Today in Sports History: October 1st
10/01/1979 - Mean Joe Greene likes his Coke
The most recognizable sports commercial of all time made its debut on this day in 1979. Mean Joe Greene, the cantankerous defensive lineman of the champion Pittsburgh Steelers, was given a Coke from 9 year-old child actor Tommy Okon. The surly 260 lb. linebacker transformed into a smiling, pleasant person after a few refreshing gulps. Then, as the dejected kid began to walk back onto the field, Mean Joe tossed his jersey to the young fan. The kid replied, "Wow! Thanks Mean Joe!"
The commercial was a smash hit and reappeared in Super Bowl XIV (which once again featured the Steelers). Alterations of the ad appeared in Brazil, Thailand, and Argentina where soccer players assumed the role of Mean Joe. It was even made into a made-for-TV movie in the 80's, The Steeler and the Pittsburgh Kid, with Greene playing himself and Henry Thomas from E.T. playing the kid.
While doing the ad was a worthwhile experience, Greene had to consume 27 bottles of Coke before satisfying the director. “They had a can for me to dump it in; I just swallowed it,” Green said. It didn’t help that Okon, who was a big admirer of Greene, kept botching his lines. Greene drank 16-18 bottles on the third and final day of shooting and even had to throw up one point.
“We were a Giants family, but my favorite AFC team was the Steelers,” said Okon, who grew up to become a sales manager. “Mean Joe was a hero to me.” “It’s a little odd when you’re married and you have children, and people are still talking about something you did when you were 9.”
“I really think it humanized a guy who had been dehumanized a little bit,” Greene said of the commercial. “I had a reputation as a mean guy, and it carried over off the field. I was somewhat unapproachable. Then the commercial portrayed me as a big pussycat.”
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