Topic: Joe Green

Charles Edward Greene, known as “Mean Joe” Greene, (born September 24, 1946) is a former all-pro American football defensive tackle who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. Throughout the early 1970s he developed into arguably the most dominant defensive lineman in the NFL. He is considered by many to be one of the best defensive linemen to ever play the game and was the cornerstone of the famous “Steel Curtain” defense. He is also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a four-time Super Bowl champion.

Before his NFL career, "Mean Joe" Greene had an outstanding college football career at North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) (1966-1968), assisting the team to a 23-5-1 record during his 3 seasons with them. In his 29 games at defensive tackle, North Texas State held the opposition to 2,507 yards gained on 1,276 rushes: a per carry average of less than two yards per attempt. His collegiate coach, Rod Rust, said of the 1968 consensus All-America, "There are two factors behind Joe's success. First, he has the ability to make the big defensive play and turn the tempo of a game around. Second, he has the speed to be an excellent pursuit player." A pro scout said, "He's tough and mean and comes to hit people. He has good killer instincts. He's mobile and hostile."

The North Texas mascot, the Mean Green, is named after him. In 1984, he was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2006 was voted to the East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame .