Off Topic: How many folks remember this?

[Mr. Scot]

So here's a couple of old acquaintances...

On the right, Steelers Hall of Fame defensive lineman Mean Joe Greene.  On the left, Tommy Okon.

Who is Tommy Okon?

Well, here's a picture from another time these two guys were together, some years back.

That's a much younger Greene on the left.  To the right, then nine year old Tommy Okon.

The iconic commercial featuring Greene and Okon first ran 37 years ago, and will be shown again this Tuesday on a special called 'The Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials' on CBS.

Okon is now in his mid-40s.  Greene will turn 70 later this year.

 

Yeah, I feel old.

 

Here in Panther country, we're quite accustomed to seeing football players give things away to kids.  The team is well-known for giving almost every football that's used to score a touchdown to a kid in the stands. That practice was of course started by Quarterback Cam Newton at the suggestion of then QB Coach Mike Shula, and of late it's garnered a lot of attention

But this commercial was iconic for its time because back then, this kind of thing didn't happen all that much.  Athletes giving away things to kids - especially athletes who were nicknamed 'Mean' - was a lot less common then than it is now.  And of course, the Panthers didn't exist.

(maybe that's why)

I don't know if any of the Panthers have ever said "Hey kid...catch" when giving a football away, but it'd be mildly amusing if they did.

Granted, the kids in the stands these days aren't handing Cokes to our players.

[B.BERSIN]

I'm too young to witness those moments, but I think those are some good years for "real" football games after watching some games and documentaries that period.

Those are some tough football games.

[stankowalski]

I remember that commercial as a kid.  Don't remember Greene actually playing though, I didn't really start watching football until about 1982 and even then I only watched when the Raiders played.

[Mr. Scot]

I saw plenty of Greene as a player.  There was a lot of Steelers football to be seen where I grew up.

Greene was legitimately great, and legitimately mean.

He didn't get that nickname by accident.

[JSouth]

I remember that commercial. Loved it as a kid. 

[RickyManningJr]

Cool stuff.  Thanks for the post. 

[PhillyB]

one day i imagine cam being eighty and invited to a thing and sitting among a bunch of 60-year-olds and praised for giving away balls and then everyone stands up and applauds and it turns out everyone in the room was a kid who got a ball from cam and he cries

[DaveThePanther2008]

That was such a great commercial.  Many only know Mean Joe Greene as a player in the past.  Those of us that remember the days of the Steel Curtain remember how dominate a player he was.   How mean and tough he was.  Which made this commercial so awesome. 

I always think of this as the beginning of when fans started wearing Jerseys of their favorite player.  Definitely don't remember replica or authentic jerseys being worn back then. 

[Jangler]

5 hours ago, B.BERSIN said:

I'm too young to witness those moments, but I think those are some good years for "real" football games after watching some games and documentaries that period.

Those are some tough football games.

Cocaine and percocet are good

 

 

[Nomad82]

It was THE commercial of my youth.

[wud35]

5 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

I saw plenty of Greene as a player.  There was a lot of Steelers football to be seen where I grew up.

Greene was legitimately great, and legitimately mean.

He didn't get that nickname by accident.

And one of the nicest guys off the field. Seems I recall someone else like that. ;-)

[Reynman]

(cynicism edit)

Let's hope that this was just a nice moment, and not an opportunity to sell more soda...

 

 

[DamnItJake!]

6 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

So here's a couple of old acquaintances...

On the right, Steelers Hall of Fame defensive lineman Mean Joe Greene.  On the left, Tommy Okon.

Who is Tommy Okon?

Well, here's a picture from another time these two guys were together, some years back.

That's a much younger Greene on the left.  To the right, then nine year old Tommy Okon.

The iconic commercial featuring Greene and Okon first ran 37 years ago, and will be shown again this Tuesday on a special called 'The Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials' on CBS.

Okon is now in his mid-40s.  Greene will turn 70 later this year.

 

Yeah, I feel old.

 

Here in Panther country, we're quite accustomed to seeing football players give things away to kids.  The team is well-known for giving almost every football that's used to score a touchdown to a kid in the stands. That practice was of course started by Quarterback Cam Newton at the suggestion of then QB Coach Mike Shula, and of late it's garnered a lot of attention

But this commercial was iconic for its time because back then, this kind of thing didn't happen all that much.  Athletes giving away things to kids - especially athletes who were nicknamed 'Mean' - was a lot less common then than it is now.  And of course, the Panthers didn't exist.

(maybe that's why)

I don't know if any of the Panthers have ever said "Hey kid...catch" when giving a football away, but it'd be mildly amusing if they did.

Granted, the kids in the stands these days aren't handing Cokes to our players.

haha..thats immediately what popped into my mind when I saw the topic!! Who remembers the mean Joe Greene Coke commercial ?? That was a great commercial and I love Coca-Cola..They need to redo it with Cam! :)

[Mr. Scot]

You'd never see a player walking back to the locker room by himself these days.