Question: Who is the only UNT alum to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Answer: Charles Edward Greene, better known as “Mean” Joe Greene. Born in Temple in 1946, he played three seasons at North Texas State University, which adopted “Mean Green” as the moniker for its athletics teams during Greene’s first year in the program.
Greene was drafted fourth overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1969 and quickly became the anchor of their famed “Steel Curtain” defense. Greene earned 10 Pro Bowl selections, won NFL Defensive Player of the Year twice, and helped Pittsburgh win four Super Bowl championships in a six-year span.
