Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Greene no meanie addressing club
Several Terrible Towels were waved Tuesday afternoon at the Little Rock Touchdown Club for one of the alltime best Pittsburgh Steelers.
As he did on the football field for the four-time Super Bowl champions, Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene took command of the Embassy Suites ballroom.
Greene, 71, spoke on his football career with the Steelers, North Texas State and Temple (Texas) Dunbar High School, as well as growing up in Texas and his famous Coca-Cola commercial.
When Greene was drafted fourth overall by the Steelers in the 1969 NFL Draft from North Texas State, he admitted he wasn’t pleased with his new employer.
“It was a terrible day,” Greene said. “Not only were we bad, but the uniforms were horrible.”
The Steelers, before winning four Super Bowls in six seasons (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979), were one of the NFL’s worst franchises, missing the playoffs from 1947-1971.
Running back Franco Harris, who played at Penn State, was drafted by the Steelers in 1972, which Greene said helped changed the franchise.
“We didn’t win anything before Franco,” Greene said.
Greene was part of the famed “Steel Curtain” defensive line, which featured former University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff star L.C. Greenwood, Ernie Holmes and Dwight White. He is the only surviving member of the group, with Holmes and White dying in 2008 and
Greenwood in 2013.
“We had a lot of fun,” Green said. “Over the course of a ballgame, you could feel how it’s going and you see the desperation in the other group that you’re playing. They’re trying things the entire game and they’re not having any success doing it, particularly with running the football. Then, when they had to pass, they didn’t have a lot of time to do it.”
During his career, Greene was a 10-time Pro Bowl selection, a five-time All-Pro selection, a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1972, 1974) and was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of
the Year in 1969. He has had his No. 75 retired by both the Steelers and North Texas.
From 1969-1981, Greene started 172 of 181 games for the Steelers.
In 1979, Greene filmed one of the most famous commercials for Coca-Cola which was aired during Super Bowl XIV, the last of his four championships with the Steelers. The commercial took three days to film, Greene said.
“It’s still fun to watch the Coke commercial,” Greene said. “Sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than good.”
Other highlights from Tuesday’s Touchdown Club luncheon:
■ Gary Underwood, prior to leading a prayer at the start of the luncheon, alluding to the Arkansas Razorbacks’ 55-20 victory over Eastern Illinois on Saturday: “I love praying after a win.”
■ Rex Nelson on the University of Arkansas’ 98-234 record in season-opening games: “Jim Rasco [the Touchdown Club’s introduction speaker] has seen all but two of them. That’s what he told me.”
■ Nelson on Miami’s 33-17 loss to LSU on Sunday in Arlington, Texas: “[Miami Coach and former Georgia coach] Mark Richt was like, ‘Glad I’ve left the SEC.’ ”