Darrell Green will enter his second hall of fame Sunday. Maybe it’s not as historic as the first one in Canton, Ohio, but the Nationals Park wall is special, too.
Green will be inducted to the D.C. Sports Hall of Fame before the Washington Nationals-Philadelphia Phillies game. The late WUSA sportscaster Glenn Brenner and journalist Sam Lacy, basketball legend Adrian Dantley, former St. John’s College High School coach Joe Gallagher and former UDC women’s basketball and volleyball coach Bessie Stockard also will be honored.
Green was “an itty bitty guy” from Texas when he arrived in 1983 to play 20 seasons for the Redskins. Green’s wife, Jewell, is a local, and they raised three children in Northern Virginia. The Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation and Green’s learning centers continue to educate children around the D.C. area and in three states.
So now this is home, and Green felt honored to be named to the hall.
“Washington has always treated me with grace and kindness,” he said. “Always respected me. It’s like Joe Gibbs says, ‘Are you kidding me?’ This city is a blessing to me. I have a great life here.
“I’m always grateful. I’m always conscious of who I am, where I came from, my family, my church, my team. I never lost touch with that. I never woke up at any moment and forgot who I was.”
Maybe it’s not RFK Stadium, where Green starred for much of a career that included two Super Bowl rings, seven Pro Bowl selections, four All-Pro teams and a place among Sporting News’ greatest 100 players of all time. It’s not FedEx Field, where Green is in the Redskins’ Ring of Fame.
Still, the names of the D.C. legends on the Nats’ wall — such as Sammy Baugh, Sonny Jurgensen, Josh Gibson and Walter Johnson — amazed Green.
“It’s a thrill to see who’s up on the wall,” he said.
Green’s son Jared, who often accompanied his dad to training camp in Frostburg, Md., as a young teen, now is entering his own NFL camp. The former Virginia receiver was signed as an undrafted free agent by Carolina. That’s not too bad considering Green wouldn’t let his son play football until ninth grade.
“I fully expect Jared to have an incredible career. He’s in a great situation in Charlotte. He’ll do an excellent job,” the proud father said. “He works hard. He has managed well. That kid has been a champion. He’s a better man than I am. I can’t wait to see him do it like his daddy did but 100 times better.”
But who will Green root for should his son play for Carolina when the Panthers meet the Redskins on Nov. 4? Well, one side’s burgundy, the other’s blood.
“For one game, I have to back my son,” Green said.
Understandable even if Green feels his family is the Redskins.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
