Friday, September 07, 2007
By Robert Dvorchak, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Joe Greene might have learned to control his temper as the years went on, but the trademark intensity never waned.In the years before Chuck Noll's arrival, when the Steelers had never won a title of any sort, the team was said to be snakebit, jinxed, cursed and incapable of winning.
"We'd always figure out a way to lose somehow. It didn't have anything to do with the attitude or how hard we worked. It just happened," said linebacker Andy Russell. "Some of us became accustomed to losing. Some of us accepted the thinking that we couldn't win."
The mentality changed with Noll and the first player he drafted upon his arrival in 1969, defensive tackle Mean Joe Greene, who had the volcanic temperament of "Vesuvius," according to Russell. During a galling 13-game losing streak in his rookie season, Greene was thrown out of several games -- one for belting Giants quarterback Fran Tarkenton, and another for flooring two Vikings players on consecutive plays with premeditated forearms.
As team captain, Russell took Greene aside to reinforce the fact that the Steelers needed him on the field, not stewing in the locker room. Greene acknowledged the need for some restraint, but he also unapologetically drew a line in the dirt, saying, "I'm not going to accept the losing."
He never did accept it. Although two more losing seasons had to be endured, Greene and the Steelers made the playoffs eight consecutive seasons in the Super Seventies, winning an unprecedented four Super Bowls in a six-year span.
"He started the turnaround," Russell said. "He meant everything to us. He was unblockable. Teams would double and triple-team him, and they still couldn't stop him. He refused to be beaten. Joe Greene, in my opinion, was the player who did more for us than anyone else in the '70s."
That's quite a declaration, given that there were eight other Hall of Fame players on those teams.
A numerologist isn't required to appreciate the confluence of events that led to the anointing of Hall of Famer Joe Greene as general chairman of festivities surrounding the franchise's celebration of its 75th season. Greene wore No. 75, although for the first few preseason games of his rookie year, he wore No. 72 because his preferred number belonged to defensive lineman Ken Kortas before he was traded.The day after Noll was hired as coach in 1969, his first act was to draft Greene. A headline in The Pittsburgh Press asked "Who's Joe Greene?" But every football scout in the country knew about the All-American tackle from North Texas State.
"He was the cornerstone," said Art Rooney Jr., the personnel director at the time. "He was the greatest player in the history of the franchise at the appropriate time and place. He was a leader, and he was the greatest third-down player who ever played. I never saw a player who was so devastating, who could blow up an offense. He was the El Cid of the Pittsburgh Steelers."
He's also like a Colossus with feet in two different worlds -- the Steelers who never won and the Steelers who won Super Bowls at an unprecedented rate. And although his service hasn't been continuous after retiring as a player, he was an assistant coach, was considered as the successor to Noll and was brought back in 2004 as a special assistant. He bridges the generations from Noll to Mike Tomlin, and he got his "one for the thumb" -- a phrase he coined -- under Bill Cowher.
"I tell anyone who will listen that I knew Mel Blount, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, all of them before they became famous. I got to see them grow," Greene laughed. "You know, it was a lot of hard work. But I reflect back on it all the time, how lucky I was to be on this ballclub, how lucky I was to be part of this organization. It was just a joy."
In a very real sense, Greene led the Steelers from Pitt Stadium into Three Rivers. He also participated in the groundbreaking for Heinz Field. And as far as being the point person for the diamond jubilee season, Greene couldn't be more honored.
"I'm really excited about it. This whole celebration is indicative of the way the organization does things. They've given fans something to get involved with as they bring back the old days. There's so much history here. And the Steelers have always been in my blood."
It amazes him how the Steelers have transcended national and international boundaries with a far-flung fan base that identifies with Pittsburgh through its football team.
"When I first got here, I don't know if our fan base went beyond Western Pennsylvania," said Greene, now a grandfather. "When we first made the playoffs [in 1972], there were more reporters in the locker room than players. Now, there are Steeler clubs from Cave Creek, Ariz., to Miami and around the world. If you're in a place for 10 minutes, you're going to run into a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. It's a phenomenon."
If any organization or any city needed a lift from some broad shoulders, it was the Steelers and the Smoky City. Born as the Pirates in the Great Depression, the team struggled to survive during the World War II years and endured a long succession of coaches and bad personnel moves in the '50s and '60s.Then all of a sudden, the organization that could do little right could do little wrong.
"It started with Chuck Noll, Art Rooney and Dan Rooney," Greene said. "The feeling definitely changed. What changed was the players. Our feeling about ourselves, our sense of destiny, changed even though the record didn't change right away."
Greene had lost a total of five games in three years as a college starter. Even though there were dues to pay, and a cast of Hall of Famers would eventually surround him, he spit in the eye of history.
"No doubt about it, I was a little rough around the edges," Greene said.
Many people remember him as the wounded warrior in the Coca-Cola commercial when he gave the shirt off his back to a kid who offered an act of kindness. But he came by his nickname honestly. In one playoff game against the Broncos in 1977, he decked Denver lineman Paul Howard with a short right hand -- and was ejected.
The images burned into his memory, however, include the banner at Three Rivers that said You're In Steeler Country and one particular picture of the Steel Curtain defense waiting for the opponent to break the huddle.
"We were backed up against the goal line. I think there were snow flurries in the air. Every one of us is looking back at the offense," Greene said. "We had to get it done. There was no quit in us. That's the image I'll always have."
One of Greene's official duties in this historic season is to serve as the host for a reunion dinner of old teammates and former Steelers Nov. 4 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the night before the Monday night game against the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers will announce their all-time team as part of the 75th season, and No. 75 is a mortal lock to be honored.
"It was a special time we had. It's still a great feeling," said Greene. "People still come up on the street just to say hello. That's all. It's still the greatest feeling ever."
And that chip-on-the-shoulder Steelers attitude that started with a defiant defender who stands, arms akimbo, at the demarcation line between losing and winning?
"It took half of our existence to get it," Greene said. "Once you have it, you want to keep it."
History lessons
Sept. 16: The team will wear throwback uniforms for the home opener vs. the Buffalo Bills (1 p.m.). Also, a Steelers Legends team for players before 1970 will be introduced.
Nov. 4: The Steelers will have their 75th season gala at the Convention Center and feature members of the All-Time team.
Nov. 5: The team will dedicate a historical marker to commemorate Three Rivers Stadium, home to many of their greatest victories. That night, the team will play the Baltimore Ravens on "Monday Night Football" at which the All-Time Steelers Team will be introduced.
First published on September 7, 2007 at 12:00 am
Robert Dvorchak can be reached at 412-263-1959 or bdvorchak@post-gazette.com.
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