Darryl D. Green, as a teammate, a friend or an opponent was competitive, but kind and caring, and always put others in front of himself. He loved sports with a passion. He knew every athlete on any team that you could think of, from any sport, or any level of competition. When he started in the sport of goalball, he was a kid who needed guidance and leadership. He needed a sport he could excel in, where his disability wouldn’t be a disadvantage. Goalball was that sport. We all came to know Darryl through the sport of goalball as well as other blind sports and opportunities. We know he loved the competition. He wanted to be considered an elite athlete, like some of his favorites in Pro Football, such as Darryl Green and Sean Taylor of the Washington Redskins.

Darryl grew into a fierce competitor. He was a defensive minded athlete, a National Champion and was considered to be a Paralympic hopeful. He was well known for his clutch scoring, in which he had a trademark curve that no one could replicate. He was never an offensive threat, but just when you forgot about him, he would squeak a curve right down your throat. He played his entire goalball career with Steven Mulhern, and two developed a friendship that could be compared to brothers. He was close to both of the Mulhern Brothers. The guys developed the team name, Venom, at a practice. When the team looked to be tough both offensively and defensively, they (John, Steven and Darryl) asked Coach Gontaryk how he liked the taste of Venom. The name stuck, and is still the team name today. Steven and Darryl admired the toughness that Tornado showed as they competed in regional tournaments as the Vultures. They wanted to take the next step from 3rd place level to National Champions. The three started Venom in 2003, and continued on to win 2 regional tournaments and a National Championship. As Darryl was passing the ball when we needed a score, or were being merciless, he would always say to the Mulhern brothers, “It’s time to inject the Venom.”

Darryl considered a lot of the teams throughout the goalball community as friends. At least until he stepped onto the court, where he and Venom had developed some rivalries. His favorite, of course, would be the MI Wrecking Crew games. We faced the Wrecking Crew more often than any other team, both for medals and for that deciding moment of who would be the top seed. Offensively, he loved playing Florida and scoring his lone goal on a curve ball. It seemed to be a recurring event in games against Florida. He loved playing against USA’s best center Chris Dodds from Utah. To Darryl, it was the ultimate challenge to try to play better defense than USA’s top defender. He enjoyed being a mentor to fellow athletes, like Tito Vega from NJ. Darryl was instrumental in having the NJ Boys come over to Philadelphia to practice with PA goalball, where the Boys also improved from 3rd place to National Champions.

We all miss him dearly. Every time we step on the court I feel his presence, and feel like he is enjoying the game from the heavenly bleachers. In honor of Darryl Green, Pa Goalball is dedicating the season to him, and has retired his #4. Our Final Step will be in Salt Lake City, Utah. Unfortunately, he won’t be here physically. We all have great memories of Darryl, both on and off the court. We just need to keep those memories fresh, and keep going forward until we meet up with him again in Heaven. Rest in Peace, Darryl D Green #4 Rattler.

–JOHN MULHERN, and PA Goalball.

Loving Memory of Darryl D. Green. Forever In our Hearts.

Our Patches on our Jerseys read : #4 on our roster, #1 in our hearts.
R.I.P Darryl Green.