The Dallas Cowboys have unfortunately lost another great. Cornell Green, who was part of the legendary Doomsday Defense's first generation, passed away today. He was 86.
Many consider Green one of the greatest defensive backs in franchise history, worthy of the Cowboys' exclusive Ring of Honor. But his path to the team was certainly unconventional. During a time when player personnel director Gil Brandt searched high and low for talent, he found a hidden gem in Green.
"We purposely looked for players with speed," Brandt once stated. "We brought the fast guys in and then some played on defense and some played on offense."
Green grew up in California playing basketball and was named all-state both at El Cerrito High School and then for Contra Costa College. From there, he transferred to Utah State, where he earned All-American honors in 1961 and 1962. His 1,067 rebounding total is still the Aggies' career record, and he is the school's sixth leading scorer as well with 1,890 points.
Although he had planned to join the NBA, having been drafted in 1962 by the Chicago Zephyrs, Green instead was offered an invitation to attend the Cowboys' training camp that same year. Figuring he'd give it a try, he remarkably earned a spot on the team despite only playing only one season of football during his junior year of high school
"We had a lot of those guys that played for the Cowboys," Randy White said for the Deep Blue documentary Dirty Dozen. "A lot of them that Gil Brandt found were basketball players and ended up being great. Cornell Green, a bunch of them ended up being great football players."
Over the next 13 seasons, Green never missed a game, and after his rookie campaign he started 167 of 168 outings. He lined up at cornerback through the first eight years, and led the Cowboys in interceptions four times, earned three Pro Bowl invites and garnered two first-team All-Pro honors. In 1970, Green was then asked to move to safety, where he was named a Pro Bowler again in 1971 and 1972. Overall, he played in two NFL Championship Games, as well as Super Bowl V, before helping the Cowboys win the Lombardi Trophy with a 24-3 victory over the Dolphins in Super Bowl VI.
Said Calvin Hill several years ago, "Cornell Green shut out (Miami wide receiver Paul) Warfield. Warfield was like a mega-bomb, and the fact that we were able to prevent him from being who he was – in my mind, the greatest receiver I've ever seen – was remarkable."
"He left a legacy," said Charlie Waters during an interview for the Deep Blue documentary Doomsday II: The Dawn of America's Team. "He was so well respected by all the defensive guys."
After a career spent entirely with the Cowboys, Green retired following the 1974 season and, more than 50 years later, is still tied for fifth in team record books with 34 interceptions. He then became a scout for Dallas and later worked with the Denver Broncos, earning the AFC Scout of the Year Award in 2010.
