(Ross Lewis/Getty Images). Former teammate Andy Russell called Greene "unquestionably the NFL's best player in the seventies." [13] Noll and the Rooney family, which had owned the franchise since its formation, agreed that building the defensive line was crucial to rebuilding the team. He spent the next 16 years as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1987–1991), Miami Dolphins (1991–1995), and Arizona Cardinals (1996–2003). [23][24] The Steelers finished 1970 with a 5–9 record and went 6–8 in 1971. [43], Pittsburgh finished the 1979 season with a 12–4 record, and ranked second in total defense and fifth in scoring defense. Born and raised in Temple, Texas, Greene attended North Texas State University (now University of North Texas), where he earned consensus All-America honors as a senior playing for the North Texas State Mean Green football team. "Little kids were no longer afraid of me, and older people – both women and men – would come up and offer me a Coke," Greene once remembered of the commercial’s impact at a Coca-Cola event. Greene was named a first-team All-Pro by the Pro Football Writers Association and Pro Football Weekly and was invited to his final Pro Bowl. Joe, starring Peter Boyle; Joe, starring Nicolas Cage; Joe, a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971; Joe, a 2002 Canadian animated short about Joe Fortes; Banana Joe, a character in Cartoon Network's series The Amazing World of Gumball; Music and radio. "If you were giving less than 100 percent, he let you know one way or the other," said Swann. With victory already assured for the Oilers, Greene pointed angrily across the line of scrimmage at Houston quarterback Dan Pastorini, warning, "If you come into the end zone, I'll beat the crap out of you! [60] As of 2016, he resides in Flower Mound, Texas. At a nearby locker, Greene lifted his head and silently glared at him. He's mobile and hostile. The Steelers defense allowed a league-low 195 points during the season, en route to a 35–31 victory over the Cowboys in Super Bowl XIII. [14] Thus, they decided on Greene with the fourth pick of the 1969 NFL Draft. Legal Statement. [21], Former teammate Andy Russell called Greene "unquestionably the NFL's best player in the seventies," saying "No player had a greater impact or did more for his team. The Clio Award-winning commercial was also responsible reshaping Greene’s previously intimidating "public persona," according Coca-Cola. Newly elected Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is vowing to introduce articles of impeachment against Joe Biden the day after his inauguration. "[22] Greene and coach Noll are widely credited with turning the Steelers franchise around. "Mean" Joe Greene, a longtime defensive tackle with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the star of Coca-Cola's 1980 Super Bowl commercial, had once said that drinking all those bottles of Coke left him with a (predictable) problem. Chuck Beatty, Greene's teammate at North Texas and later again in the NFL with the Steelers, served as best man. After retiring from the NFL, Greene spent one year, 1982, as a color analyst for NFL on CBS before becoming an assistant coach under Steelers' head coach Chuck Noll in 1987. Awards & Achievement. [16] Joe Gordon of the Steelers front office recalled an instance in which a teammate was loudly voicing his discontent over the long and cold practice they had just gone through as he yanked off his equipment. "[6], While sources agree the name is a reference to North Texas' athletics teams, the Mean Green,[7][8][9] there are conflicting accounts as to how, when, and why Greene received his "Mean Greene" nickname. [2] Tight on money, they were wed at Craft's sister's house in Dallas. [22][46], Greene and middle linebacker Jack Lambert became the emotional leaders of Pittsburgh's defensive squad. Ashley Greene is Unmarried. [12] In December 1975, he and the other members of the Steel Curtain appeared on the cover of Time magazine. He has good killer instincts. The scholarships are presented annually to students from Texas, whose parents have battled cancer. All rights reserved. Charles Edward Greene (born September 24, 1946), better known as "Mean" Joe Greene, is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1969 to 1981. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene plans to file articles of impeachment on Joe Biden's first full day as president. She got engaged to Paul Khoury in December 2016. ©2021 FOX News Network, LLC. [30] Oakland was held to 29 rushing yards in the Steelers' 24–13 victory. "Believe me, that's all Joe did, he never even said anything," said Gordon. "[10] Bill Mercer, former North Texas play-by-play announcer, states Graham's thought behind the nickname was the Mean Green defense. As of the death of L. C. Greenwood in September 2013, Greene is the last surviving member of the Steel Curtain. I'm gonna kill you!" Afterword, Greene laughed and said, "I knew you weren't going to do it. [22] The following week, the Steelers faced the Oakland Raiders in the AFC championship game, with the defining match-up being Greene against All-Pro center Jim Otto. With a defense considered one of the best in NFL history,[35][36] the 1976 Steelers held opponents to an average of less than 10 points per game (138 points over 14 games). With the drafting of defensive tackle Ernie Holmes in 1972, the Steelers assembled what became known as the "Steel Curtain" defensive line of Greene, Holmes, L. C. Greenwood, and Dwight White. