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"There are no roadside markers pointing to his childhood home in Sheepshead Bay"
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*In 1972, the Green Bay School District named its new junior high school (later a middle school) "Vincent T. Lombardi Junior High (Middle) School," located on Green Bay's southwest side.
*In 1972, the Green Bay School District named its new junior high school (later a middle school) "Vincent T. Lombardi Junior High (Middle) School," located on Green Bay's southwest side.
*The football field at [[Old Bridge High School]] in [[Old Bridge, New Jersey]], is called "Vince Lombardi Field." It has been called this since the 1970s, the field in Palisades Park is also known as "Vince Lombardi Field." His brother Joe attended the rededication ceremony in the 1990s.
*The football field at [[Old Bridge High School]] in [[Old Bridge, New Jersey]], is called "Vince Lombardi Field." It has been called this since the 1970s, the field in Palisades Park is also known as "Vince Lombardi Field." His brother Joe attended the rededication ceremony in the 1990s.
*Vince Lombardi Square (with a plaque dedication in the sidewalk on the square) is near Sheepshead Bay Road and East 14th Street in Brooklyn, New York.
*Vince Lombardi Square (with a plaque dedication in the sidewalk on the square) is near Sheepshead Bay Road and East 14th Street in Brooklyn, New York.{{citation needed|reason="There are no roadside markers pointing to his childhood home in Sheepshead Bay..." Maraniss p. 503}}
*Also in Brooklyn, there are two places in the [[Bensonhurst]] area, which are dedicated or re-honored in Vince Lombardi's honor: P.S. 204 on 15th Avenue and 81st Street is officially named Vince Lombardi Elementary School, and the entire Bensonhurst stretch of 16th Avenue is dedicated by the City of New York as "Vince Lombardi Boulevard."
*Also in Brooklyn, there are two places in the [[Bensonhurst]] area, which are dedicated or re-honored in Vince Lombardi's honor: P.S. 204 on 15th Avenue and 81st Street is officially named Vince Lombardi Elementary School, and the entire Bensonhurst stretch of 16th Avenue is dedicated by the City of New York as "Vince Lombardi Boulevard."
*The Vince Lombardi Service Area and park-and-ride is the northernmost rest area on the [[John Fenwick Service Area|New Jersey Turnpike]], at mileposts 116E on the Eastern Spur and 115.5W on the Western Spur. Outside the gift shop is a plaque about his life, which notes that he is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery, [[Middletown Township, New Jersey#Notable residents|Middletown]], New Jersey.
*The Vince Lombardi Service Area and park-and-ride is the northernmost rest area on the [[John Fenwick Service Area|New Jersey Turnpike]], at mileposts 116E on the Eastern Spur and 115.5W on the Western Spur. Outside the gift shop is a plaque about his life, which notes that he is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery, [[Middletown Township, New Jersey#Notable residents|Middletown]], New Jersey.

Revision as of 11:01, 8 February 2011

Vince Lombardi
Career information
College:Fordham
Position:Head Coach/General Manager
Career history
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Win-Loss Record:96-34-6
Winning %:.738
Games:136
Coaching stats at PFR

Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s. The National Football League's Super Bowl trophy is named in his honor.

Lombardi played American football at St. Francis Preparatory School, and later Fordham University. He began coaching as an assistant and later as a head coach at St. Cecilia High School. He would later become an assistant coach at Fordham University, the U.S. Military Academy, and the New York Giants before becoming a head coach for the Green Bay Packers from 1959–67 and the Washington Redskins in 1969.

Early years

Lombardi was born in Brooklyn to Italian-born father Enrico "Harry" Lombardi, a butcher, and Brooklyn-born Matilda Izzo, the daughter of a barber, whose parents had immigrated as teenagers from just east of Salerno in southern Italy. Vince Lombardi was raised in the Sheepshead Bay area of southern Brooklyn and attended its public schools through the eighth grade. As a child Vince Lombardi helped his father with his work.[citation needed]

In 1928, he entered Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception, a six-year secondary program to become a Catholic priest. After two years, Lombardi decided not to pursue this path and transferred to the St. Francis Prep, where he was a standout on the football team,[1] played baseball and was a Charter Member of Omega Gamma Delta fraternity.[citation needed]

