One of the most dominant defensive players in NFL history was born on this day, 70 years ago. ‘Mean Joe Greene’ was a collosus on the pitch during his 12-year stay at Pittsburgh Steelers.
He was the cornerstone of the “Steel Curtain” defence, which was the backbone of the franchise’s run of four Super Bowl triumphs in six seasons from 1975-80.
Sadly, he is the last-surviving member of the the front four which also contained L.C. Greenwood, Ernie Holmes and Dwight White.
Greene was selected as the fourth pick in the 1969 by the Steelers, after a an outstanding college football career.
The one-franchise, defensive linesman would repeatedly justify this decision throughout a career which saw him become a a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Such was his impact, his No75 jersey has not been reissued since retirement.
More sports stars born on this day:
1980: John Arne Riise, left-back for Liverpool, Roma and Monaco who is known for his venomous free-kicks (36).
1980: Victoria Pendleton, a two-time Olympic gold-medal winning cyclist who is now a jockey (36).
1971: Kevin Millar, a retired baseball first baseman who won the 2004 World Series with Boston Red Sox (45).
1954: Marco Tardelli, former Italy and Juventus midfielder who is famous for one of football’s great celebrations (62).