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. [6], Greene's nickname remained popular due to his exploits on the playing field, where he was described as ferocious and intimidating. Despite his team finishing 1969 with a 1–13 win–loss record, the Associated Press (AP) named Greene the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year,[19][20] and he was invited to his first Pro Bowl. 75 jersey", "Steelers legend Joe Greene retires from front office job", "Film returns 'Mean' Joe Greene to spotlight", "Joe Starkey: Joe Greene reflects on life, loss and the Cowboys", "Steelers Hall Of Famer Joe Greene Would Have Said Goodbye To Antonio Brown", Best run stuffer? [12] The Steel Curtain defense is consistently ranked among the top defensive groups of all time. McCann Erickson, the advertising agency who came up with the idea for the commercial, had also considered Tony Dorsett, Terry Bradshaw and Roger Staubach. [57] Greene also played himself in the movie ...All The Marbles, a TV movie on teammate Rocky Bleier, titled Fighting Back: The Rocky Bleier Story, and in Smokey and the Bandit II. He was drafted by the Steelers fourth overall in the 1969 NFL Draft and made an immediate impact with the team, as he was named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year. It's hard to believe he isn't offside on every play. [34], Greene missed four games in 1975 due to a pinched nerve, snapping a streak of 91 straight games started since he entered the league. Greene, however, is thrilled he was ultimately chosen for the part. The rest of the crowd soon followed. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame, and his number 75 jersey is one of only two retired by the Steelers. [44] Pittsburgh then defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV for an unprecedented fourth Super Bowl title. (Coca-Cola says bad weather also played a role in extending the shoot, though the company admitted Greene "struggled" to get his lines out after chugging down the 16-ounce Cokes. [38], By 1977, Greene was the captain of the Steelers defense, although his reduced effectiveness over the previous two seasons due to injuries led to rumors that he was washed up. Legal Statement. [54] It is widely considered to be one of the best television commercials of all time. On one occasion during a 1975 game against the rival Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Greene repeatedly kicked Browns lineman Bob McKay in the groin while McKay was lying on the ground. [29] That year, he developed a new tactic of lining up at a sharp angle between the guard and center to disrupt the opposition's blocking assignments. A recipient of two NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, five first-team All-Pro selections, and ten Pro Bowl appearances, Greene is widely considered to be one of the greatest defensive linemen to play in the NFL. He was noted for his leadership, fierce competitiveness, and intimidating style of play for which he earned his nickname. He played high school football at Dunbar High School in Temple. [59], In 2014, Greene was the subject of an episode of the NFL Network documentary series A Football Life, which chronicled his life and career. "[12], The Pittsburgh Steelers franchise was one of the most downtrodden in the NFL, having experienced many losing seasons before the hiring of Chuck Noll as head coach in 1969. DT Joe Greene (Steelers, IX, X, XIII, XIV)", "Steelers' Joe Greene retires after 13 years", "The 10 Best Award-Winning TV Ads Everyone Must See", "Highlights in the History of Coca-Cola Television Advertising", "Pittsburgh Steelers to retire Joe Greene's No. [63], In 2018 Greene set up the Agnes Lucille Craft Greene Memorial Scholarship in honor of his late wife. Greene is credited with providing the foundation upon which Steelers coach Chuck Noll turned the dismal franchise into a sports dynasty. 