[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 37 (Friday, March 7, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E391]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        TRIBUTE TO WASHINGTON REDSKINS CORNERBACK DARRELL GREEN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RUBEN HINOJOSA

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 6, 2003

  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to honor Darrell Green. Mr. Green recently retired after 20 years, as a 
star cornerback, with the Washington Redskins. During that time he 
became one of the National Football League's all-time best, and most 
honored, players.
  As a native of Houston, Texas, Darrell Green began his athletic 
career at Jones High School. From 1978-1983, he attended Texas A&I 
University, which is now Texas A&M Kingsville and is located in the 
15th district. There he was an Associated Press Little All-America and 
American Football Coaches Association All-America first-team honoree. 
Mr. Green was on the All-Lone Star Conference first team as a junior 
and senior and was selected as the Lone Star Conference's most valuable 
player in 1982. He was selected to the Lone Star Conference Team of the 
Decade for the 1980s.
  Much of Darrell Green's collegiate stardom came from his 
accomplishments not on the football field, but on the track, where his 
phenomenal speed as a sprinter made him one of the world's fastest 
runners. His mark in the 100-meter dash still stands as the all-time 
best in the Lone Star Conference. Mr. Green was named to the NCAA 
Division I All-America roster in 1981 and 1982, was on the NCAA 
Division II All-America team in five events in 1981 and 1982, was NAIA 
All-America in 1981 and 1982 in four events, and was named the most 
valuable track performer at the 1982 and 1983 Lone Star Conference 
Championships. He has been inducted into the Lone Star Conference Hall 
of Honor and the Javelina Hall of Fame.
  In the spring of 1983, Darrell Green was a first-round draft choice 
of the Washington Redskins. During his first regular-season game with 
the Redskins, he electrified football fans everywhere when he crossed 
the field to chase down and tackle the legendary Dallas Cowboy running 
back, Tony Dorsett, preventing a sure touchdown. Similar exploits on 
the field that year earned him the title of NFL Rookie of the Year. 
Since then, he has been a seven-time All-Pro defensive back, four-time 
NFL Fastest Man honoree and two-time Super Bowl championship team 
member. Mr. Green holds a remarkable number of NFL and Redskins 
records, including first NFL player to make at least one interception 
in 19 consecutive seasons; first NFL player to return an interception 
for a touchdown at age 37; first NFL player to play cornerback at the 
age of 42; first Redskin to play 20 consecutive seasons, start in 254 
games and play 279 games; first Redskin to have 54 interceptions; first 
Redskin to return a fumble 78 yards for a touchdown--the longest in 
Redskin history; and the first Redskin to return six interceptions for 
touchdowns in a season.
  Darrell Green has also been a shining star off the field through his 
dedicated efforts to help at-risk youth. In 1988, he founded the 
Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation, which opens doors of opportunity 
for neglected children living in unsafe environments. The mission was 
accomplished through community-based, value-driven learning centers 
operating in urban, suburban and rural neighborhoods throughout 
America. The first Darrell Green Youth Life Learning Center was 
established in 1993 and has grown to six operating centers in three 
states. For his extraordinary humanitarian endeavors, Green has 
received an honorary doctorate from Marymount University. He has also 
received honorary doctorate degrees from George Washington University 
and American University. Darrell currently serves on the board for the 
Baltimore-Washington 2012 Olympic Games bid, NFL/NFLPA Sept. 11 Relief 
Fund and the Loudon Education Foundation. He has received numerous 
awards and was recently inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 
2001.
  Mr. Speaker, I call upon my colleagues to join me in honoring my 
fellow Texan, Darrel Green, for his extraordinary accomplishments both 
on and off the football field. His alma mater, Texas A&M Kingsville, 
and I are justifiably proud not only of his fabulous football career, 
but of his long-standing commitment to help at-risk children reach 
their fullest potential and achieve their dreams.

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