The annual Bettendorf-Pleasant Valley football game is always heavily anticipated by students. While there are many Pleasant Valley football traditions, the Greenout in particular has a significant backstory. At this rivalry game, the students come together wearing green to honor Brett Greenwood, a PV alum.
Greenwood graduated in 2006 and was a star athlete in high school, excelling in football, track and basketball. He was an exemplary student who modeled excellence in everything from schoolwork to relationships. Band director Drew Anderson noticed this about Greenwood, even though the two had little direct contact. “Many times I would come up to the school on Sunday afternoons and he would be out on the field by himself working on his skills to continually improve,” Anderson said.
Greenwood was incredibly hard working and self disciplined. He continued his football career into college, playing defense for the Iowa Hawkeyes and earning numerous honors for his success on the field. After college, Greenwood signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In 2011, Greenwood came back to PVHS at the start of the football season to share the importance of dedication to both personal education and sports with the football team. While on the field that day, he unexpectedly collapsed from a heart arrhythmia and was rushed to the hospital. Greenwood eventually reached stable condition after being in a medically induced coma for nearly a month, though his brain and body were left damaged. He faced seemingly permanent paralysis in his lower body, and there didn’t seem to be a clear road to recovery.
But Greenwood, staying true to his resolute nature, persevered against all odds and learned to walk again. His progress and lifelong accomplishments didn’t go unnoticed. Pleasant Valley initiated the Greenout tradition and invited Bettendorf High School’s students to participate at.
Every year, for two and a half hours under the Friday night lights, the home town rivalry turns into community-wide support for Greenwood and the principles he has always embodied. “He brought the communities together because some of his best friends on the Iowa football team were Bettendorf players who continue to support him today,” Anderson expressed.
PV is particularly enthusiastic about wearing their green. Everyone at the game is encouraged to sport green attire, body paint, glitter or anything else that can fit through the gates.
This zeal for the tradition, however, wasn’t reciprocated by the visiting team this year. Bettendorf High School usually wears green along with PV, but the Bulldogs’ traditional first game Blackout took precedence in the student section. This has happened more than once in the past, and PV has noticed. “Both Bettendorf and PV students should be wearing green,” said senior student section member Alika Cho. “This goes way above a school rivalry. It continues the legacy of someone in our community.”
Despite Bettendorf opting for a different theme, community members can still sense the unity brought on by this tradition. The turnout at the Bettendorf-Pleasant Valley games has always been incredible, and the 2024 edition was no exception. The stands were jam packed with students, parents and many others all wanting to support their schools and community.
Everyone gets involved in this game, and the cause is an important one.
