I was 17 when the Vikings drafted linebacker Chad Greenway with the 17th pick of the 2006 NFL Draft.

Into the thick of the Purple and Gold and well past the Cris Carter days, I quickly identified Greenway as my favorite player. His tenacity and explosiveness on the field was undeniable, but the demeanor and character he displayed off the field proved the selling point.

Greenway to me defined class from day one, and he confirmed my theory first-hand.

As an amateur writer in 2012 with little on my résumé, I conducted an interview with former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber for a series of blog features I was writing to build an online portfolio. Leber suggested that Greenway might be open to being the subject of my next feature. He connected me with Greenway, who graciously agreed to the interview and invited me to meet with him at Winter Park.

On Nov. 9, 2012, two days before the Vikings defeated the Lions 34-24 at the Metrodome, I visited the Vikings practice facility for the first time. I remember sitting down to interview Greenway in the locker room – as Jared Allen ran around in the background – and asking him about his time at Iowa, years with the Vikings and his Lead The Way Foundation.

Greenway answered all of my questions, but what stuck with me was how he then flipped the table: he thanked me for doing the story, asked me about my own goals and encouraged me to keep pursuing my dream as a writer.  

Fast forward nearly three years to August 2015. While doing some freelance work for the Vikings at training camp, I escaped to an air-conditioned Mankato coffee shop to wrap up some writing.

Shortly after I started typing, Greenway stopped in for a coffee. He sent a wave and greeting from line, then stopped by my table to ask how my work was going, if I was still enjoying it.

"It's going well," I said. "I love it."

To which he nodded, "Good," before heading back into the humidity.

On Dec. 14, 2015, I entered the Winter Park locker room for a second time – this time, however, on day one of my dream job as a writer for the team I had grown up watching. I admittedly had a case of the jitters, and it still seemed surreal to me how everything had finally come full circle.

As I observed the activity around me, I spotted a familiar face, standing at his corner locker. He smiled, then walked over.

"Hey Lindsey, congratulations," Chad said, offering me a high five. "You made it."