Once-in-a-lifetime talent in DGB

Yearly Athlete of the Year story on Dorial Green-Beckham from June 10, 2012.

Dorial Green-Beckham posed in front of his expansive, yet inadequate, trophy case last week for another photo shoot.

This time, the former Hillcrest High School megastar was being recognized by the News-Leader as our Male Athlete of the Year, our annual award for southwest Missouri's best senior high school athlete.

But as the 19-year-old mugged in front of awards such as the Ken Hall Trophy, awarded by the U.S. Army to the best high school football player in the land, the local award seemed a little overshadowed.

Though inevitable, Green-Beckham is indeed our selection for the award and could've been the winner for three years now if non-seniors were eligible. It's just another one for the overflowing trophy case, which is not big enough to contain Green-Beckham's honors.

Column: Never another like DGB

Published March 12, 2012.

Dorial Green-Beckham wouldn't say for sure if he represented Hillcrest High School for the final time on Saturday night in the Class 4 boys' basketball state championship game at Mizzou Arena.

But after the 55-42 loss to Soldan International Studies, it sure seemed like it. And he certainly does not have much to gain or prove in winning a few more state track and field medals.

"It might be my last time representing Hillcrest," the senior said after rattling the rim a couple times and doing the best he could to deliver another state title to Springfield.

The Decision: Star likes being 'close to home'

Published Feb. 2, 2012.

After a tumultuous upbringing, which included foster homes and an adoption a little over 13 months ago, relationships are important to Dorial Green-Beckham.

That partly explains why the No. 1 football recruit in the nation stayed close to home Wednesday, announcing that he will attend the University of Missouri.

Green-Beckham, in a packed gymnasium at Hillcrest High School and on live television nationally on ESPNU, picked the Tigers over finalists Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

"Just to be home," Green-Beckham said about important factors in his decision. "To be close to family members and have everyone come out to support me."

Calm before the recruiting storm

Big-time recruit in Springfield. Published: Aug. 8, 2010.

Major-college football prospects often spend their summers flying around the country meeting with coaches and working out at university football camps to boost their stock on the recruiting trail.

But Dorial Green-Beckham, a potential five-star football recruit following a monster sophomore year at Hillcrest High School -- All-Ozarks in football and basketball, state champion in basketball and gold medalist in the 100 meters and triple jump at the state track meet -- had what John Beckham, his adoptive father and coach, called "a fairly boring summer."

Save for a high school football team camp, a travel-team basketball tournament in Arkansas and a trip to Florida with the family, Green-Beckham stayed primarily in southwest Missouri.

"I ran and all that; hung out and went up to school to catch a couple balls," Green-Beckham said last week. "I was working on my hands and catching the ball.

"But I mostly just stayed here and worked on all the things here."