Build a Mean Joe Greene statue outside of Apogee Stadium

Skipper · September 15, 2016

In the Pro Football Hall of Fame sits a bronze bust of a University of North Texas alumni. Charles Edward Greene was enshrined in football history in 1987. He’s more widely known as “Mean Joe Greene,” and is easily the most recognizable football player to come out of UNT.

So why is he not enshrined on the very campus where he studied and played? You can pull the nickname but not give him a statue?

Joe Greene was taken with the fourth overall pick of the 1969 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and played 13 seasons with them.

He was a 10-time Pro Bowler, a four-time Super Bowl champion and a central piece of the “Steel Curtain” defense.

You can’t honor this man, North Texas? It’s hard to argue against Joe Greene, considering the school’s nickname comes from him. I know the fans and other alumni want it. Just look around at some of the very serious motions by fans to make this project happen.

If North Texas athletics does not want to pull from the athletic budget, I am honestly curious if they would consider getting the statue crowd funded. A lot of people would throw money into a GoFundMe.

If those events transpire, then it just boils down to one thing: would the athletic department take the money for the project?

The fact a statue has not been built yet is almost baffling to me.

Joe Greene was such a success story to come out of this university. Why would you not want to honor that for all eternity? He was a fairly local product, who stayed in his home state to go to college, which at the time was still relatively small at the time. He went on to win Super Bowls and be a part of one of the most iconic defenses in history. In fact, he was a cornerstone of that defense!

He’s one player that everyone looks back and thinks, “wow.” But not only do the people who were around during that time period remember him, all football fans remember him and most average people remember him.

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Monkeypox · September 15, 2016

They didn't pull the nickname. The defense he was a part of inspired the nickname for the defense (and then team). He wasn't referred to as "Mean Joe Greene" until after he was drafted. He was mostly referred to as "Big Joe" when he was here.

I could say he helped inspire the nickname by his play, but, in all likelihood, we would have gotten the "Mean Green" nickname even if his name had been Joe Schriebfellerhausen.

I agree they should have a statue, though.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Monkeypox

MeanGreenHoops · September 15, 2016

If you want to insure media for ever more attribute the Mean Green nickname to Joe rather than the other way around, build him a statue.

MeanGreenTexan · September 15, 2016

How will we ever get out from under this story if our own journalists write it?

EDIT: Get a statue of both Mean Joe & Abner Haynes built ASAP.

Edited September 15, 2016 by MeanGreenTexan

All About UNT · September 15, 2016

I know he is just a kid but WTF

UNT 90 Grad · September 15, 2016

Everyone would then think our nickname came from a statue.

Aldo · September 15, 2016

Everyone calm their shits they are fixing it

BUT, is there a way we can put them in contact with our GMG member who was working on this project?

Side Show Joe · September 16, 2016

6 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

How will we ever get out from under this story if our own journalists write it?

EDIT: Get a statue of both Mean Joe & Abner Haynes built ASAP.

This.

I'd be glad to do the job. It would take about a year and a half to get both cast and installed.

untcampbell · September 16, 2016

NTD: when you print the retraction/correction, I suggest you write an article that gets the nickname story told and reprint it at the start of each semester.

GMG

GMG24 · September 16, 2016

20 minutes ago, untcampbell said:

NTD: when you print the retraction/correction, I suggest you write an article that gets the nickname story told and reprint it at the start of each semester.

GMG

THIS.

TripleGrad · September 16, 2016

If we'd just change back to the Eagles -- our proper name -- we wouldn't have to worry about the continual confusion.

GrandGreen · September 16, 2016

14 hours ago, TripleGrad said:

If we'd just change back to the Eagles -- our proper name -- we wouldn't have to worry about the continual confusion.

Not sure what a proper name is. However, I guess NT could also go back to NTSU because there are still people that get this wrong.

Eagles are not only the symbol of the nation, but mascots of 74 colleges & universities and 1486 high school teams ( I thought it would be even higher). Mean Green is unique and didn't actually replace Eagles, note SOW on helmets. I like the current branding of the athletic program and think it would be fine to have named the team after Joe Greene. That is a good story, just not true.

Edited September 16, 2016 by GrandGreen

Matt from A700 · September 16, 2016

Apogee is already the best stadium in C-USA. I think a statue of Mean Joe Greene would make it even better - and it would provide more photo opportunities with fans, students, and families.

VideoEagle · September 16, 2016

9 hours ago, TripleGrad said:

If we'd just change back to the Eagles -- our proper name -- we wouldn't have to worry about the continual confusion.

I guess we should change the name of school back to Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute as well.

I don't understand why college graduates have a hard time with the concept of a nickname and and mascot being two different things. Our mascot is an eagle and our nickname is the Mean Green. This isn't all that unusual.

