Lucky Number: Football Trade Yields Home for Family

May 23, 2007 — -- Everyone has a lucky number — lucky because it's a beloved child's birth date, or because it's the day something special happened in your life, or it came in a fortune cookie that you found in your pocket, and it struck a chord.

For some athletes, a lucky number is their number, the number that is on their jersey when they make a team. Babe Ruth was No. 3, and Michael Jordan gained immortality playing as No. 23. Redskin running back Clinton Portis paid a teammate $40,000 to keep his No. 26, and Phillies pitcher Mitch Williams got No. 28 from John Kruk for two cases of beer.

For football player Ahman Green, the magic number is 30. He went to the Pro Bowl four times wearing No. 30 when he played for the Green Bay Packers, and wore it as a player for the Seattle Seahawks.

Green was recently traded to the Houston Texans, a football team on the lookout for a good running back. But, there was one small problem — his number belonged to another player, defensive back Jason Simmons, who has played with the Texans since the team's inception in 2002.

Green wanted 30. And Simmons knew Green wanted it because he started getting text messages on his cell phone from mutual friends.

The pressure was on. Green wanted Simmons to name his price, and was stunned when Simmons told him the price was this: the down payment for a house for a needy family.

Simmons said it was a simple decision. "This will mean more to me than a watch or a car. The thing is the look on a family's face when you put them in a new house and give them a fresh start in life. A lot of times that is all people need, just a jump-start."

Green was pleasantly surprised by Simmons' generosity — he thinks it is a good price to pay for No. 30. "I got my number, but as Jason said, we can put a big smile on a family's face."

The Houston Texans have started the search process to find a family who will benefit from this generous gesture, and is expected to make an announcement soon.

Simmons said it's not about the glory, it's about doing good. "We didn't do this thing [for] any fanfare, we just did this to help a family out."