About the Guest
A native son of South Dakota. Chad Greenway was born and raised on a hog, cattle, and crop farm in Mt. Vernon, SD. He learned the value of hard work, resiliency, and perseverance working daily on the family farm. Growing up in a small rural community Greenway was thrust into leadership positions at an early age on the farm and in the community.
Greenway attended the University of Iowa on a football scholarship. While at Iowa, Greenway was named 3-time All Big Ten and was a 2- time All American. Greenway was on the leadership council all four years of college which is the highest honor voted on by his peers. Greenway graduated with a degree in Communication Studies in December of 2005.
In the 2006 NFL Draft Chad was drafted #17 overall in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings. Greenway played 11 seasons in the NFL all of which were with the Vikings. Greenway was All-Pro, Pro-Bowl, and a long tenured Captain of the Vikings during his career. Greenway was named Vikings Man of the Year four times and was the NFLPA’s winner of the prestigious Byron “Whizzer” White award for his charitable contributions during his career.
Since his retirement from the NFL in 2017 Greenway has stayed active in the Twin Cities as President of his family’s Lead the Foundation which launched in 2010 and is still active in supporting families and kids across the upper midwest. He has also became Partner with two different companies over the past 5 years. (Gray Duck Spirits, Bankshot Solutions) Greenway resides in Wayzata, Mn with his wife Jennifer and four daughters and is active in training, coaching and being a dad to his girls.
What can you expect to learn from this episode of Popular Pig?
- How growing up on a family farm shaped Chad’s work ethic and leadership skills.
- The role that persistence and accountability play in both farming and professional sports.
- How teamwork on the farm translates to success in sports and business.
- Insights into the importance of adaptability and constant improvement, even at the highest levels.
- Chad’s “golden nugget”