Days at Fordham University

In 1933, Lombardi accepted a football scholarship[2] to Fordham University[3] in the Bronx to play for the Fordham Rams and Coach Jim Crowley, one of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame in the 1920s. During his freshman year, due to his "reckless abandon" and "superior blocking" on the football field, his teammates gave Lombardi the nickname of Butch.[4] Prior to the start of his sophomore year, Lombardi was projected as a starter at tackle. Lombardi was undersized for the position (5'8" and about 183 lb.)[5] Nonetheless, he became the right guard in the Seven Blocks of Granite,[6] a nickname given to the Fordham University football team's offensive front line[7] by Fordham University publicist Timothy Sylvester Cohane.[8] The Seven Blocks of Granite of the 1936 line were Leo Paquin, Johnny 'Tarzan' Druze, Alex Franklin Wojciechowicz, Ed 'Devil Doll' Franco, Al 'Ali Baba' Babartsky, Natty Pierce, and Vince Lombardi.[7][9] The nickname was also commonly used to referred to the Fordham lines of the 1929, 1930, and 1937 teams, but it is the 1936 line which "...entered the realm of football lore."[10]

His Senior Year, the 1936 Rams went 5-0-2 before losing, what Lombardi called; "The most devastating loss of my life,"[citation needed] when they lost the final game of the season 7-6 to NYU, and with it, the hopes of playing in the Rose Bowl.

In the fall of 1938, Lombardi attended Fordham's law school. "One semester, and Lombardi was out, with poor grades that he tried to conceal ever after."[11] In 1939, Lombardi accepted an assistant coaching job at St. Cecilia, a Catholic high school in Englewood, New Jersey.[12] He was offered the position by the school's new head coach, Lombardi's former Fordham teammate, quarterback "Handy" Andy Palau. Palau had just taken over the head coaching position from another Fordham teammate, Nat Pierce (left guard), who had accepted an assistant coach's job back at Fordham. In addition to coaching, Lombardi, age 26, also taught Latin, chemistry, and physics for an annual salary of under $1700 at the high school.[13] Lombardi and Palau shared a boarding house room across the street from the school for $1.50 each per week.

Andy Palau left for Fordham in 1942 and Lombardi became the head coach at St. Cecilia. Lombardi stayed a total of eight years (five as head coach, and in 1943 was recognized as the top football team in the nation.[citation needed] He left for Fordham in 1947 to coach the freshman teams in football and basketball. The following year he served as an assistant coach for Fordham's varsity football team, but he was arguably the de facto head coach.[14]

West Point

Following the 1948 football season, Lombardi accepted another assistant's job, at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a position that would greatly influence his future coaching style. Lombardi served as offensive line coach[15] under legendary head coach Colonel Red Blaik. "As integral as religion was to his (Lombardi's) sense of self, it was not until he reached West Point and combined his spiritual discipline with Blaik's military discipline that his coaching persona began to take its mature form."[16] Blaik's emphasis on execution[17] would become a hallmark of Lombardi's NFL teams. Lombardi coached at West Point for five seasons, with varying results. The 1949, 1950, and 1953 seasons were successful. But the 1951 and 1952 seasons were not successful due to the aftermath of a cadet cribbing scandal (a violation of the Cadet Honor Code[18]) which was revealed in the spring of 1951. As a result, 43 of 45 members of the varsity football team were discharged "...by administrative order".[19] "Decades later, looking back on his rise, Lombardi came to regard..." Blaik's decision not to resign "...as a pivotal moment in his [own] career" - it taught him 'perseverance.'[20] Following these five seasons at Army, Lombardi accepted an assistant coaching position with the NFL's New York Giants.

To the NFL

Lombardi, age 41, began his career as a professional football coach in 1954. He accepted a job that would later become known as the offensive coordinator position for the NFL's New York Giants, under new head coach Jim Lee Howell.[21] The Giants had finished the previous season, under 23-year coach Steve Owen, with a 3–9 record. By the third season, Lombardi, along with the defensive coordinator, former All-Pro cornerback turned coach Tom Landry, turned the squad into a championship team, defeating the Chicago Bears for the league title in 1956. "Howell readily acknowledged the talents of Lombardi and Landry, and joked self-deprecatingly, that his main function was to make sure the footballs had air in them."[22] At points in his tenure as an assistant coach at West Point, and as an assistant coach with the Giants, Lombardi worried he was unable to land a head coaching job due to prejudice against his Italian heritage.[23]

Head coaching career

Green Bay Packers

On February 2, 1959, at age 45, Vince Lombardi accepted the position of head coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers. Lombardi inherited a team which in 1958 had lost all but 2 of its 12 games (a win & a tie), worst in Packers history.

