Teamwork is the key to football success, and it is teamwork that Tiger football great Charlie Green ’65 noted first during his induction into the National College Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 10 in South Bend, Ind.

“The team accomplishments, that’s what I hold most warmly in my heart,” said Green, who became the first Wittenberg player to enter the hall, following in the footsteps of three Tiger coaching legends, Ernie Godfrey, Bill Edwards and Dave Maurer.

“I played with a lot of great players and for a lot of great coaches. I couldn’t have done any of this without them.”

In three years as a starter (1962-1964), Green led the Tigers to two national titles, three Ohio Conference Championships and accumulated an overall record of 25-0-1. He still holds 13 offensive records at Wittenberg, including several from his most productive season, the 1963 campaign in which he finished with 19 touchdowns, 2,181 yards and 114 completions in 182 attempts. For his career, Green holds school records with 61 touchdown passes, 5,774 total passing yards, 325 completions and 555 attempts.

In addition, Green was an Associated Press All-America in 1964, the team Most Valuable Player in 1963 and ’64, first-team All-Ohio Athletic Conference in 1962, ’63 and ’64, and OAC Offensive MVP in 1963 and ’64. All of those accomplishments made him an easy choice for the inaugural class of the Wittenberg Athletic Hall of Honor in 1985.

Becoming the first Wittenberg player inducted into the National College Football Hall of Fame was a surprise to Green, who spent four seasons in the National Football League after graduating from Wittenberg.

“First of all when you hear about it, you’re kind of shocked and surprised,” Green told the Dayton Daily News. “Then after you have a chance to sit down and think about it, you are very thankful and appreciative for having got the experience. After a few weeks, after having a chance to contemplate it, you just can’t believe it.”

Ernie Godfrey is a member of the National College Football Hall of Fame Class of 1971, followed by two of Green’s former coaches, Bill Edwards (1986) and Dave Maurer (1991).

Joining them in the Hall of Fame and going in with the Class of 2002, which included such famous names as Steve Young, Barry Switzer and Brent Jones, was somewhat incomprehensible to Green.

“This is such a great feeling, such a tremendous honor,” he said. “I was just a little guy from a small town when I went to Wittenberg. Who could have guessed I would end up here?”

—Emma Belcher