It was late last week when news broke that QB Trent Green was hanging up his cleats after a 15-year career in the National Football League. We’d be remiss here at One Arrowhead Drive if we didn’t take a moment to reflect on his career and contributions to Kansas City and the NFL.

Whether it was on the field, in the community or in those private moments with friends, coaches and teammates, Green always embodied a rare class and humility. In that respect, he’ll be fondly remembered in the same class as other distinguished Chiefs who carried themselves with a similar grace – names such as QB Len Dawson, LB Willie Lanier and G Will Shields, winners of the NFL Man of the Year Award, immediately come to mind.

For those of us who had the chance to work with Green for six seasons in Arrowhead’s inner sanctum, we’ll always appreciate Trent the person as much as Trent the player. No matter your station, there was always a thoughtful word and a genuine sense of respect. He was the kind of player you hoped could serve as one of your franchise’s most prominent faces – a true professional and a gritty competitor. And we’re pretty confident his Boy Scout-caliber smile and his always well-coiffed hair played well with several key demographic groups, too.

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Green always appreciated the opportunity to play in the NFL, which was always one of his many enduring qualities. Maybe that’s because he entered the league as an eighth-round draft choice of San Diego in ‘93 – the draft was subsequently shortened to seven rounds a year later. Maybe it was because Norv Turner – then the Washington Redskins head coach – gave him perhaps his final shot to catch on in the NFL after being exiled from the pro football in ‘94, short a one-week stay in the CFL. Perhaps it was because he didn’t actually attempt his first pass in a regular season NFL game until ‘97 or make his first NFL start until the ‘98 campaign.

No matter the reason, Green valued the opportunity to come to work every day. He made his teammates and everyone around him better. He exhibited the skill and the leadership it takes to be a starting quarterback in the National Football League. But above all else, he just “got it.”

After finally getting his long-awaited chance to have a team of his own, a potentially career-threatening knee injury spoiled his storybook return to St. Louis in ‘99. While the Rams went on their remarkable run to Super Bowl XXXIV, Green went through a laborious rehab to get back on the field for the 2000 campaign, albeit, in a now-familiar back-up role.

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On April 20, 2001, a trade was officially consummated with St. Louis to bring Green to Kansas City, where he was reunited with head coach Dick Vermeil. Green had been given another second chance, and he made the most of it. Along with Vermeil’s staff and a host of talented teammates, he helped orchestrate one of the most prolific offensive runs in franchise history. He provided stability, leadership and consistent play at the quarterback position, constructing a string of 81 consecutive starts, the longest streak ever assembled by a Chiefs signal caller.

From 2001-05, only Colts QB Peyton Manning (20,902) threw for more yards than Green (20,117). He registered four straight seasons with a passer rating of 90.0 or better from 2002-05, a feat topped in NFL annals by only Hall of Fame QB Steve Young. With Green calling the signals, the Chiefs led the NFL in total offense for the first time in NFL history in 2004. He earned Pro Bowl berths following the 2003 and 2005 campaign and was part of an offensive unit that helped the Chiefs lead the NFL in scoring in 2003, as the Chiefs got off to a 9-0 start and won the AFC West in a memorable 13-3 campaign.

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But Green will be remembered for far more than just opulent stats or prolific passing numbers. To know Trent Green is to know above all else, he is the consummate husband, father and friend. While Green played through plenty of pain during his career – from surgically-repaired knees to sprained ankles and bruised ribs, contusions and concussions; a stent even had to be placed in his leg at one point – nothing could match the sorrow he endured after unexpectedly losing his father, Jim, to a heart attack during the 2005 season. As friends, neighbors, co-workers and family members lovingly shared memories of Jim at his memorial service, one couldn’t help but realize that the apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree with Trent and his siblings.

There have been many memorable moments in the Arrowhead locker room over the years. But perhaps none of victorious postgame gatherings were filled with the poignant mix of sorrow, joy and remembrance than when Vermeil – teary-eyed and voice cracking – presented Green with a game ball in honor of his late father following a 27-23 comeback victory vs. Oakland (11/6/05). Before the game, Green had actually taped off his father’s seat in the Arrowhead stands as a tribute to his father. Somehow, you couldn’t escape the sense that Jim Green was somehow present in the midst of that rollercoaster of postgame emotion.

Green always felt blessed to have a beautiful family of his own, as well as the opportunity to make a difference by playing the game he loved. Through the “Trent Green Family Foundation,” Green and his wife, Julie, and their children impacted countless individuals and numerous organizations in the Kansas City community. The Greens left a permanent mark at places like the Ronald McDonald House and Children’s Mercy Hospital. They also established the Trent Green Scholarship in 2005 for students graduating from the Kansas City, Kansas School District who are pursuing careers as teachers. Even after his playing career took him to Miami and back to St. Louis, Green always stayed true to his Missouri roots, staying active with the charitable causes he began with his family in Kansas City.

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As a player, Green always knew how to cajole the best out of his teammates. He invested his time in getting to know what made them tick. He stayed late on the field after practice to guarantee his timing was in synch with his receivers. He watched video religiously to ensure that he saw protections the same way as his offensive linemen. Like any true professional, he took care of all the little details with precision. Green was often accused of being a perfectionist, which in his book was a high compliment.

We have a sneaking suspicion that Green will make his next group of co-workers even better, too. If it’s in the media business, you can be assured that Trent Green will be just as prepared as a broadcaster as he was for 15 seasons as an NFL quarterback. There’s an old adage in the football business that there’s a difference between good and great. While we’ll allow the football pundits to weigh in on Green’s football career, there’s no doubt that in the people business, there haven’t been many classier individuals to wear a Chiefs uniform than one Trent Jason Green.

He made our team and our town a better place because he came our way. Thanks for the memories, Trent. On behalf of the Chiefs organization and the Kansas City community, we wish and your family all the best. We will always be proud to call you a member of the Kansas City Chiefs!

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Trent Green Photos
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