Lombardi created punishing training regimens and expected absolute dedication and effort from his players. The 1959 Packers were an immediate improvement, finishing at 7–5. Rookie head coach Lombardi was named Coach of the Year.[24]

In his second year, Green Bay won the NFL Western Conference for the first time since 1944, resulting in Lombardi's gaining the nickname the Pope, from the Green Bay community.[25] Lombardi led the Packers to the 1960 NFL Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Prior to the championship game, Lombardi met with Wellington Mara and advised him that he would not take the Giants' head coaching job, which was initially offered after the end of the 1959 season.[26] Against the Eagles, Lombardi suffered his first, and last, championship game loss. After the game, and after the press corps had left the locker room, Lombardi told his team, "This will never happen again. You will never lose another championship."[27] (He would win his next 9 post-season games, a record streak not matched or broken until Bill Belichick won 10 in a row from 2002 to 2006.)

The Packers would defeat the Giants for the NFL title in 1961 (37–0 in Green Bay) and 1962 (16–7 at Yankee Stadium), marking the first two of their five titles in Lombardi's 9 years. After the 1962 championship win, Lombardi received a call from President John F. Kennedy wherein Kennedy asked Lombardi if he would 'come back to Army and coach again' - Lombardi replied no without ever saying no.[28] His only other post-season loss occurred to the St. Louis Cardinals in the Playoff Bowl (3rd place game) after the 1964 season (officially classified as an exhibition game).[29] Lombardi had earlier expressed an interest in the head coaching job at Notre Dame and on two occasions wrote letters to the university to that effect.[citation needed] He never received a reply.[citation needed]

Including postseason but excluding exhibition games, Lombardi went on to accomplish a 96–34–6 (.738 winning percent) record as head coach, and he never suffered a losing season.[30] He led the Packers to three consecutive NFL championships—-in 1965, 1966, and 1967—-a feat accomplished only once before in the history of the league (by Curly Lambeau, founder of the Packers, who coached the team to their first three straight NFL Championships in 1929, 1930, and 1931). At the conclusion of the 1966 and 1967 seasons, Lombardi's Packers teams would also go on to win the first two Super Bowls, solidifying his place as, arguably, the greatest coach in football history.[31] Vince Lombardi had coached the Green Bay Packers to complete championships in 5 of 7 seasons, 1961-67.

The Lombardi Sweep

As coach of the Packers, Lombardi converted Notre Dame quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Paul Hornung to a full-time halfback. Lombardi designed a play for Hornung based on an old single wing concept—both guards pulled to the outside and blocked downfield while Hornung would "run to daylight" -- i.e., wherever the defenders weren't. This was a play that he had originally developed with the Giants for Gifford that would become famous as the "Lombardi sweep" or "Packer power sweep."

The Ice Bowl

Main article: NFL Championship Game, 1967

Lombardi's Packers hosted the Dallas Cowboys in Green Bay on December 31, 1967 in one of the most famous games in the history of football, the NFL Championship Game of 1967.[32] This became known as the Ice Bowl because of the -13F gametime temperature. With 16 seconds left in the game and down by 3 points, the Packers called their final time-out. It was 3rd and goal on the Dallas 1-yard line. Quarterback Bart Starr came over to Lombardi on the sidelines to discuss the last play, Lombardi told Starr to 'Run it! And let's get the hell out of here.' Lombardi was asked by Pat Peppler what the play Starr is going to call, when Lombardi replied, 'Damned if I know.'[33] Following the time out, Starr ran an unplanned sneak to win the game.

Later, "that evening, in the basement party room of Sunset Circle" (Lombardi's home), Lombardi celebrated the victory with family members, friends, and journalists.[34] "A few months later the crowd that gathered in Lombardi's basement on the night of the game reassembled there now to watch the highlight film, The Greatest Challenge, "produced by Ed and, his son, Steve Sabol and narrated by John Facenda.[35] "At the climax of the film", Facenda said of the 1967 Packers: 'They will be remembered as the faces of victory. . . . They will be remembered for their coach, whose iron discipline was the foundation on which they built a fortress. And most of all, they will be remembered as a group of men who faced the greatest challenge their sport has ever produced -- and conquered." When the lights were turned back on, Lombardi was seen crying,[36] a not unfamiliar occurrence.[37]

Washington Redskins

Lombardi stepped down as head coach of the Packers following the 1967 NFL season, staying on as the team's general manager for 1968. He handed off the head coaching position to Phil Bengtson, a longtime assistant, but the Packers finished at 6–7–1 and out of the four team NFL playoffs. A restless Lombardi returned to coaching in 1969 with the Washington Redskins, where he broke a string of 14 losing seasons. The 'Skins would finish with a record of 7–5–2, significant for a number of reasons. Lombardi discovered that rookie running back Larry Brown was deaf in one ear, something that had escaped his parents, schoolteachers, and previous coaches. Lombardi had observed Brown's habit of tilting his head in one direction when listening to signals being called, and walked behind him during drills and said "Larry." When Brown did not answer, the coach asked him to take a hearing exam. Brown was fitted with a hearing aid, and with this correction he would enjoy a successful NFL career.

