Former Packer Ahman Inexperienced, the franchise’s all-time main rusher, would be the featured speaker on the Boy Scouts of America-Gateway Council’s annual Golden Eagle Award Dinner Thursday evening on the Waterfront in La Crosse.
Former Packers GM Ron Wolf, who spoke on the Boy Scouts fund-raising dinner three years in the past, stated this morning in a telephone interview from his Florida residence that buying Inexperienced ranks as one of many biggest trades within the Packers historical past.
“I feel within the lengthy historical past of Packers, we had the chance to make two monumental trades,” Wolf stated. “The one for Brett Favre, and the one for Ahman Inexperienced.
“Ahman was simply an impressive participant for an extended time period for Packers. It positive labored out properly for us. And to interrupt Jim Taylor’s franchise dashing file is superb. Taylor performed in an period after they ran the ball, Inexperienced performed when the emphasis was on passing.
“I’m not patting myself on the again, however Ahman was the second finest commerce we made. Second solely to Brett Favre.”
Inexperienced retired as a Packer after a 12-year profession within the Nationwide Soccer League with Seattle, Inexperienced Bay and Houston. He performed eight years (2000-2006, 2009) for the Packers and two seasons with the Seahawks (1998-99) and Texans (2007-08).
The previous highschool All-American operating again and College of Nebraska star resides in Inexperienced Bay and cherishes his time in a Packer uniform.
“The very best days of my professional profession had been right here in Inexperienced Bay,” Inexperienced stated in a 2011 interview with me. “I might have favored to have been part of the Packers’ Tremendous Bowl run final season, however I’m actually pleased for the blokes that they received it.”
Inexperienced got here to Inexperienced Bay in a commerce that may go down as among the best enterprise transactions within the 104-year historical past of the franchise.
Wolf orchestrated the cope with the Seattle Seahawks on April 15, the day of the 2000 NFL draft. Wolf despatched cornerback Fred Vinson and a 2000 sixth-round choice (DT Tim Watson) to Seattle for Inexperienced and a 2000 fifth-round choice (WR/KR Joey Jamison.).
Vinson, a cornerback from Vanderbilt, was Inexperienced Bay’s second-round choice within the 1999 draft as a part of the deal that allowed former head coach Mike Holmgren to affix Seattle in 1999. Inexperienced entered the NFL draft after his junior yr and was a third-round draft alternative of the Seahawks in 1998. He was seen as expendable by Holmgren as a consequence of ball-security points.
“That commerce charges proper up there due to the standard of participant Ahman Inexperienced turned and the legacy he left with the Packers,” Wolf stated in my 2011 interview “He left because the all-time chief rusher of this franchise. That’s outstanding and a tribute to him. He was a whole participant that might run, catch, and block. Boy, may he run.”
Inexperienced bumped into the Packers file books throughout his second stint with the group. After seven seasons in Inexperienced Bay, Inexperienced signed a profitable $23 million free-agent contract with the Houston Texans in 2007.
After two injury-plagued seasons in Houston, he was resigned by Inexperienced Bay in 2009 as a back-up to starter Ryan Grant. Within the eighth sport of the season in Tampa Bay, Inexperienced eclipsed Jim Taylor’s all-time dashing mark of 8,207 yards (1,811 makes an attempt, 4.53 ave.) with a 2-yard carry within the fourth quarter of a 38-28 loss and completed the season with 8,322 profession yards (1,851, 4.50 ave.).
“We had been very lucky to get a really productive participant of Ahman’s caliber,” Wolf stated. “It was a particular commerce for me as a result of that choose was for Mike Holmgren. We took a Fred Vinson and received an Ahman Inexperienced.”
Inexperienced additionally holds the group’s single-season dashing file with 1,883 yards in 2003 and the single-game dashing commonplace with 218 yards in 20 makes an attempt towards the Denver Broncos on Dec. 28, 2003, together with a group finest 98-yard landing burst. He set two extra group marks with 10 video games of 100 or extra yards that season and totaled 33 in his Inexperienced Bay profession.
“It actually hasn’t sunk in but that I’m the main rusher in Packer historical past,” Inexperienced stated. “I wasn’t that sort of participant that I’ve to get that file or I’ve to have this many carries in a sport. All I needed to do is assist the group win.”
What’s spectacular to Inexperienced is how lengthy Taylor’s profession dashing file stood.
“What received me was how lengthy that file had been round, one thing like 43 years,” he stated. “What Jim Taylor did, he did the suitable method. He was the workhorse. I hope he’s happy with the truth that a man like me broke it; a man that simply went on the market and performed the sport arduous like he did.”
In my 2011 interview, Taylor stated he and Inexperienced had been “old-school” operating backs. “That’s the secret,” Taylor stated. “It’s a sport of contact. You need to be keen to hit individuals and take the punishment and dish it out. The nice ones get pleasure from that facet.”
Wolf stated the versatile Inexperienced was the Packers’ workhorse throughout his tenure.
“He got here from a terrific program at Nebraska, a spot with a terrific custom of operating backs,” Wolf stated. “In case you wore the cowbell there, you earned it. And Ahman wore the cowbell for us. He not often got here off the sector as a result of he may do all of it. He had some fumbles, however he took quite a lot of hits and performed so many snaps. We don’t condone it, however it’s going occur.”
The 6-foot, 217-pound Inexperienced realized at an early age to embrace the physicality of the game. His coaching habits and work ethic within the weight room endeared him to his Inexperienced Bay teammates and coaches and he was a quiet chief within the group locker room.
“That’s the one method I understand how to run,” stated Inexperienced, an All-American operating again and state champion sprinter at Omaha’s Central Excessive College. “I made defenders suppose twice about tackling me. I developed that mentality by watching my older brothers play and from my coaches. In case you’re not bodily, you’re not going prime play. I loved that a part of the sport. The more durable I received hit early within the sport the extra centered I turned.”
Inexperienced idolized the Chicago’s Walter Payton rising up in Omaha—an excellent function mannequin in accordance with former Bears head coach Mike Ditka.
“Walter was one in every of his heroes due to how he performed the sport,” Ditka stated in my 2011 interview. “What made Walter Payton was his coronary heart and need and energy—he didn’t have the best of bodily instruments. However nice soccer gamers usually are not nearly how excessive you bounce or how briskly you run, you already know.”
“I assumed Ahman Inexperienced was a tricky runner and an excellent soccer participant. He’s the Packers’ all-time main rusher and is in some fairly good firm with a man like Jimmy Taylor—I can attest to that.”
His lone remorse could also be that he didn’t earn a Tremendous Bowl ring. The Packers received three NFC North crowns in Inexperienced’s tenure, however superior solely to the divisional spherical in 2001 (St. Louis) and 2003 (Philadelphia) earlier than shedding in 5 playoff appearances.
“I simply missed out on the Packers run (in 2010),” stated Inexperienced, who attended Tremendous Bowl XLV. “One yr too late. I performed with quite a lot of the blokes and I used to be very pleased for them. However I want I may have contributed.”
A two-time All-Professional and a four-time Professional Bowl choice, Inexperienced performed in 104 regular-season video games for the Packers and led the group in dashing six instances. The sturdy again missed a lot of the 2005 season after struggling rupturing a quadriceps tendon, however returned to type in 2006 and recorded a sixth season of greater than 1,000 yards.
Inexperienced has worn many hats in his post-football profession, together with Huge Ten sideline announcer, highschool instructor, highschool coach, and entrepreneur. At present, he’s an teacher and coach of the eSports group on the College of Nebraska, combining his love of soccer and gaming with teaching. “I like it,” Inexperienced stated. “It’s been a life-long ardour for me.”
