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Vince Lombardi

December 02, 2023

Vincent Thomas Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Lombardi is considered by many to be the greatest coach in American football history, and he is recognized as one of the greatest coaches and leaders in the history of all American sports.[1] He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight and five total NFL Championships in seven years, in addition to winning the first two Super Bowls at the conclusion of the 1966 and 1967 NFL seasons.

Vince Lombardi
Lombardi in 1964
Personal information
Born:(1913-06-11)June 11, 1913
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died:September 3, 1970(1970-09-03) (aged 57)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Career information
High school:St. Francis Prep
College:Fordham
Undrafted:1937
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
As an administrator:
  • Green Bay Packers (1959–1968)
    General manager
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Win–loss record:96–34–6
Winning percentage:73.8%
Playoff record:9–1
Overall record:105–35–6
Coaching stats at PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Lombardi began his coaching career as an assistant and later as a head coach at St. Cecilia High School in Englewood, New Jersey. He was an assistant coach at Fordham where he coached with Jim Lansing. He also coached for the United States Military Academy and the New York Giants before becoming head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1959 to 1967 and the Washington Redskins in 1969.

He never had a losing season as head coach in the NFL, compiling a regular-season winning percentage of 73.8% (96–34–6), and 90% (9–1) in the postseason for an overall record of 105 wins, 35 losses and 6 ties in the NFL.[2]

The year after his sudden death from cancer in 1970, he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the NFL Super Bowl trophy was named in his honor.

Early years edit

Lombardi was born on June 11, 1913, in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn to Enrico "Harry" Lombardi (1889–1971) and Matilda "Mattie" Izzo (1891–1972).[3][4] Harry's mother and father, Vincenzo and Michelina, emigrated from Salerno, Italy.[5][6] Mattie's father and mother, Anthony and Loretta, emigrated from Vietri di Potenza, Basilicata.[3][4] Harry had three siblings,[3][6] and Matilda had twelve.[3][4] Vince was the oldest of five children, including Madeleine, Harold, Claire, and Joe.[4][7] Both the Lombardi and Izzo clans settled entirely in Sheepshead Bay.[3][8]

 
St. Mark's Catholic Church, where Lombardi served as an altar boy in his childhood

Matilda's father, Anthony, opened up a barber shop in Sheepshead Bay before the turn of the century.[3][4] At about the time of Lombardi's birth, Harry, and his brother, Eddie, opened a butcher shop in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan.[3][9] Throughout the Great Depression, Harry's shop did well, and his family prospered.[10][11] Lombardi grew up in an ethnically diverse, middle-class neighborhood.[12][13]

Church attendance was mandatory for the Lombardis on Sundays.[14][15] Mass would be followed with an equally compulsory few hours of dinner with extended family members, friends, and local clergy.[16][17] Lombardi himself was an altar boy at St. Mark's Catholic Church.[14][15] Outside their local neighborhood, the Lombardi children were subject to the rampant ethnic discrimination that existed at the time against Italian immigrants and their descendants.[18] As a child, Lombardi helped his father at his meat cutting business, but grew to hate it.[19][20] At the age of 12 he started playing in an uncoached but organized football league in Sheepshead Bay.[15]

High school edit

Lombardi graduated from the eighth grade at age 15 in 1928.[8][21][note 1] He then enrolled in the Cathedral Preparatory Seminary, a division of Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception in Brooklyn, a six-year secondary program to become a Catholic priest.[8][21] At Cathedral, he played on the school's baseball and basketball teams,[22][23] but his performance was hindered by his poor athleticism and eyesight.[15] Against school rules, he continued to play football off-campus throughout his studies at Cathedral.[24] After completing four years at Cathedral he decided not to pursue the priesthood.[24] He enrolled at St. Francis Preparatory high school for the fall of 1932.[25][26][note 2] There he became a Charter Member of Omega Gamma Delta fraternity.[27] His performance as a fullback on the Terriers' football team earned him a position on the virtual All-City football team.[28][29]

