KEN HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Friday, September 9, 2005 7:00 pm
Even though he is one of the greatest running backs in Nebraska football history, Ahman Green will always be an answer to a trivia question.
“Name the leading rusher on the 1995 national championship team that averaged almost 400 yards a game.”
The answer is Green, a freshman from Omaha Central.
“There were times when I’d say to myself, ‘Hey, I’m a freshman and I’m playing,’ but I always felt I came here to play and if I got a chance, I’d give everything I had to make it work,” Green said.
Lawrence Phillips played the first two games and was suspended for the next six. Clinton Childs suffered a knee injury. Damon Benning had an ankle injury.
So the experienced players sat and healed while Green ran wild behind the offensive line of Aaron Graham, Chris Dishman, Aaron Taylor, Steve Ott and Eric Anderson.
Green set a school record for a freshman, passing former Omaha Central standout Calvin Jones. He also had 121 catches, four kickoff returns and led NU in all-purpose yards (114.5 yards a game). He averaged 7.7 yards per carry and was second only to freshman kicker Kris Brown in scoring.
“Most of the time I didn’t think about being the new guy in the backfield,” Green said. “Everything was happening so fast. It wasn’t scary. You went in with respect for your teammates and you tried to earn their respect.”
Practices were especially competitive.
“We had clashes with the defense and we got better,” Green said. “I think we made the defense better because we had a good offense.”
Green rushed for 176 yards against Washington State in the fifth game of the season, and Husker fans were chanting his name.
He was the starting I-back the rest of the regular season. He ran with a severely sprained ankle against Kansas State that year for 109 yards on 22 carries.
He was named the Big Eight newcomer of the year and to the second-team All-Big Eight offense.
Even though it has been 10 years, Green is still doing what he has always done on a football field.
He is considered one of the best backs in the NFL and has shown a consistency with the Packers that has Green Bay fans talking about him along with Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor.
Green has rushed for more than 1,100 yards each of the last six seasons, topping out at 1,883 yards in 2003.
Packer teammate Tony Fisher has called Green the “ultimate leader.”
Fisher said Green works as hard in practice as the rookies. Green Bay running backs coach Edgar Bennett told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal that Green was, “A class act. He’s a real team player.”
Green recently signed an agreement to complete meaningful counseling and to perform 100 hours of community service to avoid trial in a misdemeanor disorderly conduct domestic abuse charge.
“That’s behind me and I will move on, and that’s that,” Green said.
The former Journal Star athlete of the year is also embarking on a new venture customizing cars for diehard fans and professional athletes.
Partnered with Rodney Johnson, the R Series car shop in Omaha will create an Ahman Green Husker car, complete with red and white paint, the player names from the 1995 Nebraska football team under the hood, Green’s stats under the trunk and other information painted into the car.
“If you want a Brett Favre car, that’s green and gold, with his stats, we can do that,” Green said. “We can make a car pretty special and personal for under $5,000.
“It’s a lot of fun, and I think it’s a market ready to be tapped,” he said.
Reach Ken Hambleton at 473-7313 or khambleton@journalstar.com.