Pittsburgh Steelers: Blast from the Past – Joe Greene

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics
By Brandon Rohrbaugh | Last updated 8/8/22

One of the greatest Steelers players of all time.

In this article, and in future articles, I will take us on a trip into the past to highlight underrated, fan favorite, and/or Hall of Famers who have come through the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise. The next man in this series is Hall of Famer, NFL symbol, and one of the greatest to ever play the game – ‘Mean’ Joe Greene.

Early life leads to Hall of Fame career.

Charles Edward Green, otherwise known as ‘Mean’ Joe Greene, was born September 24th, 1946. Greene played his college years at North Texas State University. The was an all-American, leading the team to an impressive 23-15-1 record through three years. Greene’s nickname comes from his time playing for the North Texas Mean Green football team. The name stuck as teammates and opponents knew just how intimidating he was.

Number one draft pick, to a losing team?

Chuck Noll was in his first year as a coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers when he made a historic move during the 1969 draft. Noll drafted Greene with the first pick and history was about to be made. Joe did not like losing and was not too happy about going to a team that had done just that over the last forty years, this was all about to change, however.

His time with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Over his illustrious career, Greene would welcome in and play with some of the greatest players the game has ever seen. In his rookie year, Greene won Rookie of the Year honors. He brought a tough face to the Steelers that told the league they would no longer back down from their opponents. In the historic 1974, the Steelers would draft the remaining pieces and go on to win four Superbowl’s with that very team.

The Legacy of ‘Mean’ Joe Greene will live on forever.

Greene retired following the 1981 season, but he cemented his legacy in the game as a brute force and one of the greatest defensive players to ever play. He ended his career having won 4 championships, 77 1/2 sacks, rookie of the year, Walter Payton man of the year, and a 2-time defensive player of the year awards.

This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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