Our Clubhouse Live show is going to have a different look moving forward.
There’ll be a little less dancing. A little less cheerleading. A little less towel waving. And a little less energy.
We wish that wasn’t the case.
Eugene Greening, a Green Bay Packers super fan affectionately known as “Mean Gene,” passed away Saturday at the age of 81.
The Menasha resident was a longtime fixture on Clubhouse Live, our weekly Packers show that’s produced by USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin and held throughout the NFL season in The Fox Club at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute.
Decked in green and gold from his Cheesehead affixed with a foam No. 1 finger, to his Packers-themed shoes and pickup truck, Greening was a regular attendee of the show and endeared himself to our fans through his devotion and enthusiasm for Packers football.
He also endeared himself to the many Packers players who have appeared on the show.
“His support, enthusiasm and love for the Packers was unmatched,” former Packers tight end Tom Crabtree said in a text message. Crabtree served as Clubhouse Live’s co-host during the 2012 season.
“Win or lose, I always looked forward to seeing Mean Gene, his smile and those dance moves!”
Greening loved to dance, telling The Post-Crescent in a 2016 story that “I’ve been blessed with all this rhythm, so why let it go to waste?”
And he would pose for pictures with fans and work the room as he helped us fire up the crowd during our pre-show warmup.
He would also welcome our weekly player guests by waving his yellow Packers towel and shouting their names as they got settled on stage, which elicited grins and chuckles from the guys.
“Things like this remind you to be thankful for your health and your friendships,” texted former Packers All-Pro and Pro Bowl fullback John Kuhn, who co-hosted the show in 2013 and ’14 and dressed as Mean Gene during one of our Halloween-themed episodes. “Mean Gene was a staple that we all loved as players.”
And then there was Greening’s familiar chant he would lead the crowd in as we signed off each week: “Go Pack Go, Go Pack Go, Green and Gold, Go Pack Go!”
Greening became such a regular of the show that we dubbed him Clubhouse Live’s unofficial mascot – a moniker that always brought a big smile to his face.
We even presented him with his own “Mean Gene” bobblehead as we kicked off the 2023 season.
“This all happened for Gene because of Clubhouse Live’s staff, the love from all the Green Bay Packers (player) hosts and all the fans that love my fun however we do it,” a proud Greening told the audience when we
Topics in this Story
