Editing Joe Greene (section)

==Nickname==
While sources agree the name is a reference to North Texas' athletics teams, the Mean Green,<ref name=Myerberg>{{cite news|last1=Myerberg|first1=Paul|title=Which nickname came first at North Texas? 'Mean Joe' Greene or Mean Green?|url=http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/mean-green-mean-joe-green-nickname-origins|access-date=October 27, 2016|work=USA Today|date=August 15, 2015|quote=But we can put one misguided theory to rest right here: The North Texas Mean Green are not, in fact, named in honor of 'Mean Joe' Greene|archive-date=October 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028151934/http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/mean-green-mean-joe-green-nickname-origins|url-status=live}}.</ref><ref name=Sarasota>{{cite news|title='Mean Joe' Doesn't Like His Nickname|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IrEqAAAAIBAJ&pg=2246%2C3044774|access-date=October 27, 2016|work=Sarasota Herald-Tribune|agency=Associated Press|date=January 8, 1975|page=3-C|archive-date=April 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423193134/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IrEqAAAAIBAJ&pg=2246%2C3044774|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Pomerantz66>Pomerantz 2014, p. 66.</ref> there are conflicting accounts as to how, when, and why Greene received his "Mean Greene" nickname. When he first arrived at North Texas, the university's moniker was the Eagles. In 1966, Greene's first year on the varsity team, the team adopted the "Mean Green" moniker. Two possible origins of the nickname are two separate cheers that supposedly developed independently during North Texas' 1966 game against [[UTEP Miners football|UTEP]]. One cheer was by Sidney Sue Graham, wife of the North Texas sports information director. In response to a tackle by Greene, she blurted out, "That's the way, Mean Greene!"<ref name="Coleman">{{cite web|last1=Coleman|first1=Rufus|title=How Our Green Got Mean|url=http://northtexan.unt.edu/archives/w04/mean.htm|publisher=The North Texan|access-date=October 27, 2016|archive-date=October 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028084223/http://northtexan.unt.edu/archives/w04/mean.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Bill Mercer]], former North Texas play-by-play announcer, states Graham's thought behind the nickname was the Mean Green defense.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ehsan|first1=Azad|title=Looking back at a century of Mean Green|url=http://ntdaily.com/looking-back-at-a-century-of-mean-green/|access-date=October 27, 2016|work=North Texas Daily|date=September 5, 2013|archive-date=October 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028152113/http://ntdaily.com/looking-back-at-a-century-of-mean-green/|url-status=live}}</ref> Meanwhile, in the student section, North Texas basketball players [[Willie Davis (basketball)|Willie Davis]] and Ira Daniels, unsatisfied with the unenthusiastic crowd, began to sing, "Mean Green, you look so good to me". The rest of the crowd soon followed. "After that we did it every game," Davis said. "A lot of people later on started associating it with Joe because his last name was Greene, but it actually started with that simple chant that Saturday night at [[Fouts Field]]. And that's the truth."<ref name=Coleman/>

Although it stuck with him throughout his professional career due to his playing style, Greene himself was not fond of the nickname, insisting it did not reflect his true character.<ref name=Sarasota/> "I just want people to remember me as being a good player and not really mean," he said. "I want to be remembered for playing 13 years and contributing to four championship teams. I would like to be remembered for maybe setting a standard for others to achieve."<ref name=HOF/>

As for the “Joe” part of his nickname (since his given name was Charles, not Joseph), that came from one of his aunts.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Joe Greene turns 75: Six amazing facts about the Steelers' greatest player of all-time|url=https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/joe-greene-turns-75-six-amazing-facts-about-the-steelers-greatest-player-of-all-time/|access-date=2021-11-09|website=CBSSports.com|language=en}}</ref> During a 2014 interview with NFL Films, Greene said that his aunt nicknamed him Joe due to his resemblance to boxing legend Joe Louis, who at the time of Greene's birth was in the middle of his 12-year reign as heavyweight champion. "She thought I was hefty and bulky enough to be called Joe Louis," Greene said. "She started calling me Joe, and it kind of stuck."<ref name=":0" />