Editor’s Note: For now over 75 years, The Baylor Line has been publishing vivid storytelling from across the Baylor Family. I don’t think our archives full of deep, inspirational features should live solely on shelves, so we are bringing them back to life in BL Classics. This June 1977 Classic profiles the most nationally known football player, Gary Green, at the peak of his Baylor career.
The year 1976 will probably be remembered by most people as the year this country celebrated its long-awaited Bicentennial. No doubt Gary Green has as much patriotism as the next guy, but the year had a much more personal significance for him — it was the year he finally saw all of his football dreams come true.
Indeed, the way Green performed, it may be the Tricentennial before another Baylor defensive back can equal his accomplishments.
Baylor’s star defensive back, as everyone by now must surely be aware, finished the 1976 season as the most nationally honored player in the school’s history.
The 5-foot-ll, 180-pound Green was named to five major All-America teams, including the Associated Press and United Press International squad, the prestigious Kodak All-America, the Football Writers and Coaches All- America teams and Texas Football Magazine’s all-defensive list. He immediately followed that with the end goal of being selected to play in five post-season games. Because of time, he chose to participate in only the Senior Bowl game in Mobile, Ala., and the East-West Shrine Game in Palo Alto, Calif., which this year was coached by Baylor’s Grant Teaff.
It is Teaff, long an admirer of Green’s ability, who is perhaps the best to comment about the Baylor player’s star- spangled career.
Green was a member of Teaff’s first recruiting group when Teaff took over and established his lofty goals of placing his Bears among the nation’s football elite. At the time, many thought such a goal was just too high, considering Baylor’s doormat reputation as the result of several drought-filled seasons.
“I remember trying to recruit Gary, who was one of the most sought-after players in the state,” Teaff says, recalling the moment when he tried to lure Green to sign on the dotted Baylor line.
“We tried to convince all of our players at that time that all of them could be a part of a big dream — to come to Baylor, rebuild from the very bottom and still win a championship. Gary finally committed to us, and we were absolutely confident we had a blue- chip player, one that could start for any team in the country. It wasn’t too long before he proved that he could do just that, too.”
Says Green, when remembering his Baylor signing, “I could have had my pick of a lot of schools, but coach Teaff completely sold me on the idea of his dream. I remember a lot of my friends thought I was crazy to come to Baylor, 26 but I knew right away I had made the best decision of my life.”
But before long, however, Green could have been wondering if his friends might have been right after all.
Coming off a 5-6 season in which Teaff was named Southwest Conference Coach of the Year, optimism was running rampant that Baylor could possibly be a title contender the following season. Teaff had recruited well and some key players returned, and there was no reason to believe the Bears couldn’t improve on that 5-6 record.
But in the truly mysterious ways of football, Baylor hit another low spot and Green and his teammates suffered through a dismal year for a disappointing 2-9 finish his first year at Baylor.
“I had expected a good season like just about everyone else did,” Green says, thinking back on his first year of college ball. “But even though we had some outstanding talent on that team, things just didn’t work out. I guess we were saving it all for the next season.”
If so, such a conservation of strength was worth the wait. The following season, Green’s sophomore year, Teaff’s dream and Green’s goal were realized — Baylor dominated SWC play for an entire season, produced one startling upset after another and by the time December arrived, the Bears found themselves champions and the talk of the football world. Baylor had claimed its first conference title in fifty seasons and the Bears had a date to meet a tough Penn State team in the Cotton Bowl, Baylor’s first trip ever to Dallas on New Year’s Day.
But even that sublime season was a bit clouded for Green.
He was injured earlier in the season against Oklahoma State and required knee surgery, forcing him to watch much of the 1974 warfare from the sidelines. He recovered in time to see action in the Cotton Bowl, but the Nit- tany Lions forged out a 41-20 win.
Green worked hard during the summer months, reported in excellent shape for his junior year and had what he considered an outstanding season. But Baylor’s roller coaster football fortunes took another downward dive and Green’s accomplishments were overshadowed as the Bears slumped to a 3-6-2 mark.
“I said it then and I still say it — I thought I played well enough my junior year to make all-conference, but somehow I was overlooked,” Green recalls. “I led the league in punt returns but I guess I just didn’t catch enough people’s eyes.
“My only choice was to work as hard as I possibly could and devote all my concentration and effort to my senior year. As it turned out, everything worked out fine.”
Green knew his luck was about to take a turn for the better when he re ceived a telephone call last June. It was renowned football writer Anson Mount wanting Green to come to Chicago for an interview and picture for Playboy Magazine’s forecast All-America team for 1976. Green received his plane ticket and couldn’t get to the airport fast enough.
Green was only the third Baylor player ever chosen for the Playboy award. Only former Baylor stars Don Trull and Richard Stevens preceded Green’s appearance in the magazine’s All-America forecast.
And as it turned out, the magazine was indeed correct. Green played the 1976 season in a fury that never ended until the Bears’ final game against Texas Tech December 4.
He was named winner of Chevrolet’s Outstanding Defensive Player of the Game award in Baylor’s nationally televised 34-19 rout of Illinois last Sep tember 25. Baylor received $1 ,000 scholarship in Green’s name ( Baylor’s Cleve Franklin won the game’s of fensive award the same afternoon), and it was placed in the school’s general scholarship fund.
He continued his standout role as one of the conference’s premiere defensive stars and delighted Baylor fans and coaches alike with his acrobatic moves and punt returns. Green almost singlehandedly saved the day for the Bears against TCU when the winless Frogs tried a heartstopping comeback that fell inches short. He made an almost inhuman leap at the last possible second to deflect a pass in the end zone that was headed for gifted TCU receiver Mike Renfro. Green’s last-second dive saved the game as the Bears went on to win 24-19.
One week later, Green was informed of his first selection to an All-America team. Then he was picked by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the pro draft.
“I knew Gary was a can’t-miss college prospect when he came out of high school, and I don’t think there’s anything that will keep him from having a great pro career, too,” Teaff says of his prize pupil.
“Any player or coach from our team will say the same thing — Gary is good because he works at being good. He has fantastic natural ability, but he develops it day after day. I’ve said many times that Gary is the best all-around athlete we’ve had. If he didn’t play defensive back, he could have been one of our starting running backs or wide receivers.”
Adds Green, “All of my life I’ve dreamed of playing pro ball. It means you’re the best in the world; it’s that simple. I’m going to devote all of my energy and concentration to being the best possible player that I can be.”
Always the hard worker, Green never swayed from his classroom duties. He maintained a respectable grade point average and donned a cap and gown to graduate on schedule with the rest of his senior class. His brother, Tony, also a multitalented defensive back, has filled in Gary’s departed shoes, and many predict the younger Green could also become an All-America. Tony will be in a starting position beginning his junior year next season.
For sure, Gary Green’s future is a bright one. He recently was married, he’s received a truckload of football honors from last season and he can look forward to a promising pro career. As Green would no doubt say, such are the things of which dreams are made. 27 Chris Hansen Photos