Lombardi got quarterback Sonny Jurgensen, one of the league's premier forward passers, into the best condition he could. He coaxed former All-Pro linebacker Sam Huff out of retirement. He even changed the team's uniform design to reflect that of the Packers, with gold and white trim along the jersey biceps, and later a gold helmet with an "R" inside a circle, similar to the famous Green Bay "G" monogram. The foundation Lombardi laid was the groundwork for Washington's early 1970s success under former L.A. Rams Coach George Allen. Lombardi had brought a winning attitude to the Nation's Capital, in the same year that the nearby University of Maryland had hired Lefty Driesell to coach basketball and the hapless expansion Washington Senators named Ted Williams as manager and led the club to its only winning record in Washington (86–76). It marked a renaissance in sports interest in America's most transient of cities. However, Lombardi would never get to see the fruit of his labor in the nation's capital, for he died on September 3, 1970.

Personal

Family life

Lombardi's roommate at Fordham University, Jim Lawlor, introduced Lombardi to Lawlor's first cousin, Marie Planitz. Marie would be Lombardi's "first and only girlfriend." Marie became enamored with Lombardi, and when Marie announced her yearning to marry him, her father told her that he did not want his daughter marrying an Italian,[38] a prejudice against his heritage he would face more than once in his life.[39] Lombardi and Marie were married on August 31, 1940.[40]

Marie tragically lost her first child with Lombardi, not long after their wedding. The 'terrible effect' this had on Marie caused her to turn to "heavy drinking",[41] a problem she would deal with on more than one occasion in her life.[42] On April 27, 1942, their son Vincent Harold Lombardi was born[43] and on February 13, 1947, their daughter Susan was born.[44]

"He seemed preoccupied with football even on their honeymoon, and cut it short to get back to Englewood...'I wasn't married to him more than one week' she later related, 'when I said to myself, Marie Planitz, you've made the greatest mistake of your life.'"[40] Lombardi's perfectionism,[31][45] authoritarian nature[46] and temper,[40] quickly instilled in Marie the belief that she would have to verbally fight back.[41] Marie developed a masterful ability to verbally assault and demean Lombardi,[47] as well as retort Lombardi's insults.[48]

Football was both a positive and negative impact on Lombardi's and Marie's relationship. After his inaugural season with the Packers, Marie attended all the away games of the Packers.[49] Marie loved the traveling,[49] the special treatment,[48] and the shopping.[48] Marie realized that Lombardi was striving to his full potential - as she had always wanted him to.[50] It increased her self-worth that he became publicly acclaimed.[51] She enjoyed the social pageantry his celebrated status produced.[52]

But Lombardi could become sullen and uncommunicative after a Packer loss,[53] and he would sink into depression at the end of a football season.[54] During the football season, they would gather friends together and all go out to dinner together after a game. Lombardi would be having a pleasant time and be very sociable, until about 8 P.M. when he would become silent and withdrawn. Marie believed that Lombardi had started to deliberate on the preparations for the next game and his sudden and dramatic personality change led Marie to give him the nickname of Cinderella.[55] Marie thought their relationship was fine, except when football was involved, but football was a continual presence in Lombardi's life.[56]

Lombardi's tirades were a common occurrence in his home.[57] Neither Marie,[58] Vincent,[59] nor Susan[57] were immune from his yelling. When Lombardi had not lost his temper and was not raving, he would be reticent[60] and aloof from his immediate family.[48] "Vincent and Susan were sometimes puzzled by how talkative their father could be with other people, how cuddly he was with other kids, in contrast to the way he acted at home."[61]

