The Timeline

Undersized his whole childhood, Green made his high school varsity team only as a senior, at roughly 145 pounds. He was already a standout sprinter — speed was the gift that would carry him out of Houston.

Green earns first-team All-American honors and Lone Star Conference MVP. On the track he runs a 100-meter time of 10.08 seconds — still the fastest in conference history. Few NFL scouts make the trip to Kingsville.

Green starts as a rookie for the defending Super Bowl champions, intercepts two passes, and is an AP Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up. He starts Super Bowl XVIII in January — a 38–9 loss to the Raiders.

Green returns one interception for a touchdown and piles up 91 interception-return yards — by far his most productive year on returns to that point.

Quarterbacks increasingly steer away from his side of the field — the quietest stat lines often meant the loudest respect.

In the January 1987 NFC Wild Card game against the Rams, Green runs down NFL rushing king Eric Dickerson from behind — the defining display of his speed.

He is a first-team All-Pro again and once intercepts three passes in a single game against Detroit. Washington wins Super Bowl XXII, 42–10 over Denver.

The interception streak rolls on — by now an annual certainty rather than a question.

Even a half-season keeps the streak intact. Green's durability would become one of his signatures over the next decade.

Four interceptions and a return touchdown signal a corner entering the prime of a long prime.

Washington goes 14–2 and wins Super Bowl XXVI, 37–24 over Buffalo. Green records an interception in the championship game itself.

Eight games, one interception — and the streak survives another scare.

Back to a full 16-game season, Green adds four interceptions and proves the speed has not faded a step.

Three interceptions and a touchdown — a steady season from a player now in his twelfth year.

No active player in the league could match his combination of longevity and production.

It is the award that best captures his career: an All-Pro résumé and a foundation already eight years into changing children's lives. He also earns another Pro Bowl selection.

His seventh and final Pro Bowl selection comes at age 37 — and the 83-yard interception return against Philadelphia is the longest of his career.

Three interceptions in a full 16-game season. Few defensive backs in history were still playing at this level at this age.

Washington returns to the playoffs, and Green is still a contributor on a postseason defense.

He becomes the oldest player in the league still recording interceptions — a record he would extend the following year.

At 41 years and 304 days, he becomes the oldest player in NFL history to intercept a pass.

It is the only year of his career without an interception. He retires having played 295 games for one franchise under six different head coaches.

It is one of several halls — including the NCAA Division II and Texas Sports Halls of Fame — that would claim him.

His enshrinement class includes longtime teammate Art Monk. Green's speech — "I belong here because I know what to do with it" — became one of the most quoted in Hall of Fame history.

More than two decades after his final snap, the number is lifted to the rafters where it will never be worn again.