Cornell Green (defensive back)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. | |||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
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Weight: | 208 lb (94 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school: | El Cerrito (El Cerrito, California) | ||||||||||||
College: | Utah State | ||||||||||||
Undrafted: | 1962 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Cornell M. Green (born February 10, 1940), is an American former professional football player who was a defensive back for 13 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys on the National Football League (NFL). He did not play college football at Utah State University, but was a two-time All-American as a basketball player for the Aggies, selected in the 1962 NBA draft, but not in the NFL draft.
Early years
Born in
He played college basketball at
Green produced some of the best individual seasons in school history as his 745 points in 1962 are still in second place, while his 403 rebounds in 1960 remain a school record for a season. He was the
In his three seasons with the Aggies, Utah State went to the
In 1993, Green was inducted into the inaugural class of the Utah State University Intercollegiate Athletics Hall Of Fame.[3] In 2001, he was inducted into the State of Utah Basketball Hall of Fame.
Professional career
Green was a college basketball player who never played a down of college football,[4] that the Dallas Cowboys converted into a defensive back.
On a tip from Utah State basketball coach
At that time, he was leaning towards playing in the
His teammates nicknamed him "Sweet Lips" and eventually made the
Green became a big-time contributor to Tom Landry’s intricate defensive schemes and a feared defender during his career. All he was missing were the interception stats. Said Gil Brandt: "I mean, if Cornell had any kind of hands, he would’ve had three times as many interceptions as he got ... and the guy played basketball in college."
He played cornerback during his first eight seasons, while leading the team in interceptions 4 times, being named to 5 Pro Bowls and 4 All-Pro teams. Cowboys coach Tom Landry said of Green, "He had the athletic skills from basketball to become a fine defensive back. His only transition was playing a sport where you could tackle someone with the ball, and Cornell never had a problem dealing with that".
Safety
After the switch, the Cowboys went to two consecutive
Green never missed a game in 13 seasons, he played 168 games, including 145 consecutive
In 1985, he was named to the Dallas Cowboys 25th Anniversary Team.[8]
In 2017, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Green to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2017.[9]
After football
Green began scouting for the Dallas Cowboys in 1970 while still an active player and continued scouting through 1979, at which time he entered private business until joining the Denver Broncos in 1987. He spent 35 years scouting in the NFL, and 28 seasons doing it with the Broncos. In 2010, he received the AFC Scout of the Year Award from the Fritz Pollard Alliance.[10][11]
Personal
He is the brother of
References
- ^ "Utah State pounds Pacific, 77-64". Lodi News-Sentinel. California. UPI. December 22, 1961. p. 10.
- ^ Chipman, Dee (February 28, 1962). "Gree is all-time great! As Aggies know". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. p. 2B.
- ^ "Hall of Fame". Utah State University Athletics. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
- ^ Mihoces, Gary (April 20, 2005). "NFL seeks best players on the court or mat". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
- ^ Pattison, Dan. "Ex-Ag great Green has magical moves". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. p. 7A.
- ^ "Cowboys' Cornell Green hangs up gridiron togs". Victoria Advocate. Texas. Associated Press. September 10, 1975. p. 1B.
- ^ Brown, Frank (September 10, 1975). "Cutdown day arrives for pros". Evening News. Newburgh, New York. Associated Press. p. 3D.
- ^ "Dallas Cowboys 25th Anniversary Team". cowboyshistory.com. Archived from the original on 2009-03-22. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ "PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2017". Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
- ^ Swanson, Ben (May 2, 2015). "Cornell Green to retire as 2015 NFL Draft concludes". Denver Broncos. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
- ^ Jhabvala, Nicki (May 3, 2015). "Briefs: 75-year-old Cornell Green retires after 28 years of scouting for Broncos". Denver Post. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference ·