Willie Aaron Green (born April 2, 1966) is a former professional American football wide receiver who played for the Detroit Lions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Carolina Panthers, and the Denver Broncos in the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Mississippi. Early years Green was born April 2, 1966 in Athens, Georgia to politically active parents Willie and Corene. He played football in 1984 and 1985 at Clarke Central, where he was not widely considered the best player on either team. Green himself admitted "I couldn't compete with them... The bottom line is I never thought I would play a professional sport in anything." He transferred to the Tennessee Military Institute for his senior year. College Green decided not to return to Athens and the University of Georgia, instead attending Ole Miss. He later commented his family encouraged him to cut childhood ties, and attend school in "a small country town (Oxford, Mississippi) so the only thing you could do was get your education and go to school. There wasn't enough room for trouble." The lack of distractions paid off. After a 200-yard freshman season in 1986, Green led the Rebels in receiving yards each of the next three seasons, including a then-record 816 yards his senior year in tandem with future pro-bowl tight end Wesley Walls to finish his career with a then-school-record 2,274 yards. He was in the SEC's top 10 each of these three years in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, and was named second-team All-SEC as a senior. , he ranks 6th in career receiving yards, 7th for a single season, and 9th in career touchdowns. Ole Miss Statistics NFL career Green nearly went undrafted in 1990, finally being selected by the Detroit Lions in the 8th round (194th overall). A shoulder injury side-lined him his entire first season. However, in 1991 he emerged as the team's leading touchdown receiver with 7 TD, and finished third in yardage as part of a balanced receiving trio with Brett Perriman and Robert Clark. In the first round of the playoffs, Green had 8 receptions for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns in a win over the Dallas Cowboys. Despite consistent play in the three seasons from 1991-1993, he was always overshadowed by all-star running back Barry Sanders and other receivers. "I've never been a superstar on any team... Every team I've been on,