When Packers General Manager Ron Wolf traded defensive back Fred Vinson to the Seattle Seahawks for running back Ahman Green (along with a swap of late draft picks), it came with little fanfare.
The 6-0, 218-pound Green had essentially been exiled from Seattle in early 2000 for his persistent fumbling issues and apparently the Packers thought they could “fix” him.
In fact, my Seattle Seahawks buddy told me after the trade, “Good luck with that.”
One training camp later, and through three weeks of the regular season, Green led the NFL with 326 rushing yards, en route to a breakout season in which he rushed for 1,145 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, to go along with an impressive 73 receptions for 559 yards and another three scores.
He fumbled just once all season.
So with all eyes of Packer Nation focused on this newfound revelation, one of the things about Green that emerged was that he was a huge fan of the DC superhero Batman. He had been obsessed since childhood after being raised on the Adam West, campy iteration of the characters from the 1960s. It never left him.
As a lifelong Batman fan myself, it made me like Green all the more. And over the next few years, before injuries began to mount, Ahman Green was almost a superhero on the field. In 2001, he soared to 1,387 yards rushing, and in 2002 he put up another 1,240. And across those two seasons, he put up just shy of 1,000 yards through the air to go with 20 total touchdowns.
It was 2003 when Green really peaked. He ran over, around and through the NFL for a team-record 1,883 rushing yards, 367 receiving yards and 20 total touchdowns. One of those touchdowns was a much-remembered 98-yarder against the Denver Broncos in a game in which he also set the Packers’ single-game rushing record with 218 yards on 20 carries.
Bam!
(It should be noted that it was the same day in which the Cardinals knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs, nudging the Packers in.)
Following the 2006 season, Green decided to sign with the Houston Texas for four years and $23 million ($6.5 million guaranteed) – and that’s when the wheels started coming off the Batmobile for the running back. But what astute Packers fans remember is that when Green left town, he sat at 8,162 rushing yards during his Packers career, leaving him just behind Jim Taylor’s all-time mark of 8,207. That’s a narrow miss that could have made more Packers history. It was akin to the Joker making yet another narrow getaway.
After two seasons in Houston, Green was cut loose, sent back to the Batcave to regroup. When Green Bay backup running back DeShawn Wynn went down with a season-ending injury, the Batphone rang – it was the Packers calling.
Green returned to Green Bay – this time donning No. 34 instead of No. 30 due to the arrival of fullback John Kuhn – to back up new starter Ryan Grant. In fact, he chose 34 in tribute to another hero of his: Walter Payton.
And so it was, on Nov. 8 of 2009, Green, in an otherwise sad loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, came on in relief of Grant and broke Taylor’s record by churning out 45 yards, aided by a 26-yarder on a draw play. Batman had indeed returned.
"The biggest thing is how long it's been around," Green told the media of breaking Taylor’s record. "It means a lot of guys that played running back before me had an opportunity to do it and never got a chance to (get) it. I'm fortunate enough to be a part of that elite group of guys that has a chance to be in the record books for the Green Bay Packers."
Truly Batman-esque. It was his last season in the NFL, and Green finished his career with totals of 9,205 rushing yards (8,322 in Green Bay), with 60 rushing touchdowns, plus 2,883 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns.
In an interview in 2002, Green came clean about just how his Caped Crusader obsession began – and how it had continued. For starters, Green sports a Batman tattoo, and his nickname as a young football player also was “Batman.”
“I have comic books, movies, trading cards, and of course I have the Batman video game for PlayStation,” he told Packers.com. “Then, around my house I have all kinds of Batman models, statuettes of Batman and Robin, and a mural in my kids' room with Batman on one side and the Powerpuff Girls on the other. And I didn't even mention what I did to my cars.”
That’s right, he put Batman insignias on his automobiles. He was channeling his inner child … and his inner superhero. He even had a cameo appearance in the film “Superman v. Batman,” although it didn’t make the theatrical cut. (Check out the director’s cut to see it.)
And if comic books, TV shows and movies solidified his love of the character, it later became Batman’s work ethic that impressed Green the most.
“For one, everything he does he works hard at it,” Green said. “He doesn't have any superhuman strength or any powers that give him an edge, it's just hard work that pays off. Batman gains respect from the other heroes and villains by just being an average human being who uses intelligence and willpower to be stronger and better than anyone who steps in his path.”
Spoken like a true hero.