EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The dream began with one of the earliest father-son talks Alan and Chad Greenway ever had on the farm.
Just 5 or 6 years old, Chad was holding the gate for his dad to feed cattle in Mount Vernon, South Dakota, and said he was "going to play professional football."
"He looked at me like I was crazy," Greenway recalled Tuesday morning in the Winter Park Fieldhouse when he stepped up to a podium to formerly announce his retirement after 11 seasons with Minnesota. "I'll never forget he was like, 'It's going to take a lot of hard work, but it's possible.'
"And it's sort of one of those moments where you just never forget as a kid, and my dad was my hero," Greenway continued. "I think when he said that, it was something like, 'I'm going to try and do that.' It took a lot of work, it's taken a lot of effort and a lot of good luck."
As Greenway progressed from 9-man football to making the most of his one major college offer — a scholarship to the University of Iowa — and eventually being drafted with the 17th pick of the 2006 NFL Draft, he increasingly realized the value of his upbringing and relished how much a privilege it was to plant roots while accomplishing football goals in the place most closely connected to home.
"You realize that growing up in that environment on the farm and in that community was the reason that I was able to have success at Iowa, but also be able to have 11 years of continued success here," Greenway said. "It was all because of not only who I am, but what made me who I am by my parents, my farming background and my community."
Accomplishing one goal led setting to another: make the high school team, be the best player on the squad, then the tops in the state; earn a Division I scholarship, play for Iowa, garner All-America status; get drafted into the NFL, All-Pro, Pro Bowl, be a great teammate and leader all the way.
While Greenway didn't get to be part of the Vikings first win in a Super Bowl or make their first appearance in his lifetime, he was able to finish his career where it all began: with honors, and with family, friends and Vikings Legends in attendance on Tuesday.
"This is my final goal that'll accomplish in the NFL," Greenway said. "Probably my final goal that'll achieve as a player was to be able to go out and retire on my own terms doing it my way and looking back at a career where I don't have to live with any regret. I never took a day off."
Hall of Famers Bud Grant, Carl Eller and Paul Krause, Ring of Honor members Scott Studwell and Fred Zamberletti, Vikings alumni Jim Kleinsasser and Ben Leber and safety Harrison Smith attended.
As did the Greenway gals — wife Jenni, and the couple's four daughters, Maddyn (9), Beckett (6), Blakely (2) and Carsyn (3 months), who were decked out in three No. 52 jerseys and a custom onesie — a substantial part of his future sitting in the front row staring at "Daddy".
Over the course of more than 20 minutes of prepared remarks, Greenway specifically mentioned 77 individual people who had a role, somewhere along the way, of his dream becoming a reality or in making his journey more enjoyable. He also thanked, less specifically, his entire hometown of 400 or so people, members of the media and millions of Vikings fans.
The words of thanks were so natural that he breezed through them until circling back to his parents, shifting from completely poised to poignant.
"I can't say enough about the people they are and the … kids they raised," Greenway said. "They gave us every opportunity we wanted. They let us set sail and go achieve those dreams. They gave us intangible quality that I have and my sisters have, to go achieve our dreams. I am a microcosm of my parents. The work ethic that has led me to the consistent player that I have been over the course of the last 11 years is because of them. None of this would be possible without them."
Greenway's mother is still running the family farm.
"The courage she shows on an everyday basis of running that thing with my dad gone, having four daughters, is such an amazing thing for me to watch," he said. "I'm so proud of her for that. The example she continues to give us. I just can't say, 'thank you,' enough."
Greenway paused, stepped back slightly from the podium, clasped his hands together and found words to describe his father, who passed away in December 2014 after a two-year battle with cancer.
"I know he's looking down on me. The most amazing man in the world, hands down," Greenway said. "I'm so proud to carry the name that he gave me and hold it to a high standard. I'm so proud to be his son. It was hard losing him, but at the same time, it's fun to be able to carry on his name and his legacy with my own kids."
Greenway has already transitioned to coaching his oldest two daughters' in basketball, and all four are on track to continue the athleticism of their parents. OK, maybe it's too early to tell about the infant, but the toddler streaked sideline to midfield before chugging an adult-sized bottle of sports drink. Maddyn and Beckett, meanwhile, took turns diving through a tackling pad onto a mat — the final tackling drills by a Greenway — as their dad went through a series of 1-on-1 interviews with media members after the press conference.
Two days before the 2017 NFL League Year opens, Greenway stepped away from the game with 1,334 tackles (fourth-most in Vikings history), 144 starts (fourth by a Vikings linebacker), 156 games played, 18 sacks (third by a Vikings LB) and 11 interceptions (tied with Studwell and Jeff Siemon).
Studwell, who played all 14 of his seasons with the Vikings and set the franchise record with 1,928 tackles, scouted Greenway at Iowa. Greenway recalled that encounter, as well as **trying to chase him** in the record books. The two sets of arms with 3,262 tackles wrapped around each other, this time not for a tackle but in an embrace, after the press conference.
Greenway became the first player drafted after the Wilf family purchased the franchise in 2006. Greenway spoke with Zygi and Mark Wilf on Monday to thank them for drafting him, sticking with him and supporting his community endeavors through his Lead The Way Foundation that has raised more than $1.5 million to support chronically and critically ill children in the Upper Midwest.
"You couldn't ask for a more perfect environment for a kid to come into, a more comfortable environment, a more family friendly environment, an environment that really wanted to protect their young players than Zygi and Mark with what they created here and they still have here for our young guys," Greenway said.
The linebacker also noted the growing rarity of a player being able to spend an entire career that spans more than a decade with one team. He thanked General Manager Rick Spielman, Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski and Assistant General Manager George Paton to build a strong relationship over time.
Spielman said Greenway has been a "great mentor to every player that we've brought into this organization, showing them not only how to prepare as a pro, how to be the best you can be on the field, how you help your football team win games, but more importantly what you do off the field and how important it is for NFL players today to represent their organizations out in the community."
"As much as we're going to miss Chad Greenway on the field," Spielman added, "I know he's going to be a big part of this organization as we move forward and I'm looking forward to seeing how that evolves down the road."
Kleinsasser, a North Dakotan who spent all 13 of his pro seasons in Purple, helped welcome the fresh-faced rookie to the practice fields in 2006. The former tight end told Vikings.com that Greenway "annoyed the heck out of you" from time to time because of how much he gave during practice drills, but added that teammates "quickly loved that part" about Greenway.
Kleinsasser said Greenway has been a "consummate pro," and it was nice to see another player from the Upper Midwest finish the way he wanted.
"There's a lot of pride in staying with one team," Kleinsasser said. "A lot of loyalty goes into it, and just being able to stay in one place says a lot about what kind of person you are and how well-received you are in the community."
Greenway also spoke about the impact that Head Coach Mike Zimmer made on him during the past three seasons, challenging him with new ideas. Greenway said Zimmer and his staff have taught him "more about defense the last three years than I knew my entire life."
Zimmer expressed thanks for the role that Greenway has played in helping him adjust to his first opportunity as a head coach after years of success as a defensive coordinator.
"He was a guy I could lean on an awful lot and talk to, a guy I could talk to about things that are going on throughout the course of a football team," Zimmer said. "Like I've said before, I wish I would have had him when he was younger, actually when we were both younger, that would have been a good thing. Chad is a true Viking. He's going to fit in tremendously with all of these other great Vikings that are up here right now and great coaching legends. I'm sorry to see you go, but I'm happy for you for the time that you have in the future."
