This is the fourth in a series of 12 articles profiling the Mars Athletic Hall of Fame's Class of 2021.

MIDDLESEX TWP — Shortly before the 1996 high school football season began, Mars head coach Scott Heinauer spoke about senior fullback Chuck Green and what he meant to the team.

“If Chuck plays the way he is capable of playing, we are a different football team,” Heinauer said at the time. “He can go for a touchdown anytime he touches the football.”

Green had shown flashes the year before while battling injuries. Healthy in 1996, the Planets unleashed him on opposing defenses.

He rushed for 1,970 yards and scored 19 touchdowns — both single-season school records at the time — as Mars reached the WPIAL Class 2A championship game at Three Rivers Stadium.

Green was named Second Team all-state following the season and graduated as the school's all-time leading rusher with 2,524 yards.

He will be inducted into the Mars Athletic Hall of Fame Sept. 17.

“This is exciting for me,” said Green. “I'm so thankful and honored.

“The coaches treated us like sons. We lost two games my senior season, but they didn't criticize us for it. That goes a long way for young kids.”

Heinauer is pleased to see Green's contributions rewarded.

“Chuck is one of the players who helped turn this program around,” he said in a recent interview. “There were some others before him, but he was a big reason why we got to Three Rivers, so you have to look at that.”

And it was team success that was Green's main focus 25 years ago.

“I wasn't looking at that season for what I could do individually,” he said. “I was more focused on the guys and what we could do as a team.

“We were a tight bunch, hung out together all the time.”

In a win over Deer Lakes in September, Green raced 98 yards for a touchdown, still the longest rush in Mars history.

He was also a member of Mars' stout defense, where he registered 39 solo tackles, including five sacks, as a senior linebacker. He was named to the Allegheny Conference First Team on both sides of the ball.

“I liked playing offense and defense, but I really liked to hit people,” said Green, who didn't shy away from contact when carrying the football.

“I had good raw speed, but if I had to run over you, I'd do it.”

Green also returned kickoffs, taking a number back for touchdowns.

“I would've returned punts, too, but the coaches didn't want me to get hurt,” he said.

In the Planets' three playoff wins in 1996 — against Riverside, Jeannette and Laurel — Green totaled 472 rushing yards and scored five total touchdowns.

That effort helped bring the Planets to the district final, where Mars would take on Aliquippa. Green opened the scoring with a 78-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, but the Quips prevailed 26-16.

Disappointment soon gave way to a sense of accomplishment for Green and his teammates, something he still feels to this day.

“I enjoyed the camaraderie and am thankful I was part of our success,” he said.

Green is employed by Shields Paving and is the father of three — Chuck Jr. and Jada are Mars graduates and Lincoln is 14 years old.

“I want to thank my parents, Charles and Jane Croom,” added Green. “They were my inspiration for playing and were always in the stands.”