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<P><FONT SIZE=7>i</FONT>f you want to know what Auburn Football is all about, look at Johnny Green.

<P>Johnny Green came here from Birmingham in 1978, as a defensive back, a walk-on in what seemed like a cast of thousands, but Johnny Green had a dream, and that dream was to play for Auburn, to wear the Orange and Blue.

<P>While others fell aside or moved on to other things, Johnny Green followed his dream. He never lost sight of the vision and the goal.

<P>In the spring of 1979, he was told he had earned a scholarship. It was the happiest day of his young life. He would play for Auburn and he would play alongside some of the greatest names in Auburn Football, James Brooks, Joe Cribbs, William Andrews, Charlie Trotman and Freddie Smith.

<P>He was the second leading tackler among the defensive backs in 1980 and had two interceptions. His best games were in the biggest games. He had nine tackles against Georgia and eight against LSU. Not bad for a walk-on following a dream.

<P>In 1981, there was a coaching change. Coach Barfield was gone, Coach Dye arrived on the scene. It didn't take long for the new staff to see that Johnny Green, though not the most talented player, was made of the right stuff.

<P>This is what the 1981 media guide -- brochure as it was called at the time -- said about Johnny Green: "Missed all of spring training with a knee injury, but should be 100 percent by this fall. At one time it was thought Johnny might not be able to play football again, but his intense desire and a willingness to work hard have enabled him to overcome an injury that might have ended most careers.
"Although the new coaching staff has never seen him play in person, they are impressed with his attitude and his desire to play.

<P>"Johnny is an accomplished artist and his caricatures are extremely popular around Sewell Hall.Editor of his high school yearbook and president of his senior class."

<P>Green lettered two years and went on with the rest of his life. It is that "rest of his life" that we want to talk about today.

<P>Having experienced firsthand what dreams and hard work can do, he moved on to higher goals, higher dreams and higher expectations.

<P>While working as a fiscal analyst for the State of Alabama, he earned his masters' degree at AUM.

<P>With a family to support, he didn't have a lot of extra usable resources, but he didn't let that take his mind off his new dream.

<P>He received a fellowship from Harvard University's Urban Fellows program as seed money, and the rest is history.

<P>Johnny Green, the walk-on halfback from Birmingham, earned his Ph.D in public administration at last summer's graduation. Johnny Green had become Dr. Johnny Green.

<P>This story alone is good enough, but there is more. Along the way, he felt the call to minister to the needs of God's people. He was called to the pulpit of the White Street Baptist Church in Auburn, and there he preaches and ministers to those needs every day.

<P>He continues to give something back to Auburn. A number of student athletes worship at White Street Baptist every Sunday, and Johnny Green, Dr. Johnny Green, maintains a close relationship with them and other young people -- helping them trod paths he once trod, helping them navigate the shoals and shallows that always accompany youth and maturation. They have dreams, too, as he once had a dream.

<P>If you want to know what Auburn Football is all about, look at Johnny Green.
You'll like what you see and you'll be proud, proud of him and proud of Auburn for assisting in such a noble effort.

<P ALIGN=CENTER><A HREF="./" target="_top">TABLE OF CONTENTS</A> | <A HREF="../" target="_top">PROGRAM INDEX</A> | <A HREF="../../index.html" target="_top">HOME</A></P>

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	<HTML>

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	<TITLE>David Housel Column</TITLE>

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	<H1 ALIGN=CENTER> <IMG ALT="Housel's Desk " ALIGN =CENTER WIDTH=434 HEIGHT=102 BORDER=2 SRC="../pic/housldsk.jpg"> </H1>
	<BR><BR>

	<P><FONT SIZE=7>i</FONT>f you want to know what Auburn Football is all about, look at Johnny Green.

	<P>Johnny Green came here from Birmingham in 1978, as a defensive back, a walk-on in what seemed like a cast of thousands, but Johnny Green had a dream, and that dream was to play for Auburn, to wear the Orange and Blue.

	<P>While others fell aside or moved on to other things, Johnny Green followed his dream. He never lost sight of the vision and the goal.

	<P>In the spring of 1979, he was told he had earned a scholarship. It was the happiest day of his young life. He would play for Auburn and he would play alongside some of the greatest names in Auburn Football, James Brooks, Joe Cribbs, William Andrews, Charlie Trotman and Freddie Smith.

	<P>He was the second leading tackler among the defensive backs in 1980 and had two interceptions. His best games were in the biggest games. He had nine tackles against Georgia and eight against LSU. Not bad for a walk-on following a dream.

	<P>In 1981, there was a coaching change. Coach Barfield was gone, Coach Dye arrived on the scene. It didn't take long for the new staff to see that Johnny Green, though not the most talented player, was made of the right stuff.

	<P>This is what the 1981 media guide -- brochure as it was called at the time -- said about Johnny Green: "Missed all of spring training with a knee injury, but should be 100 percent by this fall. At one time it was thought Johnny might not be able to play football again, but his intense desire and a willingness to work hard have enabled him to overcome an injury that might have ended most careers.
	"Although the new coaching staff has never seen him play in person, they are impressed with his attitude and his desire to play.

	<P>"Johnny is an accomplished artist and his caricatures are extremely popular around Sewell Hall.Editor of his high school yearbook and president of his senior class."

	<P>Green lettered two years and went on with the rest of his life. It is that "rest of his life" that we want to talk about today.

	<P>Having experienced firsthand what dreams and hard work can do, he moved on to higher goals, higher dreams and higher expectations.

	<P>While working as a fiscal analyst for the State of Alabama, he earned his masters' degree at AUM.

	<P>With a family to support, he didn't have a lot of extra usable resources, but he didn't let that take his mind off his new dream.

	<P>He received a fellowship from Harvard University's Urban Fellows program as seed money, and the rest is history.

	<P>Johnny Green, the walk-on halfback from Birmingham, earned his Ph.D in public administration at last summer's graduation. Johnny Green had become Dr. Johnny Green.

	<P>This story alone is good enough, but there is more. Along the way, he felt the call to minister to the needs of God's people. He was called to the pulpit of the White Street Baptist Church in Auburn, and there he preaches and ministers to those needs every day.

	<P>He continues to give something back to Auburn. A number of student athletes worship at White Street Baptist every Sunday, and Johnny Green, Dr. Johnny Green, maintains a close relationship with them and other young people -- helping them trod paths he once trod, helping them navigate the shoals and shallows that always accompany youth and maturation. They have dreams, too, as he once had a dream.

	<P>If you want to know what Auburn Football is all about, look at Johnny Green.
	You'll like what you see and you'll be proud, proud of him and proud of Auburn for assisting in such a noble effort.

	<P ALIGN=CENTER><A HREF="./" target="_top">TABLE OF CONTENTS</A> \| <A HREF="../" target="_top">PROGRAM INDEX</A> \| <A HREF="../../index.html" target="_top">HOME</A></P>

	<P ALIGN=CENTER><I>© 1999 Auburn Network, Inc.</I></P>


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