Fordham University edit

In 1933, Lombardi received a football scholarship[30] to Fordham University[31] in the Bronx to play for the Fordham Rams and Coach Jim Crowley, who was one of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame in the 1920s. During his freshman year, Lombardi proved to be an aggressive and spirited player on the football field.[32] Prior to the beginning of his sophomore year, Lombardi was projected to start games at the tackle position. Lombardi was only 5'8" and about 180 pounds and was classified as undersized for the position.[33]

In his senior year of 1936, he was the right guard in the Seven Blocks of Granite,[34] a nickname given by a Fordham University publicist to the Fordham University football team's offensive front line.[35][note 3][36] In a game against Pitt, he suffered a severe gash inside his mouth and had several teeth knocked out.[37] He missed most of the remainder of the game, until he was called in on defense for a successful goal-line stand that preserved a scoreless tie. The Rams were 5–0–2[38] before losing in the final game of the season, 7–6, to NYU.[39] The loss destroyed all hopes of Fordham playing in the Rose Bowl and taught Lombardi a lesson he would never forget — never to underestimate your opponent.[40]

Early career edit

Lombardi graduated from Fordham University on June 16, 1937.[41][42] The nation was still plagued by the Great Depression, so there were few career opportunities for the young Lombardi, and for the next two years, he showed no discernible career path or ambition. He tried to play semi-professional football with the Wilmington Clippers[43] of the American Association and worked as a debt collector for a collection agency, but those efforts very quickly proved to be failures. With his father's strong support, he enrolled in Fordham Law School in September 1938. Although he did not fail any classes, he believed his grades were so poor that he dropped out after one semester.[44] Later in life, he would explain to others that he was close to graduating, but his desire to start and support a family forced him to leave law school and get a job.[45] He also joined the Brooklyn Eagles.

Coaching career edit

St. Cecilia High School edit

In 1939, Lombardi wanted to marry his girlfriend, Marie Planitz,[46] but he deferred at his father's insistence because he needed a steady job to support himself and a family; he married Marie the following year.[47] In 1939, Lombardi accepted an assistant coaching job at St. Cecilia, a Catholic high school in Englewood, New Jersey.[48][49] He was offered the position by the school's new head coach, Lombardi's former Fordham teammate, quarterback Andy Palau. Palau had just inherited 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, taught Latin, chemistry, and physics for an annual salary of under $1,000.[50][note 4]

In 1942, Andy Palau left St. Cecilia's for another position at Fordham, and Lombardi became the head coach at St. Cecilia's. He stayed a total of eight years, five as head coach. In 1943, St. Cecilia's was recognized as the top high school football team in the nation, in large part because of their victory over Brooklyn Prep, a Jesuit school considered one of the best teams in the eastern United States. Brooklyn Prep that season was led by senior Joe Paterno, who, like Lombardi, was to rise to legendary status in football. Lombardi won six state private school championships (NJISAA - New Jersey Independent Schools Athletic Association),[51] and became the president of the Bergen County Coaches' Association.[52]

Fordham edit

In 1947, Lombardi became the coach of freshman teams in football and basketball at his alma mater, Fordham University. The following year, he was an assistant coach for the varsity football team under head coach Ed Danowski, but he was arguably the de facto head coach.[53]

West Point edit

Following the 1948 season, Lombardi accepted an assistant coaching job at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a position that greatly influenced his future philosophy and system of coaching. He was offensive line coach[54] under head coach Earl "Colonel Red" Blaik. "As integral as religion was to [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."[55] Blaik's emphasis on execution[56] became a trademark of Lombardi's coaching style.[57] Lombardi coached at West Point for five seasons, with varying results. The 1949 and 1950 seasons were successful, but the 1951 and 1952 seasons were not, due to the aftermath of a cadet cribbing scandal (a violation of the Cadet Honor Code[58]) which was revealed in spring 1951. By order of the Superintendent, 43 of the 45 members of the varsity football team were discharged from the Academy as a result of the scandal.[59] "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.[60] After the 1951 and 1952 seasons not much was expected from the 1953 team as it had also lost six players due to academic failure. The 1953 team, however, did achieve a 7–1–1 record, as Lombardi had a bigger role than ever in coaching the team.[61] Following these five seasons at Army, Lombardi accepted an assistant coaching position with the New York Giants.

