Eugene Greening, affectionately known as Mean Gene, the Dancing Machine, was a devoted Green Bay Packers supporter who passed away on Saturday at the age of 81. As his moniker suggests, Greening was famous for spontaneously dancing among Packers enthusiasts and even rival team fans.

“Gene was always dancing wherever he tailgated,” noted his fellow super fan and companion, Wayne Sargent. “People often wondered what he was drinking, but he didn’t consume alcohol. Gene was the kindest and most genuine person you could meet. He took the time to interact with nearly everyone he encountered.”

Greening shared in interviews that he became a Packers enthusiast during the Lombardi era, watching games on a snowy TV screen from his family’s farm near New London. He assumed the persona of Mean Gene in the early 2000s when his nephews encouraged him to enter a Coca Cola marketing competition. “Coca Cola featured me in a USA TODAY advertisement during Super Bowl weekend.

The Packers Pro Shop’s ‘The Touchdown Elation’ included me in their TV commercial, catalog, and even on a billboard for a year. They displayed my Coca Cola ad in the Packers Hall of Fame section,” Greening recounted in an interview with the Die Hard Packer Fan website. Mean Gene was the alias he adopted for the Coca Cola contest, and dancing was part of his act.

“When I realized how much people enjoyed it, we did it even more,” he told DHPF. Sargent mentioned that Greening had a strong dislike for the Chicago Bears. “He would drag a stuffed bear around on a rope in the parking lot. He was unique, but in such a loving manner. He didn’t have any foes. Even Bears fans adored him,” Sargent remarked.

“He devoted most of his spare time to American Legion Post 33 in Neenah. He was the driving force behind everything. The Legion and the Packers were Gene’s main passions, aside from his wife, Dorothy. She was his pillar. Such a kind and loving woman.” Greening participated in USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin’s Clubhouse Live, which was streamed live during the Packers’ seasons.

“Mean Gene was a significant part of our entire Clubhouse Live team, and he added an extra layer of enjoyment to each of our shows when he joined us,” Appleton Post-Crescent photographer Dan Powers shared in a Facebook post.