Written by Sean Riedel

Joe Greene made quite an impact on the football field during his college and NFL career, and now he and his family are creating impact and helping transform students at the University of North Texas. Through a scholarship established in honor of Agnes Lucille Craft Greene (’73), Joe’s wife who passed away in 2015 from breast cancer, the Greene family continues her legacy of strength, resilience and generosity.

The Agnes Lucille Craft Greene Scholarship was established in 2015 by Joe and their children — Charles Major (’91), Edward Delon (’93) and Joquel — and supports students whose families have experiences with breast cancer.

“I think she would be really proud of us for embodying her spirit and us continuing to help other people,” says Delon Greene. “I think she would be proud of the fact that it's an initiative that we have undertaken to help other people. I think that would be very important to her, because that was something that she stood by.”

Agnes studied business management at UNT, where in 1967 she met Joe.

“I met her my second year at North Texas. I lived in the Quads — there was one dorm on each corner with the cafeteria in the center of it,” Joe Greene says. “Two dorms housed women and two housed men, one predominantly for athletes and the other for non-athletes. Agnes lived in the Clark Hall but would dine in the Quads. We met in the cafeteria.”

A romance blossomed and within a few years, the couple welcomed three children. Joe was a first round pick in the 1969 NFL draft and would go on to play 13 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Agnes continued her studies at North Texas as their family grew.

“My dad had started playing in the league. My mom and us kids were living in Duncanville at the time, and she would drive up to Denton for classes,” Delon says. “I still have some of her books. I've kept them because she was so proud of them — she saw those books as a testament to what she learned at North Texas.”

While Agnes and Joe moved around the country for several decades, they later moved back to North Texas and Agnes became involved with the UNT Alumni Association and maintained close ties to her alma mater.

“She always believed you couldn’t get a better degree from anywhere else in the country than what you got from North Texas,” Delon says. “She truly believed in UNT. So, we wanted to combine those together: her love for people, her faith and her community. One of her communities was UNT, and then after her experience with breast cancer, that really gave us an opportunity to extend her legacy and help families — we thought that the scholarship would be a great way to honor who she is.”

That’s what makes the scholarship program so special. In 10 years, it has provided vital support to dozens of students while creating a touching opportunity for mutual healing.

Delon Greene faced his own battle with cancer after being diagnosed with leukemia in 2009.

“I got both experiences — and it can feel very lonely,” Delon says. “It can feel like you're the only person that's going through it. I had a good nucleus of people. I had a great circle and I was blown away by the amount of people that come out and help and give. I think that's a very powerful statement.”

The Greene family prioritizes two annual events — one at UNT’s Denton campus and another in Dallas — that serve as meaningful opportunities for personal connection with the scholars and their families.

“It really is a community and we need each other,” Delon says. “I truly believe that it's a mutual blessing. It gives us an opportunity to bless them, but then in return, they're blessing us. The experience of connecting with the recipients and hearing their stories is continued healing for us.”