Cowboys legends Tony Dorsett, Drew Pearson team with Washington rival for special HS practice
Albuquerque, New Mexico is just six hours from Glendale, where the Arizona Cardinals play. It’s about the same distance to Denver, home of the Broncos. But a recent poll shows that most of the Land of Enchantment actually roots for the NFL team that resides 650 miles to the east.
No surprise, then, that past Cowboys icons Tony Dorsett and Drew Pearson would be treated like royalty during a stop in Albuquerque. And even though the former rival who brought them there to serve as their teammate for a day may feel like an odd mismatch, it was all for a great cause.
Seven-time Pro Bowler and Washington football icon Darrell Green hosted a special football practice last week for the city’s Highland High School team. The three Pro Football Hall of Famers and the University of New Mexico Lobos coaching staff not only led the Hornets squad through drills on the field at UNM’s University Stadium, they also spent time with the youngsters to focus on the importance of physical and mental health, higher education, and suicide prevention.
“We’re not playing anymore,” Green said. “We use the memories- the nostalgia, whatever you want to call it, we use that- to come and stand before young people and tell them all the knots, bumps, and scars that we have on our lives so that you don’t get the knots and bumps and scars on your life. That’s what this is really all about.”
Green helped establish the Strong Youth, Strong Communities initiative alongside the Pro Football Hall of Fame and managed care company Centene Corporation several years ago to equip and assist youth and youth-serving organizations across America.
He travels the country for events like last Wednesday’s practice session, using connections he made during his playing days and as a Hall of Fame member to bring a little added star power to each stop.
Western Sky Community Care was so proud to host NFL Hall of Famers Drew Pearson, Darrell Green, and Tony Dorsett to practice with Albuquerque's Highland High School football team to empower the kids and promote good health! https://t.co/ApCctgYYXH pic.twitter.com/sHRrGlXcrb
— Western Sky Community Care (@WesternSkyCC) June 25, 2023
For the team from Highland High, an under-served Title 1 school, it was important to hear from the visiting Super Bowl legends that it’s not where they start out that determines the impact they can have, it’s where they choose to go.
“They need to understand [for] themselves,” Dorsett said, “the fact that they have leadership qualities, that they can lead what’s going on and make a difference in what’s happening in their schools. Take this platform and make it a positive thing.”
An offer for Cowboys fans
For the best local Austin news, sports, entertainment and culture coverage, subscribe to the Austin American-Statesman.
Highland High was chosen for the event, organized by Western Sky Community Care, because of the Hornets’ performance both on the field and in the classroom, with the team’s players reaching 100% eligibility for the upcoming football season.
Dorsett, Green, and Pearson shared some of their own stories of overcoming adversity, in lessons that they hope will stick with the young players long after they unlace their cleats.
“We all know football’s a tough game,” Pearson told the group. “And that’s why the people that come out of the game, whether you’re in the Pro Football Hall of Fame or not, when you come out on the other side of playing this game, you become a better person.”
