Greener Days Ahead 

By Mike McCall
Washington Redskins NFL Gameday
Sept 3,1995
 
	Thanks to NFL films, pro football players remain young forever. 
Remain at the peak of their athletic skills. Can it be 13 years since 
Darrell Green sped across millions of television sets to haul down Tony 
Dorsett on a Monday night in 1983? Has it been eight years since he 
returned a punt 52 yards for a touchdown, while clutching his side, to 
defeat the Chicago Bears in frigid conditions at Soldier Field?
And then the following week it was his last second hit on the goal
line that helped jar the football out of the hands of Vikings running 
back Darrin Nelson that sent the Redskins to the Super Bowl.
	Anyone who has seen him play knows that he has left an indelible 
impression. Speed. Grace. Big plays. During these past 12 autumns, 
Darrell Green has supplied Redskin fans with all of the above, and more.
Twelve years. Five Pro Bowls. Three Super Bowls. Two Super Bowl 
championships. Thirtyseven career interceptions. One hundred and seventy 
regular season games played. Fifteen playoff games played.
Numbers and more numbers. Hall of Fame numbers. For 12 NFL seasons, few 
cornerbacks in the history of the game have graced their position like 
Darrell Green. Some have been bigger. Some have more interceptions. But 
none have had the fluid grace or speed that he has brought to his position.
	"Everyone knows about Darrell's speed," said former Redskins 
defensive coordinator and head coach, Richie Petitbon. "But he is the 
complete cornerback. For a long time he has been one of the top players 
in the game."
	None of that has changed over the years. Near the end of the 1994 
season, Green was asked about his future. "Can you play?" he answered. 
"If you can play, then there is a place for you. If you can't play, hey, 
face the music."
	Although he has completed 12 years in the league, the facts are 
simple, Green can still run, he can still cover and he can still play.
	"Darrell is a big part of the tradition and the success of this 
organization," said head coach Norv Turner. "Darrell's a guy who knows 
what it takes to win and those are things that he can teach to the 
younger players. Also, he's still one of the top players at his position."
	Now Green heads into a different phase of his career. This time 
as an elder spokesperson on a team rebuilding. "I look at it this way," 
said Green. "I'm not here to teach these guys how to win down the road. 
I'm here to win right now. I come in as a rookie and went to the Super 
Bowl. I've been on two championship teams. Now I see this as an 
opportunity to be a part of a new era. That's very exciting. 
	Once, he was just a very good cornerback on a team of veterans. 
His was to perform on Sunday afternoons. Now he I has a different role.
"I have been here the longest," said Green. "Once I was the young guy who 
looked up to player like Art Monk, Monte Coleman, Dave Butz, and so many 
other guys that I could name. I learned from players like that and now 
it's my turn to help and lead these young guys."
	"He's the first guy in every drill and has just a tremendous 
attitude about playing in this league," said defensive coordinator Ron 
Lynn. "He obviously has the respect of everyone in this organization and 
throughout the community." 
	While his on the field contributions might someday land him in 
Canton, Ohio, it is his off the field contributions that has made him a 
hero throughout D.C. metropolitan community. He founded the Darrell Green 
Youth Life Foundation which provides financial and moral support for D.C. 
youth and their families. And while his foundation has merits an its own, 
he is most proud of the Darrell Green Learning Center which will be a 
model educational program for youth that he hopes one day will be a 
nationwide program.
	The center is supported by other foundations and corporations who 
donated money, time and resources, including the American Red Cross, IBM, 
Xerox, the George Preston Marshall Foundation, the Meyer Foundation and 
the Center for Naval Analysis.
	The center is open free to about 33 children, with plans to add 
more students, in the surrounding Brookland neighborhood six days a week. 
Students must attend for 10 hours a week, open a savings account, get a 
library card, and for those older than 18, get a voter registration card.
	"There's a focus on the positive," said Green. "These are bright 
children who need a positive outlet to learn.
	"We're obviously in a high paced and hightech environment. We're 
giving these children an opportunity to learn who otherwise wouldn't have 
the opportunity to work on computers in a learning environment. We're 
just beginning, but already you can see the positive results. These kids 
want to learn. We're providing the opportunity."
	Green also holds an annual charity golf tournament to benefit 
Hope Springs Form which provides core for orphans, foster children and 
underprivileged children in the metropolitan area.
	The Redskins nominee for NFL Man of the Year, Green has been the 
same about his off the field accomplishments as his on the field ones. He 
takes them with whispered appreciation.
	Somewhere, someone along the way gave him a hand when he needed 
one. Now he's doing the same for those in the Washington D.C. metro
area.
	And thanks to NFL Films, he will remain young forever.