Bloomington chief Heffner recognized during Hall of Fame speech

Brendan Heffner
Bloomington Police Chief Brendan Heffner played against Pro Football Hall of Famer Kevin Greene when they were younger. (Photo courtesy Bloomington Police Department)By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington Police Chief Brendan Heffner got an unexpected shout-out last weekend.

It came from non-other than Kevin Greene when he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.

“I competed against the best that the Athletic Youth Association had to offer…” Greene said during his induction ceremony. “Names you don’t know but I know very well; Billy LeClair, Sammy Jackson, Brendan Heffner, just to name a few.”

It was all the more unexpected for Heffner because he didn’t realize that was the same Kevin Greene he played against as teenagers while their military families were stationed in Germany.

“Because that’s a common name, I didn’t realize that was him,” Heffner said, adding that he was watching the Olympics when friends contacted him to report the mention.

“He’s a little different than when we were younger. I was really taken aback. It’s an honor. I’m very honored to be mentioned in a speech by someone going into the Hall of Fame.”

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].

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