The defensive leader for the turnaround of the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise, “Mean” Joe Greene was born in Temple, Texas and played for Dunbar. His high school team had a losing record, and he did not have much interest from colleges, but he was offered a scholarship to play for North Texas State University (now University of North Texas). He found himself on a team again that struggled to get wins, but he did draw attention by his senior season in which he was an All-American.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, then arguably the worst franchise in the NFL, took a chance and drafted Greene with the fourth pick in the NFL Draft. It was an unpopular pick in Pittsburgh and considered by football experts as a terrible pick. Greene would quickly prove everyone wrong. Despite Pittsburgh going 1-13, Green won the Rookie of the Year. After another terrible season, Pittsburgh started their winning ways with an 11-3 1972 record and Greene winning Defensive Player of the Year. He would get his first of 4 Super Bowl Wins in 1975. Greene was a 10-time Pro Bowl selection and made 8 All-Pro Teams (5 First-Teams). He was a 2-time Defensive Player of the Year winner.
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