Columns

The 4 Greatest Things I Learned from the Greatest Steeler of All Time

Filed Under: Blog, ColumnsFebruary 9, 2021

Tuesdays. 3pm. Mr. Greene’s house. I jokingly referred to it as “Tuesday’s with “Mean” Joe”. That was the standing time and location that I sat with one of the most iconic figures in sports history to discuss his life for our book, “Built By Football”. We met every week for about four months and it […]

6 Days, 5 Hotels, 3 Colleges, 2 Road Closures, 1 Dog and the Lamest Super Bowl Ever: A Photo Diary

Filed Under: Blog, ColumnsFebruary 6, 2021

THE BACKGROUND This fiasco happened in 2014 when I was moving to Dallas from South Florida (update: we moved back to South Florida in the summer of 2020). I took a road trip with my dog to meet the movers at the (then) new house and get things set up before my wife flew out […]

6 Reasons You’ll Feel 50x More Awesome Wearing Your Old Varsity Jacket

Filed Under: Blog, ColumnsFebruary 4, 2021

I could write 6,000 reasons, but I’ll leave it at six for now Why am I writing about this? Because the temp dropped to 36 degrees this morning here in South Florida and when I went searching for the one hoodie I still own, I came across my vintage 1996 Northern Highlands High School Varsity […]

Jon Finkel is the award-winning author of 1996: A Biography, Hoops Heist, The Life of Dad, Jocks In Chief, The Athlete, Heart Over Height, “Mean” Joe Greene and more. His books have been endorsed by everyone from Mark Cuban and Tony Dungy to Spike Lee, Kevin Durant and Chef Robert Irvine. He has written for GQ, Men’s Health, Yahoo! Sports, The New York Times and has appeared on CBS: This Morning, Good Morning Texas, and hundreds of radio shows, podcasts and streams.

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Mean Joe Greene’s memoir is a master class in determination, domination and perseverance. For the first time ever, the College and Pro Football Hall of Famer gives readers an unflinching look at his rise from high school bully-victim and bench warmer to North Texas legend and Steelers icon.

Many years before he would anchor the most-feared, most-successful defense the NFL had ever seen, Joe Greene was just a big, timid kid from Temple, Texas struggling to find his confidence as a teenager being raised by a single mother.

In his compelling, eye-opening autobiography, Greene takes readers on an unprecedented tour of his life, exploring the people who influenced him and the events that shaped him: from humiliating high school embarrassments to the grit and guts that led to four Super Bowl titles.

Mean Joe Greene: Built By Football is the inside story of how a series of mentors, mindset changes and maybe some luck helped a young man turn a scholarship offer from a small college in Texas into a selection as an All-American, a first-round draft pick in the NFL and a life in football that would net him six Super Bowl rings, including two as a coach.

As the first book in the Football Matters’ ‘Built By Football’ series, Greene discusses how football helped shape his character, his leadership skills, taught him humility and integrity, and helped him learn the lessons he would use throughout his life as a player, husband, father, friend and coach.

“Because of his physical play he was known as “Mean” Joe Greene, but those of us who truly know Joe Greene know that he is a better person than he was a player and that’s saying a lot.” – Mel Blount, NFL Hall of Famer

“To view Joe as only a great football player is to miss the biggest part of a great man. I am glad he has agreed to do this book, as it comes at a time when real heroes are desperately needed.” – Jon Kolb, 4x Super Bowl Champion

“There is no question in my mind that “Mean” Joe Greene is the greatest Steeler of all time!” – Franco Harris, Pro Football Hall of Famer

“Joe Greene had many achievements, playing in Super Bowls, Pro Bowls, and all the best recognitions. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. However, he was not interested in the accolades. He was focused on being the best.” – Dan Rooney, Owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, former US Ambassador

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