Religion

The three constants throughout Lombardi's life were sports, particularly football, family and religion.[62] "His mother's favorite picture of Vinnie as a child shows him ...on Confirmation day."[63] When Lombardi was 12, on Easter Sunday whilst serving as an altar boy, "...amid the color and pageantry scarlet and white vestments, golden cross, scepters, the wafers and wine, body and blood, ...that the inspiration came to him that he should become a priest...",[63] which when his mother, Matty, got wind of, she "boasted proudly" to her neighbors.[64] Lombardi attended mass on a daily basis during his youth.[63] At Fordham University, Lombardi attended daily mass before breakfast each morning.[65] In later years, he told friends, being a football coach allowed him to be a "father figure and leader...like a priest...but did not force him to repress his emotions."[66] During his tenure at St. Cecilia, Lombardi attended mass every day and "prayed for calm and control: of his temper and..." his wife's drinking.[41] When Lombardi became head coach of football in 1942, after his team had suited up for the game, he would lead them to Sunday mass and would recite the Lord's Prayer on the sidelines before the opening kickoff.[67] At St. Cecilia, Lombardi shared an office with Father Tim Moore wherein it was not unusual for Lombardi to interrupt a conversation and request to go to Confession and which Father Tim would oblige him right in the office.[68] Once, Lombardi, during his tenure as head coach (and general manager) of Green Bay, emerged from his office and appeared before his secretary, Ruth McKloskey, wearing "...all these priest robes on, and he had a miter with a tassel, everything."[69] Before he left his home each morning in Green Bay, he would drop to his knees in prayer in his bedroom.[70] Each day on his way to work for the Green Bay Packers, Lombardi would stop at St. Willebrord and "offer a prayer in case of unexpected death: 'My God, if I am to die today, or suddenly at any time, I wish to receive this Communion as my viaticum...'."[71] "On the morning of the dedication of Lombardi Avenue, Lombardi remarked, to the assembled 37 member entourage, he was pleased to have gotten them all up to attend morning mass.[72] Lombardi was also a 4th degree in the Catholic fraternity the Knights of Columbus.[citation needed]

Unprejudiced personal attitudes

In 1960, on at least one team, a color barrier still existed in the NFL.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).[73] But Jack Vainisi, the Scouting Director for the Packers,[30] and Lombardi were determined "to ignore the prejudices then prevalent in most NFL front office in their search for the most talented players."[74] Lombardi "insisted that there were 'no barriers' on his team (Packers) and all things were 'equal, racially, and socially'...In later years, he would try to explain his position on racial matters by saying that he viewed his players as neither black nor white, but Packer green...Lombardi might have seen only one color on the football field but he was not blind to the discrimination that his black players encountered off the field..."[75]

In his first season at the Packers, he warned his team that if any player exhibited "any kind of prejudice", then that player would be "through with me." Lombardi let it be known to all "Green Bay's tavern and restaurant owners that any establishment that did not welcome his black players would be declared off limits to the entire team...The Jim Crow discrimination that black players faced...enraged Lombardi."[76] Before the start of the 1960 regular season, he instituted a policy that the Packers would only lodge in places that accepted all his players.[77] In the all-white Oneida Golf and Riding country club, of which Lombardi was a member, Lombardi demanded that he should be allowed to choose a Native American caddy, even when white caddies were available.[78]

Lombardi's unprejudiced attitude was not confined towards his players, nor was it confined to race or ethnicity, nor towards sexual orientation. Lombardi would have gay players at training camp and Lombardi would "quietly root for them, hoping they could show they were good enough to make the team."[79] At the Washington Redskins training camp in 1969, Ray Douglas McDonald was a gay player who tried out for the team. Lombardi told running back coach, George Dickson,[80] 'I want you to get on McDonald and work on him and work on him - and if I hear one of you people make reference to his manhood you'll be out of here...'![81] Lombardi's Catholic teachings, with respect to homosexuality, were subordinate to his nonprejudicial character.[79]

Illness and death

On June 24, 1970, Lombardi was admitted to Georgetown University Hospital, and "...Dr. Robert Coffey, a specialist in colon surgery ...found Lombardi in 'no distress.'...Further tests the next morning ...revealed anaplastic carcinoma in the rectal area of his colon - a fast-growing malignant cancer in which the cells barely resemble their normal appearance."[82] Although a sufferer of digestive tract problems,[citation needed] Lombardi had previously avoided a proctoscopic exam.[83] "On July 27th, exactly one month from the day of his first operation, Lombardi was readmitted to Georgetown and immediately sent back into surgery...This time the exploratory surgery found that the cancer had spread massively to his liver, peritoneum, and lymph nodes. Dr. Coffey was stunned, calling it one of the most voracious cancers he had ever seen."[84] On his deathbed, Lombardi told Father Tim, 'I'm not afraid to die...But there's so much yet to be done in the world.'[85] He died on September 3, 1970 at the age of 57.[86]

