"Mean" Joe Greene was and is the most important player in Pittsburgh Steelers history, and I did not appreciate that back in 1980. I was 11 years old when the Steelers played the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV, and I was firmly in love with the play of Terry Bradshaw and Jack Lambert.
An 11-year-old fan fixates on the "wow" plays. Franco Harris set the record for most rushing touchdowns in Super Bowls with the 3rd rushing touchdown of his career, Terry Bradshaw threw a 47-yard bomb to Lynn Swann and hit John Stallworth on one of the best catches ever in a Super Bowl for a 73-yard touchdown to put the Steelers ahead for good in the 4th quarter. And Lambert intercepted Vince Ferragamo late in the 4th quarter which led to the Steelers final touchdown, Harris’ 4th Super Bowl touchdown of his career. The Steelers had a lot of great moments during Super Bowl XIV on the field, but the lasting memory for most of America is not what happened on the field, but a 60-second commercial. Watch here.
Photo via YouTube / Coca Cola
It starred Greene and young Tommy Okon. It became a lasting piece of Americana that day. It was not his last game, but it was his last Super Bowl and 1979 was his last Pro Bowl worthy season for the Steelers. For 11 years, Greene was the most dominant defensive lineman in the NFL leading the greatest defense in league history to four Super Bowl wins during that time. He was still effective for the Black and Gold in 1980, but was clearly slowing down.
Joe Greene retires
In 1981, clearly no longer the player he once was, he decided to hang up his cleats. When asked about the commercial, Greene said:
"Fortunately for me, it was one of the greatest decisions I made on my own."
At 11, it was hard to recognize the poignancy of the commercial. It is one of the most reenacted commercials of all time, from Sesame Street to Family Guy and of course Troy Polamalu being interrupted in the middle of a reenactment during the Steelers Super Bowl XLIII victory. Looking back now, the commercial was meant to make you smile because the meanest man in football tosses his jersey to a young fan who shares his Coke with him. Greene was instantly transformed into a sympathetic figure as he limped to the locker room by making a young fan smile by tossing him a game worn jersey. In 1980, I am sure that collectables and autographs were important, but at 11, I was not aware that athletes were not fond of signing them. Kids were not selling autographs on eBay and a jersey from a favorite player was most likely to end up hanging on a bedroom wall, not a memorabilia store. It encapsulated how much of an influence an athlete had as a hero to young people and how that adoration could melt the heart of a sports icon who realized that as he made his way to the locker room, that this might be the last time someone looked at him that way.
Greene is an all-time great, and no all-time NFL defensive team that is to be taken seriously would not have him as the starting defensive tackle. His legacy as a player is unquestioned and his intensity was legendary. That is not why most of America still remembers him, they remember his humanity and how he treated a young fan who thought he was great. He shared more than a Coke and gave the youth of America a jersey. He shared his heart and gave a piece of himself to say 'thank you' to a generation of young fans that loved the Black and Gold.
Photo via YouTube / CBS
Tommy Okon expressed what I still feel 40 years later.
"Wow, thanks Mean Joe!"
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
