Did you know there are several prominent sports figures who came from Central Texas?
The Bell County Museum  in Belton is honoring those local players and coaches with a special exhibit.

The Bell County Sports exhibit at the Bell County Museum is running now through August 21, and features coaches and players who played throughout Central Texas.

Coleman Hampton, Bell County Museum Director tells  Christopher Williams of KWTX, “We wanted to create an exhibit that illustrates the great sporting legacy of Bell County.”

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Until reading this story, I had no idea the "Mean" Joe Greene was a Temple Native. "Mean" Joe Greene is a four-time Super Bowl Champion defensive tackle and played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1969 to 1981. He won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award twice and was selected as a first-team All-Pro five times and made ten Pro Bowl appearances. He is one of only two players to ever have their jersey retired by the Steelers.

"Mean" Joe Greene was born and raised right here in Temple and is a graduate of Dunbar High School. Back in 2015 he was awarded a Hometown Hall of Famer plaque by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Ford, which he accepted at Temple High School.

You can check out the speech he gave here, in which he talks about how he got the nickname "Mean" despite being a pretty nice guy.

Growing up a Cowboys fan, I hated the Steelers, but I loved this "Mean" Joe Greene commercial.



"Mean" Joe Greene is just one of many local athletes celebrated in this new exhibit.

Do you know the story of Leon O’Neal? O’Neal played football in Killeen, and would go on to be the first black athlete to receive a football scholarship for the University of Texas Longhorns.

“I think we have a lot of things in this exhibit that big sports fans may not know about. Or might have slipped their minds,” Hampton says.

"Mean" Joe Greene and Leon O’Neal are just a couple of the sports figures celebrated with this exhibit.

Admission is free, and the Bell County Museum is located at 201 N Main Street in Belton.

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