Roy Green

This article is about the American football player. For the radio personality, seeRoy Green (radio).

Roy Green

Green in 1984
No. 25, 81
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	(1957-06-30)June 30, 1957 Magnolia, Arkansas,U.S.
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:	Magnolia
College:	Henderson State
NFL draft:	1979/ round: 4 / pick: 89
Career history
St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals(1979–1990) Philadelphia Eagles(1991–1992)
Career highlights and awards
2× First-teamAll-Pro(1983,1984) 2×Pro Bowl(1983,1984) NFL receiving yards leader(1984) NFL receiving touchdowns leader(1983) Arizona Cardinals Ring of Honor
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 559 Receiving yards: 8,965 Receivingtouchdowns: 66 Statsat Pro Football Reference

Roy Calvin Green(born June 30, 1957) is an American formerfootballwide receiverwho played in theNational Football League(NFL). He played for theSt. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals,where he played his first three seasons as asafety,then played for thePhiladelphia Eaglesfrom 1991 to 1992.

Early life

Green was born inMagnolia, Arkansas.

College career

Green playedcollege footballatHenderson State University. He playeddefensive backand returned kicks for Henderson State University, and achievedAll-Americanstatus.

Professional career

Green wasdraftedby the Cardinals in the fourth round of the1979 NFL draft.He starred as a rookie returning kicks, including a 106-yard return for a touchdown against theDallas Cowboys,tying an NFL record. Green also played well at cornerback. In 1981, he stepped in as wide receiver part-time and managed to gain 708 yards on merely 33 catches, which equated to nearly 21.5 yards per catch.On September 20 against theWashington Redskins,he caught a touchdown pass and recorded an interception. This made him the first player sinceEddie Suttonin 1957 to do both in the same game. Green did this twice more that year against theDallas Cowboysand Washington.The following season, Green fully transitioned to wide receiver and performed well in the strike-shortened season. Green truly shined during the next several seasons, particularly in 1984 when his 1,555 receiving yards were then the third highest in a season (through the 2005 season, this has since dropped to eighteenth). Green led the Cardinals in receiving in 1983, 1984 and 1988 (during those intervening years, veteransPat TilleyandJ. T. Smithsplit time leading the team in receiving). He was usually one of the few stars on a mediocre team. During his career, the Cardinals only made the playoffs once, in the strike-shortened 1982 season, and would only garner winning records two other times.

Green played with the Cardinals past their move toPhoenix, Arizonain 1987. He caught 68 passes in 1988 for 1,097 yards with seven touchdowns for his third and final 1,000-yard season in 1988. The following year saw him play in just twelve games and catch 44 passes for 703 yards with seven touchdowns. Green caught 53 passes in the 1990 season that got him to 500 career receptions, which as of the end of that season saw just 24 other players with as many receptions. On June 9, 1991, he was traded to theCleveland Brownsfor an undisclosed draft pick.On August 20, 1991, he was cut from the team when the Browns reduced their roster to sixty and elected to keep rookieMichael JacksonandReggie Langhorneinstead.Green was subsequently signed by the Philadelphia Eagles, who sought veteran leadership at wide receiver to replace the retiredMike Quickand the waivedCris Carter.Green played much of that season, in which a lackluster offense was balanced by a sensational defense. Green played sparingly the following season and retired in 1993.John Maddenhonored Green in his annualAll-Madden Team,stating that at one point, he regarded Green as not the best wide receiver in the game, but the bestplayer.Green finished with 559 receptions for 8,965 yards and 66 touchdowns. He also rushed for 140 yards, returned 27 punts for 230 yards, and added another 2,002 yards on kickoff returns. He also intercepted 4 passes for 54 yards and recovered 20 fumbles. Overall, he gained 11,391 yards and scored 69 touchdowns, with his 62 for the Cardinals being a franchise record.

On October 2, 2016, Green was inducted as the 16th member of the Arizona Cardinals Ring of Honor. On September 15, 2017, Green was inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame.

NFL career statistics

Legend
	Led the league
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Receiving
		GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
1979	STL	16	0	1	15	15.0	15	0
1980	STL	15	6	0	0	0.0	0	0
1981	STL	16	2	33	708	21.5	60	4
1982	STL	9	9	32	453	14.2	42	3
1983	STL	16	15	78	1,227	15.7	71	14
1984	STL	16	16	78	1,555	19.9	83	12
1985	STL	13	13	50	693	13.9	47	5
1986	STL	11	10	42	517	12.3	48	6
1987	STL	12	12	43	731	17.0	57	4
1988	PHO	16	16	68	1,097	16.1	52	7
1989	PHO	12	12	44	703	16.0	59	7
1990	PHO	16	16	53	797	15.0	54	4
1991	PHI	13	3	29	364	12.6	42	0
1992	PHI	9	0	8	105	13.1	21	0
		190	130	559	8,965	16.0	83	66

Playoffs

Year	Team	Games		Receiving
		GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
1982	STL	1	1	9	113	12.6	29	0
1992	PHI	2	0	1	14	14.0	14	0
		3	1	10	127	12.7	29	0

Personal life

Green married his wife, Sharon, before the 1980 NFL season.Ottis AndersonandTheotis Brownserved as groomsmen and his brother, Leotis, was best man.

Since retiring from the NFL, Green has shifted his focus to helping improve the health of current and former professional athletes through promoting sleep apnea awareness across the country. He has teamed up with dental icon, David Gergen, and a company calledPro Player Health Allianceto hold free public awareness events in local communities all over the nation. After joining the cause of Pro Player Health Alliance and using his extensive number of connections to players, he has helped get over 150 former players successfully treated for sleep apnea.

In 2012, Green was diagnosed with kidney disease due to the long-term use of anti-inflammatories during his playing career in the NFL. Following a year of dialysis three days a week, his daughters, Miyosha, 30, and Candace, 26, both offered to donate a kidney to their father. Both daughters were matches, but Miyosha was chosen to donate. Green had successful surgery on Nov. 14 at the Mayo Clinic.

External links

• NFL Films Blog This Date In Football: Happy Birthday, Roy Green
• Pro-Football-Reference: Roy Green