New York Giants edit

At age 41 in 1954, Lombardi began his NFL career with the New York Giants. He accepted a job that later became known as the offensive coordinator position under new head coach Jim Lee Howell.[62] The Giants had finished the previous season under 23-year coach Steve Owen with a 3–9 record. By his third season in 1956, 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 47–7 for the league title. "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."[63] At points in his tenure as an assistant coach at West Point, and as an assistant coach with the Giants, Lombardi worried that he was unable to land a head coaching job due to prejudice against his Italian heritage,[64] especially with respect to Southern colleges.[65] Howell wrote numerous recommendations for Lombardi to aid him in obtaining a head coaching position. Lombardi applied for head coaching positions at Wake Forest,[66] Notre Dame, and other universities and, in some cases, never received a reply.[65] In New York, Lombardi introduced the strategy of rule blocking to the NFL.[67] In rule blocking, the offensive lineman would block an area, and not necessarily a particular defensive player, as was the norm up to that time.[68] The running back was then expected to run towards any hole that was created. Lombardi referred to this as running to daylight.[69]

Green Bay Packers edit

1959 edit

The Green Bay Packers, with six future Hall of Famers on the roster in 1958,[70][note 5] finished at 1–10–1 under head coach Ray McLean,[70] the worst record in Packers history.[71] The players were dispirited,[72] the Packers shareholders were disheartened, and the Green Bay community was enraged. The angst in Green Bay extended to the NFL as a whole, as the financial viability and the very existence of the Green Bay Packer franchise were in jeopardy. On February 2, 1959, Lombardi accepted the position of head coach and general manager of the Packers.[73][74][75] He demanded and gained full control over the football operations of the community-owned franchise, leaving no doubt of this when he told the franchise's executive committee, "I want it understood that I am in complete command here."[76]

Lombardi's assertion of "complete command" applied to the players as well. For his first training camp, he instituted harsh regimens and demanded absolute dedication and effort from his players. The Packers immediately improved in 1959 to 7–5, and rookie head coach Lombardi was named Coach of the Year.[77] The fans appreciated what Lombardi was trying to do and responded by purchasing all the tickets for every home game during the 1960 season.[78] Every Packers home game—preseason, regular season and playoffs—has been sold out ever since then.

1960–1966 edit

In Lombardi's second year in 1960, Green Bay won the NFL Western Conference for the first time since 1944. This victory, along with his well-known religious convictions,[79] led the Green Bay community to anoint Lombardi with the nickname "The Pope".[79] Lombardi led the Packers to the 1960 Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Before 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.[80] In the final play of the game, in a drive that would have won it, the Packers were stopped a few yards from the goal line. Lombardi had suffered his first and only 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."[81] In later years as coach of the Packers, Lombardi made it a point to admonish his running backs that if they failed to score from one yard out, he would consider it a personal affront to him and he would seek retribution.[82] He coached the Packers to win their next nine post-season games, a record streak not matched or broken until Bill Belichick won ten straight from 2002 to 2006 with New England.[83] The Packers defeated 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 seven years. After the 1962 championship victory, President John F. Kennedy called Lombardi and asked him if he would "come back to Army and coach again". Kennedy received Lombardi's tacit refusal of the request.[84] His only other post-season loss occurred to the St. Louis Cardinals in the third-place Playoff Bowl after the 1964 season (officially classified as an exhibition game).[85]

Including postseason but excluding exhibition games, Lombardi compiled a 105–35–6 (.740) record as head coach, and never suffered a losing season.[86] 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, co-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 won the first two Super Bowls,[87][88][89] for championships in five of seven seasons.[90]

Packers Sweep edit

Main article: Packers sweep

As coach of the Packers, Lombardi converted Notre Dame quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Paul Hornung to a full-time halfback. Lombardi also designed a play for fullback Jim Taylor: both guards, Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston, pulled to the outside and blocked downfield while Taylor would "run to daylight" — i.e., wherever the defenders weren't. This was a play that he had originally developed with the Giants for Frank Gifford. It soon became known as the Packers sweep (or Lombardi sweep), though Lombardi openly admitted it was based on an old single wing concept.[91]