'Mean Joe' Greene or Mean Green? [2][8] "I just want people to remember me as being a good player and not really mean," he said. "[1], Charles Edward Greene was born September 24, 1946, in Temple, Texas. [3], In his junior season Greene married Agnes Craft, also a student at North Texas State and the daughter of a Dallas businessman. [11] Meanwhile, in the student section, North Texas basketball players Willie Davis and Ira Daniels, unsatisfied with the unenthusiastic crowd, began to sing, "Mean Green, you look so good to me". Coca-Cola commercial, which aired during Super Bowl XIV and solidified his reputation as a "tough football player who's a nice guy. He was the centerpiece of the "Steel Curtain" defense that led Pittsburgh to four Super Bowl championships in a six-year span. [15] Meanwhile, Greene, who was highly competitive, was disappointed he was picked by a team that had such a reputation for losing. "I'm just like all the other guys, doing my best in a team effort. During their nine-game winning streak, the Steelers defense recorded five shutouts, including three straight, and surrendered a total of 28 points (roughly 3 points per game). Greene returned and the Steelers defense carried the team to nine-straight wins and the playoffs. While most well known for the Coca-Cola commercial, Greene has acted in other roles. [27] Greene was invited to the Pro Bowl for 1973, joining White and Greenwood on the American Football Conference (AFC) roster. Even stranger, it almost starred an entirely different NFL pro, according to Coca-Cola. She has one sibling Joe Greene. — wasn’t too much of a gas to film. "[26] You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! In the AFC championship game against the Houston Oilers, the Steelers held NFL MVP Earl Campbell to just 15 rushing yards on 17 carries. [45] With the fourth title came Greene's fourth Super Bowl ring, inspiring his famous phrase, "one for the thumb", an allusion to winning a fifth championship. The Washington-Greene County Chapter has added two new categories to its annual banquet, to go along with a yearly class of inductees and special honorees. Fun stories about food, relationships, the great outdoors and more. But the commercial — officially titled "Hey Kid, Catch!" Biden’s son Hunter Biden is currently under investigation over the criminal contents contained on his laptop computer that was turned over to federal investigators last year.… His wife of 47 years, Agnes, with whom he had three children, died in 2015. The University of North Texas, Greene's alma mater, unveiled a statue of him outside of, In 2015, the Mean Joe Greene Community Football Field was dedicated in Greene's honor in his hometown of, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 27 January 2021, at 05:30. Joe (singer) (born 1973 as Joe Lewis Thomas), American singer, songwriter and record producer Coca-Cola’s iconic 1980 Super Bowl commercial starring "Mean" Joe Greene, the then-defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, might be one of the most memorable ads ever aired during the Big Game. "I don't think the other players saw Joe glare at him. [16] After leading the Steelers to another Super Bowl win after the 1975 season over the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl X, Greene missed the first several games of the 1976 season with a back injury. [46][47] His wish went unfulfilled, however, as the Steelers failed to reach the playoffs in each of his final two seasons. In this position, he earned his fifth Super Bowl ring after the Steelers won Super Bowl XL. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS. [50], He's tough and mean and comes to hit people. Despite Greene's talents, the Dunbar Panthers had a mediocre record, and he was not heavily recruited by colleges. In a 1979 game against the Houston Oilers, with only seconds remaining and Houston leading 20–17, the Oilers lined up near the Pittsburgh goal line to run their final play. Greene is also well known for his appearance in the "Hey Kid, Catch!" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Greene_(American_football) This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, "I want to be remembered for playing 13 years and contributing to four championship teams. The Hall of Fame Selection Committee named Greene to the, In 1999, Greene was deemed the 14th greatest player of all time by. ", "Looking back at a century of Mean Green", "Joe Greene Opens Up About Time With Steelers, Teammates' Passing", "Top rookie seasons of the Super Bowl era: Defensive linemen", "Joe Greene Defensive Player of the Year", "Steelers' Defense Recalls Steel Curtain Memories", "Defensive Honor Goes To 'Mean' Joe Greene", "The best Super Bowl performances at every position", "Stats show the 2015 Broncos defense is top-10 all time, but just barely", "Super Bowl XIII: Steelers first 3-time winner in Super thriller, 35-31", "Super Bowl XIII - Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys - January 21st, 1979", "Super Bowl XIV: Steelers Rally for Fourth Title", "The one for the thumb: Steelers collect their Super Bowl rings", "On the Steelers: Signature 3–4 defense is a thing of the past", "75. You try chugging an entire Coca-Cola without belching. Quarterback Terry Bradshaw was also injured and was replaced by rookie Mike Kruczek.
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