Growing up in the 70s “Mean” Joe Greene was idolized by most up-and-coming defensive linemen in the NFL.
For Howie Long, that admiration was fully realized as a rookie for the Oakland Raiders.
Long explained that the meeting was thanks to Greene’s connection with his teammate Cedrick Hardman.
“Joe Greene was his roommate, teammate at North Texas State,” Long said on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast. “When you’re at Villanova you get a lot of Pittsburgh news and a lot of Pittsburgh games and to have dinner with him was an amazing thing as a rookie.”
One could imagine why Long would be so starstruck by Greene. Besides being in the Pennsylvania area, Greene was one of the most dominant forces of the time, winning four Super Bowls to go along with 10 Pro Bowl appearances. Long would obviously go on to become an all-time great player in his own right, going to eight Pro Bowls and winning a Super Bowl.
It may seem odd that a Steeler and Raider were getting dinner together considering the rivalry the teams shared at that time. Long went on to explain that it wasn’t strange for similar position players to be friends, even if it wasn’t too common.
“Not that I know of,” said Long when his son asked him if players hung out with opposing players during the offseason. “It was us against everybody. The first conversation I had with John Elway was the night before I retired at the Super Bowl.”
Obviously, an exception was made for the Steelers legend, whom Long looked up to during his college days. Still, had Greene been an offensive player, Long would not have been so welcoming.
“I’m not having an offensive guard,” said Long when asked what would make the Greene meeting different.
Overall, it sounds like Long was and still is appreciative of their meeting and that, for a night, he and Greene could be friends rather than rivals.