Ice Bowl edit
Main article: 1967 NFL Championship Game

In 1967, Lombardi's Packers hosted the Dallas Cowboys in Green Bay on December 31 in the NFL Championship Game, a rematch of the previous season.[92] This became known as the "Ice Bowl" because of the −13 °F (−25 °C) game-time temperature. Lombardi had a heating coil underneath the field but on this day it was not functioning. Some people believe that he turned it off on purpose. With 16 seconds left in the game and down by three points, the Packers called their final time-out. It was 3rd and goal on the Dallas two-foot line.[93] In the huddle, with the game on the line, quarterback Bart Starr asked Kramer whether he could get enough traction on the icy turf for a wedge play and Kramer responded with an unequivocal yes.[94] Starr came over to Lombardi on the sidelines to discuss the last play and told him he wanted to run a 31 wedge, but with him keeping the ball. Lombardi, having had enough of the bitter cold, told Starr to 'Run it! And let's get the hell out of here!' Lombardi was asked by Pat Peppler what play Starr would call, to which Lombardi replied, 'Damned if I know.'[95] Starr returned to the huddle and called a Brown right 31 Wedge,[96] but with him keeping the ball.[97][98] Kramer blocked Jethro Pugh low and Ken Bowman hit Pugh high as Starr followed them into the end zone for the Packer lead and gained victory.[99]

Washington Redskins edit

Shortly after the victory in Super Bowl II, Lombardi resigned as head coach of the Packers on February 1, 1968, continuing as general manager. He handed the head coaching position to Phil Bengtson, a longtime assistant, but the Packers finished at 6–7–1 in the 1968 season and were out of the four-team NFL playoffs.[100] In February 1969, Lombardi became head coach and general manager of the Washington Redskins.[101][102][103] The Redskins finished at 7–5–2, their first winning record since the 1955 season.[104] Lombardi died during the 1970 preseason, but he was credited with having "truly changed the culture in that one unforgettable season in 1969,"[105] laying the foundation for Washington's early 1970s success under another future Hall of Fame coach, George Allen,[106] the Redskins' next fulltime coach.

Personal life edit

Family edit

In the fall of 1934, Lombardi's roommate Jim Lawlor introduced him to his cousin's relative, Marie Planitz.[107] When Marie announced her ardent desire to marry Lombardi, her status-conscious stockbroker father did not like the idea of his daughter marrying the son of an Italian butcher from Brooklyn,[108] a prejudice he would face more than once in his life.[109][110] Lombardi and Marie wed, nonetheless, on August 31, 1940.[111]

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.'[111]

Marie's first pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage. This had a terrible effect on Marie and caused her to turn to heavy drinking,[112] a problem she would encounter on more than one occasion in her life.[113] Their son, Vincent Henry Lombardi (Vince Jr.), was born in 1942,[114] and their daughter Susan followed five years later in 1947.[115]

Lombardi's perfectionism,[87][116] authoritarian nature[117] and temper,[111] instilled in his wife a masterful ability to verbally assault and demean Lombardi when he verbally abused her.[37] His children were not immune from his yelling. When Lombardi had not lost his temper, he would often be reticent and aloof.[118]

Lombardi's grandson, Joe Lombardi, has served as an assistant coach in the NFL since 2006. Joe is currently the offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos.[citation needed]

World War II deferments edit

Though he was 28 years old when the United States entered World War II, Lombardi did not serve in the war. He obtained a series of deferments: his first was a 2-A due to his teaching occupation; in 1943, he obtained a second deferment due to parenthood (3-A); and his final deferment was labelled a 4-A and given in 1944.[119]

Religion edit

The three constants throughout Lombardi's life were his Roman Catholic religion, his family, and football.[120] His father was a daily Communicant throughout his life[14] and his mother's favorite picture of Vince as a child was on his Confirmation.[15] When Lombardi was 12, while serving as an altar boy on Easter Sunday, "... amid the color and pageantry scarlet and white vestments, golden cross, scepters, the wafers and wine, body and blood ... the inspiration came to him that he should become a priest ...",.[15] When his mother, Matty, got wind of it she bragged about her son's plan to her neighbors.[23] Lombardi attended Mass on a daily basis throughout his life.[121]

