The origin of Mean Green

greenjoe · February 20, 2017

In this morning's Denton Record-Chronicle, there was a little sports magazine called ANTHLON: Sports and Life. The topic was JOEs. One of my favorites.

In the text of the story, the writer asks Joe how he came by the name "Joe" as his name is Charles Edward. He says his aunt said he looked like heavy weight champ Joe Louis, and the name stuck. When asked if his aunt called him "Mean" Joe says, "Mean Green was actually the nickname for my college team's (North Texas State) defense. Somehow it became my nickname when I was drafted by Pittsburg. I tried to explain it, but nobody was listening. Then, during my second or third game , I put a nasty, out of bounds hit on Fran Tarkenton of the Giants and the New York press went crazy and called me "Mean Joe." At that point I gave up. "Mean Joe" it was. "

Any questions ?

GO MEAN GREEN

greenminer · February 20, 2017

Thank God.

SilverEagle · February 20, 2017

please, Please, PLEASE put this story, along with the Randy Galloway story, in the "traditions" section of the North Texas web site. FFR, myself and others have been fighting for almost a decade the incorrect notion that our sports team's nickname came from Joe Greene.

It was the other way around.

I have known for a long time that his real name was Charles, but I never heard how he came about being called Joe.

His experience was just like my older brothers', who is a "junior". My aunt Bea (yes I had an Aunt Bee) didn't like the idea that he would go through life being called "junior" so she decided to call him Butch. So "Butch" it was.

Aunts can be a big influence in families.

Edited February 20, 2017 by SilverEagle

TheTastyGreek · February 20, 2017

2 hours ago, greenjoe said:

Any questions ?

Is it true that Mean Joe only rented his apartment while attending school in Denton?

drex · February 20, 2017

Don't know about the apartment, but he lived in the old quads (dorms) with other athletes early in his days at North Texas.

PlummMeanGreen · February 20, 2017

I've heard late SID Fred Graham's version of Mean Green & Joe Greene's. I'll choose Joe Greene's.

Amazing what many years under the bridge does to history.

SilverEagle · February 21, 2017

2 hours ago, PlummMeanGreen said:

I've heard late SID Fred Graham's version of Mean Green & Joe Greene's. I'll choose Joe Greene's.

Amazing what many years under the bridge does to history.

Joe's version seems to be perfectly in line with the story as written by Randy Galloway back in the day. Fred Graham should have been telling the same story. After all, Galloway got it from Fred and Sydney.

DeepGreen · February 21, 2017

I'll always remember the "Mean Green" Defense of North Texas State, led by Joe Greene.

Edited February 21, 2017 by DeepGreen

SilverEagle · February 21, 2017

11 hours ago, DeepGreen said:

I'll always remember the "Mean Green" Defense of North Texas State, led by Joe Greene.

Make that "eventually" led by Joe Greene. When the defense was earning it's well deserved new moniker in 66, Joe was a soph and not yet the very dominate player he was his Jr. and Senior year. I'm told he didn't play every game his soph year due to injury.

It was a group of (pretty much) nobodies that came together and worked hard to be the ornery defense that earned that very unique nickname.

To me Mean Green represents every non high-profile player that worked his ass off to represent this University to the absolute best of their ability, and with lots of attitude, every time they stepped onto the field.

Give me down votes if you like, but IMHO, to give all the credit to Joe is just not right.

Edited February 21, 2017 by SilverEagle

DeepGreen · February 21, 2017

No down votes from me. But "in my mind" Joe Green was the catalyst that made the Mean Green defense a force to be reckoned with. I was fortunate to be a student that witnessed some very good football at NT.

greenminer · February 21, 2017

@PlummMeanGreen I don't see how this tale from Joe conflicts with the Grahams.

UNTLifer · February 21, 2017

1 hour ago, greenminer said:

@PlummMeanGreen I don't see how this tale from Joe conflicts with the Grahams.

Me too. He just doesn't explain how the Mean Green nickname for the defense was earned/given in this article.

PlummMeanGreen · February 21, 2017

1 hour ago, UNTLifer said:

Me too. He just doesn't explain how the Mean Green nickname for the defense was earned/given in this article.

It "seems" I heard one account that did not mention Joe's connection to the name at all, but we're talking over 40 years ago.

greenjoe · February 21, 2017

I think the "Mean" part came from the Randy Galloway article. Galloway pictured each member of the D line and wrote a little cute tale about each player. One of the players was said to "kick"(?) kittens (or maybe it was puppies). Just part of how mean these linemen were.

SilverEagle · February 22, 2017

6 hours ago, greenjoe said:

I think the "Mean" part came from the Randy Galloway article. Galloway pictured each member of the D line and wrote a little cute tale about each player. One of the players was said to "kick"(?) kittens (or maybe it was puppies). Just part of how mean these linemen were.

Mean Green came from Sydney Graham. Which the Galloway article was about almost as much as the actual defense itself.