in children in the Washington D.C. area.