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". When Lombardi became head coach of football in 1942, he led his team to Sunday Mass before each home game.[122] 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 for which Father Tim obliged him right in the office.[123]

During his stay at Green Bay, Lombardi once 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".[124] Each day on his way to work for the Green Bay Packers, Lombardi would stop at St. Willebrord Church 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 ... '".[125] He regularly attended Sunday Mass at Resurrection Church in the Allouez neighborhood of Green Bay's southeast side, always sitting with his wife in the middle of the ninth pew.[126]

On the morning of the dedication of Lombardi Avenue, Lombardi remarked to his 37-member entourage that he was pleased to have gotten them all up to attend morning Mass.[127] Lombardi was a Fourth Degree in the Knights of Columbus.[128][129]

Anti-discrimination philosophy edit

"Vince Lombardi brought him (Bobby Mitchell) into the front office (in 1969), and he started doing scouting. They wanted the black guys to only scout the black schools, and Lombardi said ‘no. Bobby’s going to scout ALL the schools, not just the black ones.’”

—Brig Owens, [130]

In 1960, a color barrier still existed on at least one team in the NFL,[131][132] but Jack Vainisi, the Scouting Director for the Packers,[86] and Lombardi were determined "to ignore the prejudices then prevalent in most NFL front offices in their search for the most talented players".[133] Lombardi explained his views by saying that he "... viewed his players as neither black nor white, but Packer green".[134]

Among professional football head coaches, in the midst of the civil rights movement, Lombardi's anti-discrimination views were unusual.[135] When Lombardi joined the Packers, they only had one black player, Nate Borden. During his time as coach the team became fully integrated: by 1967 they had 13 black players, including All-Pros Willie Davis, Willie Wood, Dave Robinson, Herb Adderley and Bob Jeter.[136]

During his first training camp in Green Bay, Lombardi was notified by Packer veterans that an interracial relationship existed between one of the Packer rookies and a young woman.[137] The next day at training camp, Lombardi—who was vehemently opposed to Jim Crow discrimination and had a zero-tolerance policy towards racism—responded by warning his team that if any player exhibited prejudice in any manner, that specific player would be thrown off the team.

Lombardi let it be known to all Green Bay establishments that if they did not accommodate his black and white players equally well, then that business would be off-limits to the entire team.[138] 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.[139] Lombardi also refused to assign hotel rooms to players based on their race: by 1967 the Packers were the only NFL team with such a policy.[136]

Lombardi was a member of the all-white Oneida Golf and Riding Country club in Green Bay, and he demanded that he should be allowed to choose a Native American caddie, even if white caddies were available.[140] Lombardi's view on racial matters was a result of his religious faith and the ethnic prejudice that he had experienced as an Italian-American.[141]

While with the Redskins in 1969, at Lombardi's insistence and with the support of then-minority owner Jack Kent Cooke, Hall of Fame wide receiver Bobby Mitchell joined the Redskins' front office, becoming the first African American to work in an NFL front office, and eventually becoming the NFL's first African American executive, working his way up to assistant general manager in 1981.[142]

One Packer famously said that Lombardi 'treats us all the same – like dogs.' To the coach, there were no gay dogs or straight dogs; there were just Packers who had one goal: to play their best and win.

—Jim Buzinski, Outsports.com co-founder[143]

Lombardi was known to be volatile and terse with players during practices and games, and he insisted on unconditional respect for everyone in his organization.[144] Lombardi demanded acceptance from players and coaches toward all people and was noted for his stance against homophobia.[145] According to Lombardi biographer and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer David Maraniss, if he caught a coach "discriminating against a player thought to be gay, he'd be fired".[146] Richard Nicholls, the lifelong partner of Lombardi's younger brother, Hal, stated, "Vin was always fair in how he treated everybody ... a great man who accepted people at face value for what they were, and didn't judge anybody. He just wanted you to do the job."[147]

