The Pittsburgh Steelers' defenses during the 1970s gave opposing offenses nightmares. The players of that era - L.C. Greenwood, Ernie Holmes, Mel Blount, Jack Lambert, Andy Russell and Joe Greene, to name a few, have fueled the legends surrounding the "Steel Curtain.". But when it comes to the fear factor on the line, defensive tackle Greene wasn't called "Mean" for no reason.
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Dwight White, Ernie Holmes, Joe Greene and L.C. Greenwood made up the greatest defensive line of the Super Bowl era.
With the recent passing of Russell, a lot of stories of that 1970s squad are coming up again. This includes one from Russell that was retold in Steelers beat reporter Jim Wexell's book On The Clock: Pittsburgh Steelers. In the book, Wexell shares the Steelers' greatest (and sometimes worst) draft stories, but he also frequently includes tales about players' rookie seasons, like this one regarding Greene.
Wexell said that the Steelers, under new Head Coach Chuck Noll, had decided to draft Greene out of North Texas State much to the chagrin of fans. Greene called that first season, "miserable, miserable, miserable" as they won their first game and then lost their next 13. He added that while the losing might have been frustrating, Greene was making a name for himself in the league rather quickly. The 1970s were a different era of football; there was no one really worried about protecting anyone's safety and players, including quarterbacks, took major hits frequently. But there was still a line, still rules, and Greene was known to sometimes cross them.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Chuck Noll speaks with Joe Greene (left), Jack Lambert (middle) and J.T. Thomas (right).
He was ejected during a Week 4 game against the New York Giants for knocking Fran Tarkenton unconscious while Tarkenton was out of bounds and well after the whistle blew. During Week 6, the Washington Redskins thought they were ready for Greene and triple-teamed him, but he still sacked Sonny Jurgensen three times. None of that would prepare the Chicago Bears and their resident tough guy Dick Butkus for a Week 8 matchup. Butkus was bullying the Steelers rookie center Jon Kolb and when he turned his sights on Greenwood, Greene decided he'd had enough.
"Kolb once fell to the ground and tripped Butkus, who chased Kolb to the sideline threatening to kill him," Wexell wrote. "Butkus was having so much fun he jumped on special teams and laid out L.C. Greenwood in front of the Steelers bench. As Butkus stood over the rookie, Greene charged the field and grabbed Butkus by the shoulder pads with one hand, pulled his helmet in a threatening manner, and spit in his face. Butkus freed himself and trotted back to the middle of the field. As Andy Russell wrote, 'There was a new baddest man in the NFL that day.'"
Make no mistake, Butkus was no joke. He became known as one of the scariest players in the NFL. He was drafted by the Bears in 1965 with the third overall pick and spent his entire nine-year career playing in Chicago. His career was cut short by a nagging knee injury, but that didn't stop the accolades. He was twice named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, was a five-time First-Team All-Pro, and an eight-time Pro-Bowler. During his career, he had 22 interceptions and recovered 27 fumbles. What wasn't counted was the number of balls he knocked loose with his bone-crushing tackles.
Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus was known to intimidate everyone on the field, even refs.
Butkus was so good that he is still considered the standard by which all other linebackers are measured. The "Butkus Award" goes to the linebacker that best personifies his traits. Currently, the only Steelers linebacker to win that award has been TJ Watt.
Greene won NFL Rookie of the Year that year. He wasn't scared of Butkus or anyone else during his 13 years in the league, all of which were in Pittsburgh. He became part of the backbone of that incredible Steelers' defense, helping his team win four Super Bowls. He was twice named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, a five-time First-Team All-Pro and a 10-time Pro Bowler. He also won the NFL Man of the Year honor in 1979, before Walter Payton became that gold standard. Stats weren't measured the same back then so there is no count of all of his tackles but he had a whopping 77.5 sacks.
Steelers Had To Win Joe Greene Over
According to Wexell, Greene was none too happy to be drafted by the Steelers. He reportedly said the Steelers were about the last team on his list. It isn't all that surprising. They were terrible and everyone knew it. It seemed the feeling was mutual because fans weren't happy either asking "Who's Joe Greene?" But Noll, who was in his first year in Pittsburgh, tuned out all the noise.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers legends Mean Joe Greene, Andy Russell, Lynn Swann and Mel Blount sit next to one another.
Eventually, Greene ended the holdout he started when the Steelers drafted him and reported to camp. The veterans on the team attempted to show him who was boss, but that didn't last long. Russell said that he tossed them aside one by one and established his dominance.
Greene has become an icon of Pittsburgh sports history. He became a leader on that team and won over his teammates and fans. To this day he is still looked up with such reverence that current players say that refer to him only as "Mr. Greene."
Do you recall watching Greene play? Are you surprised to hear he took on Butkus? Tell us your favorite "Mean Joe" memory! Click to comment below.
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