Origins Of The "mean" Green Defense....

MeanGreen61 · June 26, 2008

I believe that the team name came first, and then Joe picked it up from that.

I understand that Greene picked up his famous "Mean Joe" nickname as a member of the Pittsburgh Steeler "Steel Curtain" defense. He quickly developed the reputation of being a nasty, mean, in your face defensive lineman.

Edited June 26, 2008 by MeanGreen61

ADLER · June 26, 2008

I understand that Greene picked up hs famous "Mean Joe" nickname as a member of the Pittsburgh Steeler "Steel Curtain" defense. He was not a player that offensive blockers cared to see across the line.

OK guys, and now the facts.....

Joe Green was never called Mean Joe Greene while he was at North Texas.

When the Steelers selected him with their top pick (3rd overall) in the 1969 NFL Draft, a Pittsburg writer was confused by the team nickname and thought it was a reference to Joe Greene. The headline read Steelers Select "Mean" Joe Green with First Pick. The name stuck and gained noteriety as his dominance shocked the NFL .

ipEAGLE · June 26, 2008

In the late 1960's the Iowa Park Hawks (3a high school football team, in the 60's 2a) had the Mean Green nickname and put it to good use when they won the 1969 and 1970 2a State Championships... the nickname has somewhat stuck around. The car wash in town is called the 'Mean Green Car Wash' and the Iowa Park High School marching band is referred to as 'The Mean Green Marching Machine'.

Will we ever solve this mystery. :blink:

Also, does anyone have the stats for the 1968 defense?

Edited June 26, 2008 by ipEAGLE

Ibleedgreen · June 26, 2008

I grew up in the Wichita Falls area and I am fairly certain that Iowa Park borrowed "Mean Green" from UNT, although I am not certain of this. I do know that I never heard the Iowa Park Hawks referred to as "Mean Green" until after I graduated high school in 1967, and my high school played them every year. My best guess is that UNT popularized "Mean Green," and the Hawks adopted it shortly thereafter.

Quoner · June 26, 2008

I just told a New York-based reporter visiting to do a long series on a client all about our proud history of this nickname.
He asked me what I was talking about and calmly continued eating his sandwich. No one said this was going to be easy.

I did my damndest, but CNBC will not be covering the Mean Green this summer. I'm so jaded.

LongJim · June 26, 2008

I did my damndest, but CNBC will not be covering the Mean Green this summer. I'm so jaded.

Can't you maybe get the CBC, then?

Quoner · June 26, 2008

Can't you maybe get the CBC, then?

Worked with them last year. They hate the pro hockey team and really laughed when I told them about our bad ass club team. Damn Canucks.

I can try the BBC...

ADLER · June 26, 2008

I can try the BBC...

... and the FBI and the CIA and BB King And Doris Day

Hopefully this sounds familiar to some of you other old farts on this board, or at least it once did.

DeepGreen · June 27, 2008

To further compound the problem........

During my time ('64-'68) at North Texas State, er, UNT, when the team started tearing everyone up and our defense was something to behold, I seem to remember the DEFENSE being referred to as the MEAN GREEN DEFENSE. Whether the GREEN came from our school colors are because of our star defensive lineman Joe Greene, I can't remember. But, the rallying cry at the games was EAGLES.

Edited June 27, 2008 by DeepGreen

FirefightnRick · June 27, 2008

To further compound the problem........
During my time ('64-'68) at North Texas State, er, UNT, when the team started tearing everyone up and our defense was something to behold, I seem to remember the DEFENSE being referred to as the MEAN GREEN DEFENSE. Whether the GREEN came from our school colors are because of our star defensive lineman Joe Greene, I can't remember. But, the rallying cry at the games was EAGLES.

There is no compounding problem at all. We ARE the North Texas Mean Green Eagles, and clearly the nickname "MEAN GREEN" was first coined by Sidney Graham around 1966, used by a growing fanbase shortly after that and then later publicised by the Dallas Morning News in 1967 in reference to our defense and the rest is history. I have sent this information to the AD dept and have recieved a positive response about it. The original newspaper clipping is being requested to be placed on permanant display in the HOF some time in the future.

Rick

Edited June 27, 2008 by FirefightnRick

MeanGreenBuzz · June 28, 2008

Awesome work! This is a great find that should (hopefully) finally clear up this fiasco!

DeepGreen · June 28, 2008

There is no compounding problem at all. We ARE the North Texas Mean Green Eagles, and clearly the nickname "MEAN GREEN" was first coined by Sidney Graham around 1966, used by a growing fanbase shortly after that and then later publicised by the Dallas Morning News in 1967 in reference to our defense and the rest is history. I have sent this information to the AD dept and have recieved a positive response about it. The original newspaper clipping is being requested to be placed on permanant display in the HOF some time in the future.
Rick

Rick, it's been a long time since Denton was my home, so I could be smoking my shorts on this. Back then, the reference to the Mean Green was a reference to the Defensive Unit only. Not the whole team. We were the NTSU Eagles. And we had a bitchin' defensive unit called the Mean Green Defense. On the other hand, this is the first time I have laid eyes on the article.

NT can be called whatever the consensus wants us to be called; just build me a new stadium and win!

Edited June 28, 2008 by DeepGreen