Cornell Green (defensive back) facts for kids
Green, circa 1960
|
|||||||||||
| No. 34 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Cornerback, safety | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | February 10, 1940 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
||||||||||
| Died | October 21, 2026 (aged 86) | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 208 lb (94 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | El Cerrito (El Cerrito, California) | ||||||||||
| College | Utah State | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1962: undrafted | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Coaching profileat Pro Football ReferenceLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |||||||||||
Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".
Cornell M. Green (February 10, 1940 – October 21, 2026) was an American professional football player. He starred as a defensive back for 13 exciting seasons with the famous Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL). Before turning pro, he was an incredible college basketball player at Utah State University. Amazingly, he never played any college football at all. Instead, he was a two-time All-American basketball star for the Aggies.
Even though a professional basketball team chose him in the 1962 NBA draft, he decided to try football. Dallas talent scout Gil Brandt signed him as an undrafted free agent in 1962. Green quickly learned the game and became one of the toughest defensive players in the league. Over his long career, he played in two early NFL Championship Games and two big Super Bowl games. He helped Dallas earn a championship ring in Super Bowl VI. He also earned trips to five Pro Bowl games and made the All-Pro team four times.
Contents
Early Life and Athletic Family
Cornell Green was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on February 10, 1940. He grew up in a very busy household as one of five energetic boys. His parents were named Elijah and Gladys Green. Athletics ran deep in his family, and his brothers achieved major sports milestones. His oldest brother, Pumpsie Green, became a trailblazer in baseball. Pumpsie was the very first African American player on the Boston Red Sox baseball team. Another older brother, Credell Green, played college football for the University of Washington. Credell once rushed for 258 yards in a single game and was later drafted by the Green Bay Packers.
Green spent his childhood growing up in northern California in the city of Richmond. He went to high school at El Cerrito High School, where he loved playing team sports. From 1955 to 1957, he was a standout star on the school basketball squad. He earned honors as an All-State basketball player in 1957. During his time in high school, he also played just one season of football as a fullback in 1956. In 2009, his high school honored him by welcoming him into the El Cerrito High School Athletics Hall of Fame.
College Basketball Stardom
Starting at Junior College
Green began his college journey by attending Contra Costa College from 1958 to 1959. He was a dominant basketball player there and won All-State honors. His great skills helped him transfer to Utah State University, where he joined the Utah State Aggies.
Dominating the Skyline Conference
At Utah State, Green played in the Skyline Conference. He was an unstoppable 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) forward who controlled the court. Green earned All-Skyline honors in every single year he played, from 1960 through 1962. During his sophomore season, league officials voted him the Skyline Conference Most Valuable Player. The United Press and the Associated Press both named him an All-American player.
Green put up huge numbers that rewrote the record books at Utah State. He grabbed 1,067 rebounds during his college career, a school record that stood for decades. He also scored 1,890 points, making him one of the top scorers in school history. In the 1959–60 season, he grabbed 403 rebounds, which set another Aggies record. Green averaged a double-double for his entire college career, scoring 22.5 points and grabbing 12.7 rebounds per game. In big tournaments like the National Invitation Tournament, he scored 26 points against the Villanova Wildcats and 19 points against the Providence Friars. The team also made the NCAA Tournament in 1962 and finished among the top-ranked teams in the country.
Professional Football Career
Joining the Dallas Cowboys
In the spring of 1962, the Chicago Zephyrs selected Green in the fifth round of the 1962 NBA draft. However, Green was worried that he was too short to play forward in the pros. Meanwhile, famous Dallas Cowboys talent hunter Gil Brandt saw Green's amazing quickness and leaping power. Even though Green was not picked in the 1962 NFL draft, the Cowboys signed him as a free agent.
When Green arrived at training camp in Marquette, Michigan, he thought he would get cut quickly. He planned on using his small signing bonus and then heading to basketball. Instead, his quick feet and tall frame made him a natural fit at defensive back. Head coach Tom Landry was impressed by his toughness and tackling desire. Green made the team and started the final three games of the season at left cornerback. He played so well that he made the NFL All-Rookie Team in 1962.