On September 7, the funeral was held at Manhattan's St. Patrick's Cathedral. Fifth Avenue between 39th and 50th Streets was closed to traffic. Terence Cardinal Cooke delivered the eulogy. Honorary pallbearers included Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Willie Davis, Tony Canadeo, Wellington Mara, Dick Bourguignon, Edward Bennett Williams, and Marc Chubb. On one side of the aisle sat the team owners and Commissioner Pete Rozelle, past and present members of the Packers, members of the Redskins, and Giants, former students from Saints, colleagues from the Giants and West Point, and classmates from Fordham, including the remaining Blocks of Granite."[87] President Richard Nixon went sent a telegram of condolence signed "The People".[citation needed] Vince Lombardi is buried next to his wife Marie and his parents Harry and Matilda, in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Middletown Township, New Jersey.[88]

Legacy

Vince Lombardi has become virtually synonymous with the NFL. This began during his career: he was featured as the face of the NFL on the cover of Time on December 14, 1962 as part of the magazine's cover story on "The Sport of the '60s." Lombardi's players were wholeheartedly devoted to him, and his emphasis on hard work and dedication endeared him to millions who admired his values.

In addition to Lombardi's contributions to the history of pro football, Lombardi is legendary for his coaching philosophy and motivational skills. Many of Lombardi's speeches continue to be quoted frequently today. However it must be kept in context that his quotes were based on his football experience. Regardless, he is well known as being unequivocally committed to winning. One of his most famous maxims is "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing", although he did not coin the phrase and the exact words he used are disputed. "Lombardi time" is the principle that one should arrive 10–15 minutes early,[89] or else be considered late. His chief scout, Wally Cruice, once said of Lombardi's single-minded devotion to the game: "you didn't talk about anything but football. If you didn't have the facts, he didn't want you to waste his time."

Lombardi is also credited with introducing the concept of rule blocking to the NFL. In rule blocking, "each lineman blocked a zone...", instead of individually man-to-man, as was the norm up to that time.[90] The running back then was expected to run toward any hole that was created. Lombardi referred to this as "running to daylight."

One of Lombardi's former Green Bay offensive tackles, Forrest Gregg, led the Cincinnati Bengals as head coach to a Super Bowl appearance in 1981. He coached the Cleveland Browns from 1975–1977, Cincinnati 1980-83, and Green Bay 1984-87. In addition, quarterback Bart Starr was head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1975 through 1983, and former assistant Jerry Burns was head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 1986 through 1991. The aforementioned Phil Bengston coached Green Bay 1968-1970, and former center Jim Ringo coached the Buffalo Bills 1976-1977.

Lombardi's grandson, Joe Lombardi, is the current quarterbacks coach with the New Orleans Saints (who won the trophy named for Joe's grandfather in 2010). Vince also had a brother, Joseph, who was active in the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. Joseph died in 2002.

In 1973, the 1-hour Lombardi biographical TV drama "Legend in Granite" was released. It starred Ernest Borgnine as Vince, focusing mostly on his first 2 years as Packers head coach (1959–1960).[91]

A play entitled Lombardi opened on Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre in New York City in October 2010, following an out-of-town tryout at the Mahaiwe Theater in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The production stars Dan Lauria as Lombardi and Judith Light as his wife, Marie. The play has received positive reviews, as has Lauria's performance.[92]

ESPN Films has announced that they will be making a film chronicling Lombardi's years as coach for Green Bay, set to be released in February 2012. Robert De Niro has been reportedly signed to play Lombardi in the film.[93]

NFL Films and HBO produced a film about Lombardi which debuted Saturday, December 11, 2010.[94]

Lombardi's son, Vincent Lombardi, wrote a book about his father entitled The Essential Vince Lombardi – Words & Wisdom to Motivate, Inspire & Win which discussed Lombardi's coaching philosophy. To quote from the book “One of the first self-help books I ever read was Psycho-Cybernetics by Dr. Maxwell Maltz. It had a profound effect on me, and I was pleasantly surprised when I found a copy of the book – underlined and dog-eared - in my father’s library after he passed away. I’m convinced that many of the concepts and ideas that formed my father’s coaching philosophy – including focusing on the successful effort while putting an error quickly out of mind – came from his reading of Psycho-Cybernetics."[95]

