Kevin Greene played with the Los Angeles Rams and three other teams in a 15-year career which landed ... [+]
The Rams’ Kevin Greene was in the house and he made sure a not-so-ordinary-Joe knew it.
“I don’t know where it came from,’’ Greene said. “But I was just so excited about playing against Joe Montana and everything that I went over to him and said, ‘I’m going to get you Joe, I’m going to get you!”’
Of course Montana, who led the San Francisco 49ers to five Super Bowl titles, absorbed Greene’s arrows and delivered a snarky response.
“You idiot,’’ Montana said. “What is your name? Do you even have a name?’’
Greene made his name, and mark, to the degree that he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a 15-year career.
The Rams, as well as the other three teams Greene played for, and the entire NFL, are grieving the loss of Greene. He passed away on Monday at the age of 58.
Greene’s tale comes from the book, “Game Of My Life Rams’’ and in the spirit of full disclosure, I’m the author. But this post isn’t about selling books, it’s about buying into Greene’s unlikely journey.
It included a Dec. 18, 1988 contest against Montana when Greene spent the night before playing the 49ers mining for motivation by watching “Rocky.”
“I just remember Apollo Creed as he was dancing around Rocky and taunting Rocky,’’ Greene recalled. “He was saying stuff like, ‘You can’t hit me Rocky. I’m going to get your Rocky. You can’t do this, you can’t do that,’ Rocky.’’’
When Greene reached Candlestick Park the next morning he spotted Montana and Jerry Rice chatting during his pre-game laps. They were interrupted by a gung-ho Greene telling them what was in store.
When the contest started, Greene’s motor didn’t idle.
Instead he brought Montana down for a career-high 4.5 sacks, with four coming in the first quarter.
“I was bringing it that game,’’ said Greene, a two-time All-Pro and a five-time Pro Bowl selection. “It’s as good as a game as I ever had.’’
Greene, a fifth-round pick, was as good as the NFL ever saw. When he retired in 1999, his 160 sacks were the third-most in NFL history.
Greene’s trek to his big day included walking-on at Auburn. That he did it as a junior, after spending two years in the school’s ROTC program, illustrated Greene’s tenacity to follow his dream.
With this being Forbes, we followed the money. In Greene’s playing career, he earned approximately $22 million.
But Greene’s enthusiasm, drive and production is what stands out. Against Montana in that regular-season finale in which the Rams required a win to reach the playoffs, it was Super Kevin who delivered the game of his life.
