Photo by Aggie Athletics
Texas A&M Football
Dubious Dilemma: Jacob Green & the Texas Sports HOF
Out of sight, out of mind is a familiar concept.
Still, electors for the Waco-based Texas Sports Hall of Fame are out of their minds if they continue to ignore former Texas A&M and NFL great Jacob Green, a deserving candidate for inclusion if there ever were one.
That isn’t meant to be a harsh criticism of the selection committee. Its job is a thankless and daunting annual task. It must select a handful of Hall of Fame inductees from a state overflowing with world class athletes in all sports.
But they obviously need a not-so-subtle reminder of the greatness of Green, who starred at defensive end for Houston’s Kashmere High School, Texas A&M and the Seattle Seahawks.
Green was an All-American at A&M, where he set a school record for sacks. Think about all the pass rushing beasts that preyed on quarterbacks for the Wrecking Crew — guys like John Roper, Von Miller, Marcus Buckley and Aaron Wallace.
Aggie Athletics
Green's career was comparable to many who later went on to Hall of Fame honors.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"Green\u0027s career was comparable to many who later went on to Hall of Fame honors.","MediaItemID":33314}
Green posted 37 sacks in three seasons at A&M. Only Wallace, with 42, captured more.
Green also still holds an A&M career record with 12 forced fumbles.
“Going into my senior year it was pretty obvious NFL teams had interest in me,” Green told TexAgs Radio earlier this week. “I didn’t know where I would be drafted, though.”
After his collegiate career, Green was taken by Seattle with the second selection in the 1980 NFL Draft. There, he began a brilliant, 13-year career in which he twice made the Pro Bowl and twice was named All-Pro.
Unfortunately, the Seahawks were a new team. They joined the NFL as an expansion team just four years previously, so Green played on a lot of mediocre teams. Seattle was 94-90 during his career there.
But Green’s performance was far from mediocre. He had seven seasons with at least nine sacks. Most NFL players' careers don’t last that long. He is officially credited with 97.5 sacks. However, sacks were not kept as an official statistic until 1982. If his first two seasons are included, he would have 116 sacks.
His 116 sacks would 17th all-time in the NFL. And only two players with more — Lawrence Taylor and Rickey Jackson — played before sacks were an official stat. Taylor and Jackson both played just one season before stats were officially recorded.
Only two players ahead of Green on the NFL sacks lists are from Texas: Michael Strahan and John Randle.
Green still has the most sacks in Seattle Seahawks history, but he’s apparently been a victim of geography. He was in Seattle, which was largely ignored by most of the country; there are not many defensive ends in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, but most that are played professionally in Texas or on great teams.
No one would argue that former Houston Oilers star Elvin Bethea belongs in the NFL, but he had fewer sacks (105) than Green. Of course, it should be pointed out that Bethea played mostly 14-game seasons compared to the 16-game seasons Green played.
Also deserving is Bubba Smith, who played nine seasons with the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders and Oilers. He played long before sacks were an official stat, but he appeared in two Pro Bowls — just as Green did.
Defensive ends are often measured by their sack totals, and Green had more than most defensive ends in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
In fact, when Green retired from the NFL he was third on the all-time sacks list, behind only Reggie White and Taylor.
Both of them are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Green’s career shows he should at least draw some consideration for induction into Canton.
Waco should be a no-brainer.
Still, electors for the Waco-based Texas Sports Hall of Fame are out of their minds if they continue to ignore former Texas A&M and NFL great Jacob Green, a deserving candidate for inclusion if there ever were one.
That isn’t meant to be a harsh criticism of the selection committee. Its job is a thankless and daunting annual task. It must select a handful of Hall of Fame inductees from a state overflowing with world class athletes in all sports.
But they obviously need a not-so-subtle reminder of the greatness of Green, who starred at defensive end for Houston’s Kashmere High School, Texas A&M and the Seattle Seahawks.
Green was an All-American at A&M, where he set a school record for sacks. Think about all the pass rushing beasts that preyed on quarterbacks for the Wrecking Crew — guys like John Roper, Von Miller, Marcus Buckley and Aaron Wallace.
Aggie Athletics
Green's career was comparable to many who later went on to Hall of Fame honors.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"Green\u0027s career was comparable to many who later went on to Hall of Fame honors.","MediaItemID":33314}
Green also still holds an A&M career record with 12 forced fumbles.
“Going into my senior year it was pretty obvious NFL teams had interest in me,” Green told TexAgs Radio earlier this week. “I didn’t know where I would be drafted, though.”
After his collegiate career, Green was taken by Seattle with the second selection in the 1980 NFL Draft. There, he began a brilliant, 13-year career in which he twice made the Pro Bowl and twice was named All-Pro.
Unfortunately, the Seahawks were a new team. They joined the NFL as an expansion team just four years previously, so Green played on a lot of mediocre teams. Seattle was 94-90 during his career there.
But Green’s performance was far from mediocre. He had seven seasons with at least nine sacks. Most NFL players' careers don’t last that long. He is officially credited with 97.5 sacks. However, sacks were not kept as an official statistic until 1982. If his first two seasons are included, he would have 116 sacks.
His 116 sacks would 17th all-time in the NFL. And only two players with more — Lawrence Taylor and Rickey Jackson — played before sacks were an official stat. Taylor and Jackson both played just one season before stats were officially recorded.
Only two players ahead of Green on the NFL sacks lists are from Texas: Michael Strahan and John Randle.
Green still has the most sacks in Seattle Seahawks history, but he’s apparently been a victim of geography. He was in Seattle, which was largely ignored by most of the country; there are not many defensive ends in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, but most that are played professionally in Texas or on great teams.
No one would argue that former Houston Oilers star Elvin Bethea belongs in the NFL, but he had fewer sacks (105) than Green. Of course, it should be pointed out that Bethea played mostly 14-game seasons compared to the 16-game seasons Green played.
When Green retired from the NFL he was third on the all-time sacks list, behind only Reggie White and Lawrence Taylor. Both of them are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
{"Module":"quote","Alignment":"left","Quote":"When Green retired from the NFL he was third on the all-time sacks list, behind only Reggie White and Lawrence Taylor. Both of them are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.","Author":""}
Harvey Martin posted 114 sacks for the Dallas Cowboys. No one would dispute he’s a deserving Hall of Famer. So is former Texas A&M star Ray Childress, who played defensive end and defensive tackle for the Houston Oilers. He posted 76.5 sacks in his NFL career.Also deserving is Bubba Smith, who played nine seasons with the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders and Oilers. He played long before sacks were an official stat, but he appeared in two Pro Bowls — just as Green did.
Defensive ends are often measured by their sack totals, and Green had more than most defensive ends in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
In fact, when Green retired from the NFL he was third on the all-time sacks list, behind only Reggie White and Taylor.
Both of them are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Green’s career shows he should at least draw some consideration for induction into Canton.
Waco should be a no-brainer.
Never miss the latest news from TexAgs!
Join our free email list