Honors

File:Super Bowl 29 Vince Lombardi trophy at 49ers Family Day 2009.JPG
A Vince Lombardi Trophy
  • On May 1967, Lombardi "...received Fordham's highest honor, the Insignis Medal,[96] ...for being a great teacher"[97]
  • Inducted into the Fordham University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1971[98][99]
  • In 1968, Highland Avenue in Green Bay, home to the Packers' Lambeau Field, was renamed Lombardi Avenue.[72]
  • In 1969, the Catholic Youth Organization awarded Lombardi with the John (Jack) Mara sportsman of he year.[100]
  • As part of the Lambeau Field renovation, a 14-foot statue of Lombardi now stands on a plaza outside the stadium, in an overcoat grasping a program, as he did often on the sideline.
  • In 1972, the Green Bay School District named its new junior high school (later a middle school) "Vincent T. Lombardi Junior High (Middle) School," located on Green Bay's southwest side.
  • The football field at Old Bridge High School in Old Bridge, New Jersey, is called "Vince Lombardi Field." It has been called this since the 1970s, the field in Palisades Park is also known as "Vince Lombardi Field." His brother Joe attended the rededication ceremony in the 1990s.
  • Vince Lombardi Square (with a plaque dedication in the sidewalk on the square) is near Sheepshead Bay Road and East 14th Street in Brooklyn, New York.[citation needed]
  • Also in Brooklyn, there are two places in the Bensonhurst area, which are dedicated or re-honored in Vince Lombardi's honor: P.S. 204 on 15th Avenue and 81st Street is officially named Vince Lombardi Elementary School, and the entire Bensonhurst stretch of 16th Avenue is dedicated by the City of New York as "Vince Lombardi Boulevard."
  • The Vince Lombardi Service Area and park-and-ride is the northernmost rest area on the New Jersey Turnpike, at mileposts 116E on the Eastern Spur and 115.5W on the Western Spur. Outside the gift shop is a plaque about his life, which notes that he is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Middletown, New Jersey.
  • The Vincent T. Lombardi Council, No. 6552, Knights of Columbus, in Middletown, New Jersey, is named for him.
  • The Vince Lombardi Cancer clinic at Aurora BayCare Medical Center in Green Bay is named after him.
  • The Vincent T. Lombardi Center at Fordham University was named for the coach.
  • The Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University is named in his honor.
  • The NFL's "World Championship Game Trophy" (first awarded in January 1967) was renamed the Vince Lombardi Trophy[101]
  • In 1970, the Rotary Club of Houston created the Lombardi Award. It is given annually to the best college-football lineman or linebacker.
  • In 1969, Lombardi received the Silver Buffalo Award, the highest adult award given by the Boy Scouts of America.
  • Lombardi was enshrined in the NFL's Pro Football Hall of Fame, in Canton, Ohio in 1971.
  • Lombardi was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1976.
  • Lombardi is a member of the Washington Redskins Ring of Fame.
  • He was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey in 1993.
  • Lombardi appeared on a U.S. Postage stamp first issued on July 25, 1997.[102]

Head coaching record

Team Year Regular Season Post Season
Won Lost Ties Win Ratio Finish Won Lost Win % Result
GB 1959 7 5 0 .583 4th in NFL West - - - -
GB 1960 8 4 0 .667 1st in NFL West 0 1 .000 Lost to Philadelphia Eagles in NFL Championship
GB 1961 11 3 0 .786 1st in NFL West 1 0 1.000 Won NFL Championship
GB 1962 13 1 0 .929 1st in NFL West 1 0 1.000 Won NFL Championship
GB 1963 11 2 1 .846 2nd in NFL West - - - -
GB 1964 8 5 1 .615 2nd in NFL West - - - -
GB 1965 10 3 1 .769 1st in NFL West 2 0 1.000 Won NFL Championship
GB 1966 12 2 0 .847 1st in NFL West 2 0 1.000 Won Super Bowl I
GB 1967 9 4 1 .692 1st in Western Central 3 0 1.000 Won Super Bowl II
GB Total 89 29 4 .754 9 1 .900
WAS 1969 7 5 2 .583 2nd in Eastern Capital - - - -
WAS Total 7 5 2 .583
Total 96 34 6 .738 9 1 .900

Books

  • Run to Daylight by Vince Lombardi with W. C. Heinz
  • What It Takes to Be #1: Vince Lombardi on Leadership
  • The Lombardi Rules: 26 Lessons from Vince Lombardi - the World's Greatest Coach
  • The Essential Vince Lombardi

