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Today in Steelers History: Mean Joe Greene’s Jersey Retired
- 02 November, 2024
- Ray Hartjen
Mean Joe Greene Was One of the NFL’s Greatest Players at Any Position
On November 2, 2014, Mean Joe Greene’s number 75 jersey became just the second-ever jersey retired by the Pittsburgh Steelers, joining the number 70 of the legendary Earnie Stautner (and joined later, in 2022, by the number 32 of the great Franco Harris). The retirement was an honor that was probably long overdue. That, and the simple fact is, who could possibly ever give that jersey number its proper justice again?
Mean Joe Greene was a special player. And I mean that completely objectively.
Most of you know that I wasn’t a Steelers fan growing up. Far from it, in fact. I was born in Texas, and being a good Texan, my favorite team was the … wait for it … the Dallas Cowboys. I know, I know!
Of course, as you know, my Cowboys suffered two painful Super Bowl defeats to the Steelers of Mean Joe Green. But, it gets worse.
Being a dutiful Texan, my second favorite team was the Houston Oilers. They, of course, could never get past the Steelers to win the AFC Central Division title. In turn, they lost two playoff games to the Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium.
But that’s not the end of it; my tale of childhood woe continues.
My third favorite team was my mama’s favorite team. Her favorite player, like nearly everyone’s mom’s favorite player, was Oakland’s Kenny Stabler, so the Raiders were my third favorite team. The Raiders, as history shows, came up on the short side of three playoff losses to Greene and the Steelers.
Yes, it’s fair to say the Steelers were like gum on my childhood shoes. I was not a fan.
However, this story is not about me. It’s about Mean Joe Greene. In writing Immaculate: How the Steelers Saved Pittsburgh, I watch a lot of Steelers games on YouTube. I mean A LOT!
First of all, if you’re a child of the 70s, like me (I was born in 1964), watching games on YouTube is a cool stroll down memory lane. Just the announcers — Don Meredith, Curt Gowdy, Howard Cosell, etc. — will bring a smile to your face. Then, there’s the rediscovery of an entirely different game of football than that being played today. Finally, and most importantly, watching those old clips breaks us from our recency bias and reminds us of all those great players of yesterday.
Aaron Donald, the recently retired Los Angeles Ram defensive tackle and future hall of famer, was undoubtedly a great player. People, Mean Joe Greene was Aaron Donald 50 years ago!
In watching old Steelers games, number 75 jumps off the screen. Simply, Greene had to be accounted for on every single play. If not, he would destroy it.
And by “accounted for,” I mean double- and triple-teamed. Greene was a one-man wrecking crew on the defensive line. What made the Steelers great, of course, was that he was just one man, accompanied by so many other fantastic football players who have, over the years, joined him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Fun fact: Mean Joe Greene’s name isn’t Joe. He’s Charles Edward Green. It seems one of Greene’s aunts likened his childhood physique to that of heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis. The name stuck.
The “Mean” part of his nickname references his playing days at the North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas). The athletics teams used the moniker “Mean Green,” and eventually, one name led to another.
Professionally is where Greene left his mark. Check out the following honors bestowed on ol’ number 75:
- 4-time Super Bowl champion (Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, XIV)
- 2-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1972, 1974)
- NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (1969)
- NFL Man of the Year (1979)
- 5-time First-team All-Pro (1972–1974, 1977, 1979)
- 3-time Second-team All-Pro (1971, 1975, 1976)
- 10-times Pro Bowl (1969–1976, 1978, 1979)
- NFL 1970s All-Decade Team
- NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
- NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
- Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team
- Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor
- Pittsburgh Steelers No. 75 retired
If you’re building a list of the top-25 professional football players ever to play the game, and Mean Joe Greene isn’t on your list, you probably need to go back and revisit your list.
Plus, he has one of the greatest commercials ever to hit the airwaves.
Here’s to you, Mean Joe Greene. There’s rarely been a player like you in the history of your great sport!
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