The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the NFL’s most storied franchises today, but before the 1970s, they were lovable losers akin to today’s Cleveland Browns. That all changed when “Mean” Joe Greene was drafted in 1969. Greene is the best player in Steelers’ history, both for his incredible level of play and his ability to change the Steelers’ culture. The Steel Curtain doesn’t exist without him, and without that foursome, who knows what the Steelers would be. While many stories have been told about how Greene wasn’t actually all that mean, one legendary actor and former Steeler said otherwise, detailing how ferocious Greene could be.
Ed O’Neill is more commonly known for his roles in long-running sitcoms like “Married… with Children” and “Modern Family”, but before that, he was a member of the Steelers during training camp in 1969. While his NFL career didn’t work out, O’Neill still looks back on his time with the Steelers fondly. On a recent episode of former New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman’s podcast Games With Names, O’Neill was asked how mean Greene actually was.
“Mean as hell. They go, ‘Oh, that’s just the nickname, it’s because he’s not mean.’ Oh no. He was great off the field, he was a sweet guy in real life, but on the field, he was brutal,” O’Neill said. “He used to punch guys. He’d hit guys in the stomach with a fist. He had a great uppercut to the solar plexus. He’d nail these guys, and they’d drop like a sack. He was brutal. He didn’t lift weights. Never touched a weight, but he was a great player.”
Back then, being mean like Greene wasn’t outlawed like it is today. He wasn’t the only one using that level of violence to his advantage, but he was the best at it, at least according to O’Neill. Greene’s character off the field has always been described as not matching his ferocious reputation, but clearly he earned that nickname for a reason. Having a gnarly uppercut had to help when tackling barrel-chested running backs like Earl Campbell and Larry Csonka.
It’s also fascinating to hear O’Neill say that Greene never lifted weights. Greene isn’t just the greatest Steeler of all time, he’s also one of the greatest defensive players ever. To earn that honor and never spend a day in the weight room is unreal. It just adds to the mystique of Greene as some kind of alien sent to give Pittsburgh a legendary football team. If any current Steelers got caught not lifting weights, you can bet Mike Tomlin would tell them to pack their bags and hit the road.
Maybe it was that up close and personal look at Greene’s disposition that made O’Neill realize football wasn’t for him anymore. He had a chance to continue playing after the Steelers cut him but turned it down. Either way, Greene’s attitude set the tone for one of the greatest dynasties of all time, so if a few players had to get the wind knocked out of them, it was worth it. Mean on the field and sweet off it, nobody will ever embody what it means to be a Steeler more than Greene.
