Cornell Green ( defensive back ) Cornell Green ( born February 10 , 1940 in Oklahoma City , Oklahoma ) , 6 ' 3 " , 205 , is a former American football cornerback and safety who played for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League . He went to the Utah State University where he didn ' t play football but was a three - time All - Skyline Conference basketball player . The Cowboys signed him as a free agent in 1962 . Early years . He attended El Cerrito High School located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area , California . Green is one of Utah State ' s most decorated basketball players having earned All - America honors in 1960 and 1961 as well as all - Skyline conference honors in each of his three years ( 1960 – 62 ) . Green , a 6 - 4 forward , set the Aggie career rebounding record with 1 , 067 which still stands today . He is also the fifth leading scorer in Utah State University history with 1 , 890 points . He produced some of the best individual seasons in school history as his 745 points in 1962 are still in second place , while his 403 rebounds in 1960 remain a school record for a season . He was the Skyline conference MVP as a sophomore . In Green ' s three seasons with the Aggies , Utah State University went to the 1960 National Invitation Tournament and to the 1962 NCAA Men ' s Division I Basketball Tournament . The 1959 - 1960 team finished eighth in the Associated Press Poll and seventh in the Coaches ' Poll , which remains the highest year - end basketball ranking in school history . In 1993 , he was inducted into the Utah State University Intercollegiate Athletics Hall Of Fame . Professional career . Cornell Green was a college basketball star who never played a down of college football , that the Dallas Cowboys converted into a defensive back . This was one of the innovative personnel decisions the Cowboys were renowned for . On a tip from Utah State basketball coach LaDell Anderson , the Cowboys discovered and signed the multi - talented younger brother of then Red Sox infielder Pumpsie Green for $ 1 , 000 dollars . At that time , Green was leaning towards playing in the NBA , after been drafted by the Chicago Zephyrs in the fifth round of the 1962 NBA Draft . " I never planned on playing for the Cowboys , " Green recalled . Even when he reported to training camp in Marquette , Michigan , in 1962 , he just thought of it as a $ 1 , 000 gift from the Dallas Cowboys . " I figured I ’ d go there for a week . . . and they ’ d cut me , " Green said . His teammates nicknamed him " Sweet Lips " and eventually made the 1962 team roster as an undrafted free agent , learning fast enough to start 3 games and be selected to the NFL All - Rookie team . The next season he became a full time starter at left cornerback setting a career best with 7 interceptions . Green became a big - time contributor to Tom Landry ’ s intricate defensive schemes and a feared defender during his career in Dallas . All he was missing were the gaudy stats . Said Gil Brandt : " I mean , if Cornell had any kind of hands , he would ’ ve had three times as many interceptions as he got . . . and the guy played basketball in college . " He played cornerback during his first eight seasons , while leading the team in interceptions 4 times , being named to 5 Pro Bowl s and 3 All - Pro teams . Cowboys coach Tom Landry said of Green , " He had the athletic skills from basketball to become a fine defensive back . His only transition was playing a sport where you could tackle someone with the ball , and Cornell never had a problem dealing with that " . In 1970 after Mike Gaechter suffered a career ending injury , and with the cornerback position needing an upgrade , Tom Landry moved Mel Renfro to play cornerback . Given that Renfro was an All - Pro in 1969 at safety , the move may have seemed to be an odd one , but Renfro was matched with Herb Adderley , and the duo was better than Green and Phil Clark . Green in turn , moved from cornerback to the strong safety position , while the free safety position was handled between third - round pick Charlie Waters and undrafted free agent Cliff Harris . After the switch , the Cowboys went to two consecutive Super Bowl s . In 1971 and 1972 he went back to the Pro Bowl at safety . Green never missed a game in 13 seasons ( 1962 - 74 ) , he played 168 games , including 145 consecutive starts for the Cowboys between 1962 - 1974 . He made five Pro Bowl s at two different positions — cornerback and strong safety . He is tied with Michael Downs for fifth in career interceptions ( 34 ) in Cowboys history . In 1985 , he was named to the Dallas Cowboys 25th Anniversary Team Post - playing career . Green began scouting for the Dallas Cowboys in 1970 while still an active player and continued scouting through 1979 , at which time he entered private business until coming to the Denver Broncos in 1987 . He has over 29 years scouting in the NFL , and over 22 seasons doing it with the Broncos . Personal life . He is the brother of Pumpsie Green , the first black player to play for the Boston Red Sox , the last Major League Baseball team to integrate .