In Washington, Lombardi's assistant general manager David Slatterly was gay, as was PR director Joe Blair, who was described as Lombardi's "right-hand man".[148] According to son Vince Lombardi, Jr., "He saw everyone as equals, and I think having a gay brother (Hal) was a big factor in his approach ... I think my father would've felt, 'I hope I've created an atmosphere in the locker room where this would not be an issue at all. And if you do have an issue, the problem will be yours because my locker room will tolerate nothing but acceptance.'"[147]

Upon his arrival in Washington, Lombardi was aware of tight end Jerry Smith's sexual orientation.[149] "Lombardi protected and loved Jerry," said former teammate Dave Kopay.[150] Lombardi brought Smith into his office and told him that his sexual orientation would never be an issue as long as he was coaching the Redskins; Smith would be judged solely on his on-the-field performance and contribution to the team's success.[151] Under Lombardi's leadership Smith flourished, becoming an integral part of Lombardi's offense, and was voted a First Team All-Pro for the first time in his career, which was also Lombardi's only season as the Redskins head coach.[152]

Lombardi invited other gay players to training camp and would privately hope they would prove they could earn a spot on the team.[153] In Lombardi's first season with the Washington Redskins, Ray McDonald, a gay running back with sub-par skills[154] was trying to make the Redskins roster again.[citation needed]. Lombardi told running back coach, George Dickson,[155] '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 before your ass hits the ground.'[156]

Politics edit

Although his wife was a Republican, Lombardi was a lifelong Democrat with liberal views on civil rights: he supported John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election, Robert F. Kennedy in the 1968 primaries, and was also a supporter of Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson.[136][157] Despite this, during the 1960s he became uncomfortable with the burgeoning youth protest movements associated with the emerging counterculture, such as the New Left and the Anti-war movement. In a speech that he first delivered in February 1967 to the American Management Association, he suggested that "everything has been done to strengthen the rights of the individual and at the same time weaken the rights of the church, weaken the rights of the state, and weaken the rights of all authority". Due to Lombardi's popularity, Richard Nixon once considered him as a possible running mate in the 1968 presidential election but dropped the idea upon learning about Lombardi's support for the Democratic Party.[136][157]

Illness and death edit

Lombardi had suffered from digestive tract problems as early as 1967, and he had refused his doctor's request to undergo a proctoscopic exam.[158] On June 24, 1970, Lombardi was admitted to Georgetown University Hospital, and tests "revealed anaplastic carcinoma in the rectal area of his colon, a fast-growing malignant cancer in which the cells barely resemble their normal appearance".[159] On July 27, Lombardi was readmitted to Georgetown and exploratory surgery found that the cancer was terminal.[160] Lombardi and Marie received family, friends, clergy, players, and former players at his hospital bedside.[161] He received a phone call from President Nixon telling Lombardi that all of the U.S. was behind him, to which Lombardi replied that he would never give up his fight against his illness.[162] On his deathbed, Lombardi told Father Tim that he was not afraid to die, but that he regretted he could not have accomplished more in his life.[163] Lombardi died in Washington, D.C. at 7:12 a.m. on Thursday, September 3, 1970, surrounded by his wife, parents, two children, and six grandchildren. He was 57.[164]

The funeral was held on September 7 at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan. Approximately 1,500 people[165] lined Fifth Avenue, and the avenue was closed to traffic between 39th and 50th Street. Terence Cardinal Cooke delivered the eulogy. In attendance were team owners, coaches Tom Landry, Dick Nolan, Weeb Ewbank, Alex Webster, Norm Van Brocklin, Phil Bengtson and Bill Austin, Commissioner Pete Rozelle, past and present members of the Packers, Redskins, and Giants, broadcasters Ray Scott and Howard Cosell, former students from Saints, colleagues and players from West Point (including Red Blaik), and classmates from Fordham University, including the remaining Seven Blocks of Granite.[note 6][166] Lombardi was interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Middletown Township, New Jersey.[167]

In popular culture edit

In 1968, Lombardi starred in a half-hour motivational film titled Second Effort, that has been called "The best-selling training film of all time".[168][169]

