| Page 2 of 2 < |
Redskins Greats Enter Pantheon
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
Green often mentioned "my relationship with Jesus Christ," and went on, poignantly, thanking his late parents and then everyone in between two decades of National Football League excellence. It was his father, said Green, the diminutive cornerback (maybe 5 feet 8) from a hamlet of an NAIA college (Texas A&I), who first instilled in his son he was not too small to work his game and dream his athletic dream, when others discouraged him because of his size.
"They said, 'No,' " Green said. "And he said, 'Go.' "
Green's speech also teetered on the emotional, as he spoke of a childhood friend who committed suicide, and of all the people who graced his life and his career.
"If no one gives you an opportunity, it doesn't mean a thing," he said near the end of his speech. He ended with the flourish of a theatrical Baptist minister, saying, with humility, "I belong here because I know what to do with this, with God's visibility."
Thomas's speech was one of the most touching as the 65-year-old former player and coach spoke of his mother dying when he was 8, and how his grandfather came to raise him and instill the values that propelled him in life and sports.
"You're looking at a man that has a lot of blemishes, abrasions and scars dealt to him by life's highs and lows," Thomas said. "But you're also looking at a man who stood tall in the arena, never quit even though it looked like the game was over on many, many occasions."
Thomas called himself an "undrafted free agent country boy from Angleton, Texas," who couldn't believe he was now poised at the summit of the Hall of Fame.
"As you know, I had the pleasure of coaching Art and Darrell in my days as a Redskin," he said as the partisan Redskin crowd roared. "Both of these men overcame my coaching and had successful careers."
As he spoke, the light began to die over Fawcett Stadium, which bellowed with laughter on a near-perfect night in a stadium filled with burgundy and gold and two Washington football icons.