Becoming an Elite Cornerback
By 1963, Green was the full-time starting cornerback. Opposing offenses found him very difficult to pass against because he was big and fast. That season, he snatched seven interceptions. He intercepted Hall of Fame passer Y. A. Tittle twice in a win over the New York Giants. Against the Cleveland Browns, he scooped up a fumble by superstar Jim Brown and ran it 20 yards for a touchdown.
Green kept improving every year. In 1965, he earned his very first trip to the Pro Bowl. He also showed off his speed on special teams. That season, Green used his long arms to block a field goal against the Giants to win the game. He also blocked a kick by Sam Baker against the Philadelphia Eagles.
In 1966, the Cowboys earned their first winning record at 10–3–1. Green made the Pro Bowl again and became a first-team All-Pro defender. Dallas reached the 1966 NFL Championship Game, battling hard against the Green Bay Packers. The next year, in 1967, Green tied his career high with seven interceptions. The Dallas defense became famous across the country, earning the awesome nickname the "Doomsday Defense". Dallas crushed the Browns in the 1967 NFL playoffs, where Green returned an interception 60 yards for a score. Dallas then played in the freezing 1967 NFL Championship Game, also known as the Ice Bowl, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Green continued his great play in 1968, intercepting a pass from Joe Kapp and scoring another touchdown.
Moving to Safety and Winning the Super Bowl
Before the 1970 season, coach Tom Landry decided to rearrange the defensive backfield. He moved Green from cornerback to strong safety. Landry also traded for star cornerback Herb Adderley and kept Mel Renfro in the secondary. Playing alongside rookie safety Cliff Harris, Green adapted to his new safety role easily. His hard hits and smart reads helped Dallas win the NFC title. The team played in Super Bowl V against the Baltimore Colts. During that battle, Green knocked the ball away from receiver Eddie Hinton to create a big turnover.
The following season, Green made the Pro Bowl as a safety. He helped lead Dallas all the way back to the championship in Super Bowl VI. In that game, the Cowboys dominated the Miami Dolphins by a score of 24–3 to win the title. Green earned another Pro Bowl selection in 1972. He continued playing for Dallas through the 1974 season, showing younger players how to compete. When he saw skilled young players like Charlie Waters ready to take over, Green chose to retire.
An Incredible Iron Man Streak
Green was famous for his durability. In 13 seasons, he never missed a single regular season or playoff contest. He played in 182 straight regular season games, starting 170 of them. He also started 15 straight playoff games. From late 1962 until the end of his career in 1974, he started nearly every game. The only game he did not start was in 1964 because of hurt ribs, but he still played.
Green finished his playing days with 34 regular season interceptions and seven fumble recoveries. He returned three interceptions and two fumbles for touchdowns in his career. In addition to defense, he holds the Cowboys team record for 10 blocked kicks, including eight blocked field goal attempts. Because he loved talking to teammates, players fondly gave him the nickname "Sweet Lips".
Life as an NFL Scout
After hanging up his helmet, Green did not leave football. In fact, he had already started learning how to evaluate players while working in the Cowboys' front office during off-seasons. After retiring in 1975, he became a full-time talent scout for Dallas through 1979.
Green later joined the Denver Broncos in 1987. He spent 28 years traveling across the country to watch college games, looking for future pros. In total, Green worked as an NFL scout for 35 years. In 2010, the Fritz Pollard Alliance awarded him the AFC Scout of the Year Award for his great work finding top talent.
Awards, Honors, and Family
Green earned many special awards during and after his career:
- Member of the Dallas Cowboys 25th Anniversary Team.
- Inducted into the Utah State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993.
- Inducted into the State of Utah Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001.
- Honored on the Utah State All-Century Team in 2005.
- Selected to the Professional Football Researchers Association Hall of Very Good in 2017.
- Voted the 23rd greatest player in Dallas Cowboys team history in 2020.
Green was married to his wife, Betty, for nearly sixty years. Together they raised two sons and enjoyed spending time with their three granddaughters. Cornell Green passed away on October 21, 2026, at the age of 86, leaving behind a legacy as one of the best multi-sport athletes in sports history.
