Sunday night’s Ravens-Steelers game will feature an extra kick, thanks to a rare honor that will be given to a guy who was known to kick, punch, whack, push, shove, and generally do whatever needed to be done to perform effectively on the football field.
At halftime, the Steelers will retire Joe Greene’s number. “Mean” Joe’s 75 will join Ernie Stautner (No. 70) as only the second Pittsburgh player to have his jersey retired.
Via Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Greene said on a Tuesday conference call that he expects “emotions to be riding high” on Sunday night, even though he never played at Heinz Field and never faced a team known as the Ravens.
18 family members will join Greene for the ceremony. He was the fourth overall pick in the 1969 draft, the first involving coach Chuck Noll, who transformed a long-suffering team into one of the most potent dynasties in NFL history.
