Arizona Cardinals to add Roy Green to Ring of Honor

The former Arizona Cardinals receiver will be inducted on October 2nd

Former Arizona Cardinals receiver Roy Green will be inducted into the team Ring of Honor on October 2nd when the Cardinals host the Los Angeles Rams.  He played for the Cardinals from 1979-1990, spending three of those seasons with the then Phoenix Cardinals.

Green spent his final two seasons in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles.  It is his time with the Cardinals though that most will remember him by.

A fourth round draft pick in the 1979 NFL Draft, Green was a two-time Pro Bowler.  He caught 589 passes in his career.  He had 66 touchdowns.

Green becomes the 16th player to be inducted into the Cardinals Ring of Honor at University of Phoenix Stadium.  He is the only one though that I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with personally.

When I was a ball boy with the Cardinals in 1989 and 1990 I got a chance to not only see Roy Green the player but also the person.  Here I was 16 and 17 years old when I had a chance to throw balls to this legendary receiver in practice.

One day in training camp practice in 1989 I got the experience the other ball boys didn’t.  I was chosen to help out with a photo shoot Green was going to be a part of.

The photo shoot was supposed to be that of Green doing what he did best, catch footballs.  Of course to make it authentic, someone had to toss him the ball.  So after practice one day, they grabbed me and had me be the one to throw him the ball.

I remember throwing a number of balls to make sure the photographer got a shot of Green catching the ball in the right spot.  It wasn’t like I was 20 or 30 yards away. Heck no.  However I was several yards away from him trying to put the ball in the right spot.

I also remember though how gracious Green was.  He could have got frustrated with me, some 16 year old kid trying to throw him a ball for a photo shoot.  Honestly I don’t even remember who the shoot was for now but I still remember the event.

Green was the record holder for many receiving categories until Larry Fitzgerald came around. He may not have those records any more but he has and will continue to always be a member of the Cardinals family.  He has remained close with the organization over the years.

Many will remember him for the contributions he made on the field and certainly you can count me in that group but I also always remember his smile.  As good as a player as he was he is an even better person.  Green is no doubt deserving of this honor.