Books written about him

  • Football's Greatest Coach: Vince Lombardi by Gene Schoor
  • When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi by David Maraniss
  • Run to Win: Vince Lombardi on Coaching and Leadership by Donald T. Phillips
  • Vince: A Personal Biography of Vince Lombardi by Michael O'Brien
  • Instant Replay by Jerry Kramer
  • The Lombardi Legacy: Thirty People who were Touched by Greatness by Royce Boyles and Dave Robinson
  • Coach: A Season With Lombardi by Tom Dowling

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 28
  2. ^ "About Lombardi". HBO. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  3. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 31
  4. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 37
  5. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 38
  6. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 225
  7. ^ a b Maraniss, 1999 pg. 49
  8. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 58
  9. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 58-59
  10. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 63
  11. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 68
  12. ^ "About". Vince Lombardi. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
  13. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 70
  14. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 94, 95
  15. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 96, 99
  16. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 101
  17. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 100
  18. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 129
  19. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 131
  20. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 136
  21. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 154
  22. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 160
  23. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 146, 165
  24. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 230
  25. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 260, 303
  26. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 266,268
  27. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 265
  28. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 299
  29. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 362
  30. ^ a b http://prod.static.packers.clubs.nfl.com/assets/docs/2010mediaguide_records.pdf#page=19
  31. ^ a b Day, Paul (2009-08-03). "Sports' 50 greatest coaches". Sporting News. 233 (16): 32–45. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  32. ^ "ESPN.com - ENDOFCENTURY - The NFL's greatest games". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
  33. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 424
  34. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 427
  35. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 330, 428
  36. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 428
  37. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 87, 147, 149, 212, 450, 456, 462
  38. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 40
  39. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 46-47, 106, 171, , 251, 371
  40. ^ a b c Maraniss, 1999 pg. 74
  41. ^ a b c Maraniss, 1999 pg. 75
  42. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 87, 179, 236, 362, 450
  43. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 75, 76
  44. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 88, 89
  45. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 272
  46. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 27, 74, 208
  47. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 231
  48. ^ a b c d Maraniss, 1999 pg. 111
  49. ^ a b Maraniss, 1999 pg. 321
  50. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 201
  51. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 236
  52. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 475
  53. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 351
  54. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 196
  55. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 235-236
  56. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 112
  57. ^ a b Maraniss, 1999 pg. 234
  58. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 177
  59. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 363
  60. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 232
  61. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 113
  62. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 19, 112, 179
  63. ^ a b c Maraniss, 1999 pg. 20
  64. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 26
  65. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 33
  66. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 71
  67. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 76,77
  68. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 85,86
  69. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 403
  70. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 243
  71. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 244
  72. ^ a b Maraniss, 1999 pg. 444
  73. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 238
  74. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 237
  75. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 240-241
  76. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 241
  77. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 241-242
  78. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 242
  79. ^ a b Maraniss, 1999 pg. 344
  80. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 468
  81. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 471
  82. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 488-489
  83. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 389
  84. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 493
  85. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 497
  86. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 498
  87. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 498-499
  88. ^ "Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Middletown, Monmouth County, NJ - Lombardi". Distantcousin.com. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
  89. ^ "Sport: Vinnie, Vidi, Vici". TIME. 1962-12-21. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
  90. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 156
  91. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0186300/
  92. ^ Hague, Jim. "'Lombardi' on Broadway is a smash hit" "Tasty Tidbits" The Union City Reporter; October 24, 2010; Pages 12 & 13
  93. ^ Wolfey, Bob. "De Niro to portray Lombardi in ESPN film" JSOnline; March 9, 2010
  94. ^ "HBO to Air Documentary on Vince Lombardi". TVGuide.com.
  95. ^ The Essential Vince Lombardi – Words & Wisdom to Motivate, McGraw-Hill, 2002, Vince Lombardi Jr., (ISBN 0071390960)
  96. ^ "Vince Lombardi: A Coach for All Seasons". Fordham.edu. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
  97. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 408-409
  98. ^ "Fordham University Official Athletic Site". Fordhamsports.com. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
  99. ^ "Player Bio: Vincent Lombardi - FORDHAM OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE". Fordhamsports.com. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
  100. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 459
  101. ^ Maraniss, 1999 pg. 499
  102. ^ "Legendary Football Coaches: Vince Lombardi". Postalmuseum.si.edu. 1997-07-25. Retrieved 2011-02-07.

References

Wikiquote has quotations related to Vince Lombardi.

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