Alabama - mascot is an elephant, nickname the Crimson Tide

North Carolina - mascot is a ram, nickname is the Tar Heels

Tulane - mascot is a pelican, nickname is the Green Wave

A lot of schools have mascots related to their nicknames like Tulsa's Captain Cane who is the mascot of the Golden Hurricanes. But again, the mascot is NOT the nickname.

Aldo · September 16, 2016

13 hours ago, GrandGreen said:

I guess NT could also go back to NTSU because there are still people that get this wrong.

Not that many any more. You say that "insult" to recent grads and current students, and they're all

WTF does that even mean?

It's dying off. Both figuratively and I guess literally.

VideoEagle · September 16, 2016

The diploma on my wall reads "North Texas State University" and I'm not dead.

Yet.

GrandGreen · September 16, 2016

37 minutes ago, Aldo said:

Not that many any more. You say that "insult" to recent grads and current students, and they're all

WTF does that even mean?

It's dying off. Both figuratively and I guess literally.

Yes, you don't hear NTSU much anymore, but it has taken 25 years. Never thought of NTSU being an insult at all.

Mean Green 93-98 · September 16, 2016

4 hours ago, VideoEagle said:

I guess we should change the name of school back to Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute as well.

I don't understand why college graduates have a hard time with the concept of a nickname and and mascot being two different things. Our mascot is an eagle and our nickname is the Mean Green. This isn't all that unusual.

Alabama - mascot is an elephant, nickname the Crimson Tide

North Carolina - mascot is a ram, nickname is the Tar Heels

Tulane - mascot is a pelican, nickname is the Green Wave

A lot of schools have mascots related to their nicknames like Tulsa's Captain Cane who is the mascot of the Golden Hurricanes. But again, the mascot is NOT the nickname.

That is a worse misrepresentation of our nickname's history than "Mean Green comes from Joe Greene." Was Alabama ever known as "The Elephants"? For the vast majority of our history, we have been known as the Eagles.

UNTFan23 · September 16, 2016

2 minutes ago, Mean Green 93-98 said:

That is a worse misrepresentation of our nickname's history than "Mean Green comes from Joe Greene." Was Alabama ever known as "The Elephants"? For the vast majority of our history, we have been known as the Eagles.

I think he was aiming at the fact there are other schools that have a separate mascot and nickname. It can and does work.

I guess we could have a worse mascot ... like the Bulldogs. Then it's which FBS school are you talking about -- Fresno State, Louisiana Tech, or Georgia? At least with the Eagles, we'd only have to worry about Boston College when it comes to schools playing in the FBS.

Got5onIt · September 16, 2016

Boo, never go back to Eagles.

Don't care how people think NT got it's name, but I do agree we need a statue of Joe Greene. How many universities can say they have a NFL Hall of Famer as an alum???? Considered one of the best players to play the position at the highest level of football in the world??? Honor the man, damnit!!!! Where's the GoFundMe page??? Just stay away from the guy who did the Lucy statue......

Edited September 16, 2016 by Got5onIt

Mean_Green09 · September 16, 2016

1 hour ago, UNTFan23 said:

I think he was aiming at the fact there are other schools that have a separate mascot and nickname. It can and does work.

I guess we could have a worse mascot ... like the Bulldogs. Then it's which FBS school are you talking about -- Fresno State, Louisiana Tech, or Georgia? At least with the Eagles, we'd only have to worry about Boston College when it comes to schools playing in the FBS.

There is another school much like ours. Eastern Michigan

also

Georgia Southern

Christopher Walker · September 16, 2016

1 hour ago, Mean_Green09 said:

There is another school much like ours. Eastern Michigan

also

Georgia Southern

Yep. Beat me to it. Both FBS ball.

Aldo · September 16, 2016

3 hours ago, VideoEagle said:

The diploma on my wall reads "North Texas State University" and I'm not dead.

Yet.

2 hours ago, GrandGreen said:

Yes, you don't hear NTSU much anymore, but it has taken 25 years. Never thought of NTSU being an insult at all.

It's more aimed at those folks like SMU who like to deride us for being a state school.

Tyler Maryak · September 16, 2016

We're officially stuck on the topic of school name.

and we wonder, "WHY CAN'T WE COME TOGETHER AND BUILD A STATUE BY APOGEE??"

rws69 · September 17, 2016

On September 15, 2016 at 0:25 PM, Monkeypox said:

They didn't pull the nickname. The defense he was a part of inspired the nickname for the defense (and then team). He wasn't referred to as "Mean Joe Greene" until after he was drafted. He was mostly referred to as "Big Joe" when he was here.

I could say he helped inspire the nickname by his play, but, in all likelihood, we would have gotten the "Mean Green" nickname even if his name had been Joe Schriebfellerhausen.

I agree they should have a statue, though.

I agree with this. Please stop the myth that Mean Green was named after Joe Greene. I was at UNT same time as Joe Greene, and still have the yearbooks. Mean Green was a name the defense earned in 1966. Joe was never called that while at UNT.