It’s easy to forget that Chad Greenway was once a no-name recruit from South Dakota.

It was Iowa that gave him his first and only Division I scholarship. Greenway then became an All-American, a first-round draft pick, an All-Pro and an 11-year NFL veteran.

On Tuesday, Greenway officially said goodbye to his NFL career.

He made sure to give his alma mater plenty of credit for his success:

“None of this happens in the NFL without the University of Iowa,” Greenway said. “First of all, they were the only team that drove out to Mount Vernon in a snowstorm to come take a look at me. They were the only ones to send a scholarship offer to me and believe in me. They were the ones that had the foresight to move this high school quarterback to safety and then to linebacker.

“They were the ones who built me into a 240-pound player when I was going in there 195 pounds. They were the ones that gave me this dream and this opportunity and they were also the ones that encouraged me to finish and get my degree. So now that my playing career is over, I can go back and do something else.

“…I played here 11 years and Kirk Ferentz is still there doing his job. It’s because he’s one of the best in the world at coaching young men and truly making men out of them. That’s something he did for me and I appreciate that.”

Greenway was part one of Kirk Ferentz’s first recruiting classes at Iowa. Now, the 34-year-old will have a chance at a new career path.

He’ll also have more time to enjoy some fall Saturdays in Iowa City.