Cornell Green (defensive back) facts for kids
Green, circa 1960
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| Position: | Cornerback / Safety | ||||||||||||
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| Born: | February 10, 1940 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 208 lb (94 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | El Cerrito (El Cerrito, California) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Utah State | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1962 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Cornell M. Green (born February 10, 1940) is a former American football player. He played as a defensive back for 13 seasons. All his professional career was with the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL).
What's special about Cornell Green is that he never played college football. Instead, he was a two-time All-American in basketball for the Utah State Aggies. He was even chosen in the 1962 NBA draft, but he chose to play football instead!
Contents
Early Life and High School
Cornell Green was born on February 10, 1940, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was one of five brothers. His oldest brother, Pumpsie Green, made history. Pumpsie was the first African American baseball player for the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox were the last team in Major League Baseball to have an African American player.
Cornell grew up in northern California, in Richmond. He went to El Cerrito High School. He is now in El Cerrito's Athletic Hall of Fame. He played on the basketball team from 1955 to 1957. He was recognized as All-ACAL and All-Northern California. In 1957, he was named All-State in basketball. He also played football for one year in 1956.
College Basketball Star
From 1958 to 1959, Cornell Green played basketball at Contra Costa College. There, he was named All-State in basketball. He then went on to play college basketball at Utah State University. This was in Logan.
He earned All-American honors in 1961 and 1962. He also received All-Skyline Conference honors in each of his three years (1960–1962). As a 6-foot-3-inch forward, Green set a record for the Aggies. He had 1,067 career rebounds, which is still a record today. He is also the sixth-highest scorer in Utah State history with 1,890 points.
Green had some of the best individual seasons in school history. His 745 points in 1962 are still the fourth-highest for a single season. His 403 rebounds and 13.9 rebounds per game average in 1960 are still school records for a season. He was named the Skyline Conference Most Valuable Player as a sophomore.
During his three seasons with the Aggies, Utah State played in important tournaments. They went to the National Invitation Tournament in 1960. They reached the semifinals that year. They also went to the NCAA Tournament in 1962. The 1960 team finished eighth in the Associated Press Poll. They were seventh in the Coaches' Poll. This is still the highest year-end basketball ranking in school history.
The Chicago Zephyrs chose Green in the fifth round of the 1962 NBA draft. However, he decided not to play in the NBA. Instead, he started a 13-year career in the NFL.
In 1993, Green was part of the first group of people inducted into the Utah State University Intercollegiate Athletics Hall Of Fame. In 2001, he was also inducted into the State of Utah Basketball Hall of Fame.
NFL Career with the Cowboys
Cornell Green was a college basketball player. He had never played a single down of college football. Yet, the Dallas Cowboys signed him and turned him into a defensive back.
The Cowboys heard about Green from his Utah State basketball coach, LaDell Anderson. They signed him for $1,000. This was a very smart decision by the Cowboys. At the time, Green was thinking about playing in the NBA. He had been drafted by the Chicago Zephyrs. When he arrived at the Cowboys' training camp in Marquette, Michigan, in 1962, he thought it was just a $1,000 bonus. He expected to be cut quickly.
His teammates gave him the nickname "Sweet Lips." Green ended up making the 1962 team. He was an undrafted free agent, meaning no team had picked him in the draft. He learned quickly and started 3 games. He was even chosen for the NFL All-Rookie team. The next season, he became a full-time starter at left cornerback. He had a career-best 7 interceptions that year.
Green became a very important player for Coach Tom Landry’s defense. He was a tough defender. He played cornerback for his first eight seasons. During this time, he led the team in interceptions four times. He was also chosen for five Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams. Coach Landry said that Green had great athletic skills from basketball. These skills helped him become a great defensive back. Landry noted that Green had no problem with tackling players in football.
In 1970, the Cowboys needed to improve their cornerback position. So, Coach Landry moved Mel Renfro from safety to cornerback. Renfro was an All-Pro safety in 1969. This move allowed Green to switch from cornerback to strong safety.
After this position switch, the Cowboys went to two Super Bowls in a row. In 1971 and 1972, Green was again chosen for the Pro Bowl, this time as a safety.
Green never missed a game in his 13 seasons. He played 168 games. He had 145 consecutive starts for the Cowboys from 1962 to 1974. He made five Pro Bowls at two different positions: cornerback and strong safety. He was selected first-team All-Pro in 1966 and 1967. He was second-team All-Pro in 1968. He is sixth in career interceptions (34) in Cowboys history. He also holds the Cowboys record for blocked kicks (10), including eight blocked field goals.
He stopped playing football in September 1975.
Honors and Recognition
In 1985, Cornell Green was named to the Dallas Cowboys 25th Anniversary Team. This team honored the best players from the first 25 years of the Cowboys.
In 2017, the Professional Football Researchers Association recognized Green. They named him to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2017.
In 2020, Green was ranked number 23 on a special list. This list featured the 60 greatest Cowboys players. It was part of the team's celebration of its 60th anniversary.
After Playing: Scouting Career
Green started scouting for the Dallas Cowboys in 1970. He did this while he was still playing. After he retired in 1975, he continued as a full-time scout until 1979. Then, he worked in private business for a while. In 1987, he joined the Denver Broncos.
He spent 35 years working as a scout in the NFL. He spent 28 of those seasons with the Broncos. In 2010, he received the AFC Scout of the Year Award. This award came from the Fritz Pollard Alliance.
Family Connection
Cornell Green is the brother of Pumpsie Green. Pumpsie Green was the first African American player to play for the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox were the last team in Major League Baseball to have an African American player.