On December 14, 1973, ABC aired Legend in Granite starring Ernest Borgnine as Vince. The biographical TV drama focused mostly on his first two years as Packers head coach (1959–1960).[170]

A service area on the New Jersey Turnpike dedicated to and named after Lombardi opened in 1974.[171]

The high school in the 1979 movie Rock 'n' Roll High School is named Vince Lombardi High School.[172][173][174]

In 1986, CHCH aired the TV movie Lombardi: I Am Not a Legend starring Robert Knuckle in the title role that depicted Lombardi's life up until the NFL.[175]

In 1996, Nike aired several commercials featuring Jerry Stiller as the ghost of Lombardi.[176][177]

ESPN produced the 2005 TV movie Code Breakers that depicted the West Point cheating scandal and its effect on the football program. Richard Zeppieri played then-Assistant Coach Lombardi.[178]

A play titled 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 starred Dan Lauria as Lombardi and Judith Light as his wife, Marie. The play received positive reviews, as did Lauria's performance.[179]

NFL Films and HBO produced a film about Lombardi that debuted Saturday, December 11, 2010.[180]

Honors edit

  • In May 1967, Lombardi "... received Fordham's highest honor, the Insignis Medal ...[181] for being a great teacher"[182]
  • On January 13, 1969, he was inducted into the Knights of Malta at St. Patrick's.[183]
  • Inducted into the Fordham University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1971[184][185]
 
Statues of Vince Lombardi and Curly Lambeau at Lambeau Field.

Head coaching record edit

Team Year Regular season Postseason
Won Lost Ties Win ratio Finish Won Lost Win % Result
GB 1959 7 5 0 .583 T-3rd 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 Super Bowl I champions
GB 1967 9 4 1 .692 1st in NFL Central 3 0 1.000 Super Bowl II champions
GB Total 89 29 4 .754 9 1 .900 5 NFL Championships, 6 conference titles,
in 9 seasons
WAS 1969 7 5 2 .583 2nd in Eastern Capital – – – –
WAS Total 7 5 2 .583
Total 96 34 6 .738 9 1 .900

Source:[86]

Coaching tree edit

Books edit

Books written about him edit

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ O'Brien incorrectly implies he graduated in 1929 from eighth grade which is completely refuted by Maraniss and O'Brien's date of 1928 makes no sense. O'Brien, on page 28, writes he left after three years there when he left after four.
  2. ^ His stint at seminary school would cost him one year of his academic life as he would be, generally speaking, repeating his senior year of high school in order to obtain a high school diploma.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Maraniss 1999 lists his starting salary as $1,700, pg. 70, and O'Brien 1987 lists it as $1,000, pg. 51. Wiebusch's source is a quote from Father Tim Moore.
  5. ^ The five future hall of famers were Forrest Gregg, Jim Taylor, Paul Hornung, Ray Nitschke, Bart Starr, and Jerry Kramer.
  6. ^ Honorary pallbearers included Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Willie Davis, Tony Canadeo, Wellington Mara, Dick Bourguignon, Edward Bennett Williams, and Marc Chubb.

