Throughout the 1970s, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been the model organization for everyone else to follow, and "Mean" Joe Greene was the greatest player in the NFL at the time. On a team that only has three officially retired jerseys, Greene's #75 hangs in the stadium, so any opponent that comes in understands the impact he had on the game, and every Steeler knows the standard that they have to live up to. For decades, meeting him has been considered an honor, and there is even a legendary commercial about that honor.
Associated Press
Steelers Joe Greene speaks with John Madden.
Despite being bitter rivals with the Steelers at the time, Howie Long had the chance to meet up with Greene as a rookie. He talked about that experience on his son's podcast, Green Light with Chris Long, as well as how he got to meet him in the first place, referencing one of his old teammates, Cedrick Hardman.
"Joe Greene was Cedrick Hardman's roommate at North Texas State. When you're at Villanova, you get a lot of Pittsburgh news and a lot of Pittsburgh games, and to have dinner with him was an amazing thing as a rookie."
Howie Long was an up-and-coming defensive lineman for the Oakland Raiders at the time, and he even wore Greene's number as his own. If you're going to look up to any defensive lineman, Greene is the best one for that, and Long got the chance to meet up with his idol. He would go on to have his own amazing career, win a Super Bowl, and be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Owen C. Shaw / Getty Images
Raiders DL Howie Long terrorized the NFL for 13 seasons.
Long did not go into detail about what was said that night, but he was clearly in awe that he had the chance to speak with potentially the greatest defensive tackle in NFL history. He watched him so much while he was in college (because he didn't have much of a choice due to location), and he got to understand what truly made him great.
Nowadays, Long speaks with another legend from that dynasty from the 1970s, as he and Terry Bradshaw are both analysts on FOX's pregame, halftime, and postgame shows. Long has had plenty of conversations with Steelers' legends during his life, but according to him, that is not normal for a rival player. Chris Long asked him about that and if it happens regularly.
"Not that I know of. It was us against everybody. The first conversation I had with John Elway was the night before I retired at the Super Bowl."
It may not be normal, but Howie Long most likely would not have it any other way. He got to live out the dream that many kids had at the time, and then some. While he was never a part of a dynasty like Greene was, he still made his mark on the league and achieved more than over 99% of the football world. He has truly lived the dream.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers Joe Greene breaks through the Baltimore Colts offensive line.
Steelers Have Been Inspired By Greene As Well
The impact that Greene left goes far beyond the field, and far beyond Long's career. Of course, every Steeler is reminded of his greatness whenever they go into the building in the first place. Every player, coach, and fan can see his jersey hanging in the stadium. What most of these people don't realize is that he helped the Steelers win Super Bowls XL and XLIII.
Kevin Colbert, the general manager of the Steelers during the 2000s, took advice from Greene while they were both working for the team. He says that Greene taught him what it truly meant to be great. He took that advice, won a Super Bowl, then made some aggressive moves, leading to a second Super Bowl win. His team even made it to a third Super Bowl in a six-year span but fell short then.
What do you think about Howie Long's encounter with Joe Greene, as well as the impact that Greene had on everything around him? Let us know in the comments below.
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