Steelers top 30 moments in franchise history
By Kim Myers
Coming out party
Nov 2, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers former defensive tackle Joe Greene speaks at a ceremony commemorating the retirement of his jersey number by the Steelers before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Joe Greene, defensive tackle out of North Texas with the fourth overall pick in the 1969 NFL Draft. It was Chuck Noll’s first draft pick as head coach of the Steelers and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran a story titled “Who’s Joe Greene?” in reaction to the pick.
Mean Joe Greene would turn out to be one of the greatest Steelers to ever put on the Black & Gold, if not the greatest. In the 1974 NFL season Greene was voted NFL’s defensive player of the year. He was the leader and cornerstone of the “Steel Curtain” defense and in the AFC title game in 1974 he showed his dominance over Oakland Raiders center Jim Otto the entire game.
The Steelers’ game plan against the Raiders was to run the ball while stopping the run by Oakland. The Steelers defense, led by Greene, held the Raiders to two first downs and 65 total yards in the first half. By the end of the game the Raiders only had 29 rushing yards on 21 carries in the Steelers 24-13 win that sent them to the first Super Bowl of the franchise’s history.
Greene would go on to dominate the NFL for his 13-year career with the Steelers and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
Next: The Bus runs over Brian Urlacher