References edit

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Sources edit

  • Claerbaut, David (2004). Bart Starr: When Leadership Mattered. Lanham, MD: Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58979-117-6.
  • Davis, Jeff (2005). Papa Bear, the life and legacy of George Halas. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-146054-5.
  • Davis, Jeff (2008). Rozelle: Czar of the NFL. Foreword by Ernie Accorsi. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-159352-6.
  • Day, Paul; Iyer, Vinnie; Boswell, James (August 3, 2009). "Sports' 50 greatest coaches". Sporting News. 233 (16): 32–45.
  • Eisenberg, John (2009). That First Season: How Vince Lombardi Took the Worst Team in the NFL and Set It on the Path to Glory. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
  • Flynn, George L. (1976). The Vince Lombardi Scrapbook. New York: Grosset and Dunlap New York. ISBN 978-0-448-12401-8.
  • Gruver, Edward (1998). The Ice Bowl: The Cold Truth About Football's Most Unforgettable Game. Ithaca, New York: McBooks Press, Inc. ISBN 978-1-59013-080-3.
  • Kramer, Jerry; Schapp, Dick (2006). Instant Replay, The Green Bay Diary of Jerry Kramer. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-51745-4.
  • Levy, Alan H. (2003). Tackling Jim Crow, Racial Segregation in Professional Football. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Co., Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-1597-7.
  • Lombardi, Vince Jr. (2003). The Essential Vince Lombardi: Words & Wisdom to Motivate. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-139096-5.
  • MacCambridge, Michael (2004). America's Game. New York: Anchor Books. ISBN 978-0-307-48143-6.
  • Maraniss, David (1999). When Pride Still Mattered, A Life of Vince Lombardi. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-618-90499-0.
  • O'Brien, Michael (1987). Vince: A Personal Biography of Vince Lombardi. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-688-07406-7.
  • Phillips, Donald T. (2001). Run to Win. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-0-312-27298-2.
  • Ross, Charles K. (1999). Outside the Lines: African Americans and the Integration of the National Football League. New York: New York Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-8147-7495-3.
  • Summerall, Pat; Levin, Michael (2010). Giants: What I learned about life from Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. ISBN 978-0-470-90908-9.
  • Wiebusch, John (1971). Lombardi. Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-57243-028-0.

Further reading edit

  • Cavanaugh, Jack (2008), Giants Among Men. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-58836-697-9.
  • Gifford, Frank and Richmond, Peter (2008), The Glory Game: How the 1958 NFL Championship Changed Football Forever. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-171659-1.
  • Lombardi, Vince Jr. (2001), What It Takes to Be #1: Vince Lombardi on Leadership. New York: McGraw-Hill.
  • Lombardi, Vince Jr. (2003), The Lombardi Rules: 26 Lessons from Vince Lombardi: The World's Greatest Coach. New York: McGraw-Hill.

External links edit

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Vince Lombardi.
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vince Lombardi.

December 02, 2023
vince, lombardi, vincent, thomas, lombardi, june, 1913, september, 1970, american, football, coach, executive, national, football, league, lombardi, considered, many, greatest, coach, american, football, history, recognized, greatest, coaches, leaders, history. Vincent Thomas Lombardi June 11 1913 September 3 1970 was an American football coach and executive in the National Football League NFL Lombardi is considered by many to be the greatest coach in American football history and he is recognized as one of the greatest coaches and leaders in the history of all American sports 1 He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s where he led the team to three straight and five total NFL Championships in seven years in addition to winning the first two Super Bowls at the conclusion of the 1966 and 1967 NFL seasons Vince LombardiLombardi in 1964Personal informationBorn 1913 06 11 June 11 1913Brooklyn New York U S Died September 3 1970 1970 09 03 aged 57 Washington D C U S Career informationHigh school St Francis PrepCollege FordhamUndrafted 1937Career historyAs a player Wilmington Clippers 1937 Brooklyn Eagles 1938 As a coach Salesianum School 1937 Assistant St Cecilia HS NJ 1939 1941 Assistant St Cecilia HS NJ 1942 1946 Head coach Fordham 1947 1948 Assistant Army 1949 1953 Assistant New York Giants 1954 1958 Offensive coordinator Green Bay Packers 1959 1967 Head coach amp general manager Washington Redskins 1969 Head coach amp general managerAs an administrator Green Bay Packers 1959 1968 General managerCareer highlights and awards2 Super Bowl champion I II 3 NFL champion 1961 1962 1965 2 NFL Coach of the Year 1959 1961 NFL 100th Anniversary All Time Team Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Washington Commanders Ring of FameCareer NFL statisticsWin loss record 96 34 6Winning percentage 73 8 Playoff record 9 1Overall record 105 35 6Coaching stats at PFRPro Football Hall of FameLombardi began his coaching career as an assistant and later as a head coach at St Cecilia High School in Englewood New Jersey He was an assistant coach at Fordham where he coached with Jim Lansing He also coached for the United States Military Academy and the New York Giants before becoming head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1959 to 1967 and the Washington Redskins in 1969 He never had a losing season as head coach in the NFL compiling a regular season winning percentage of 73 8 96 34 6 and 90 9 1 in the postseason for an overall record of 105 wins 35 losses and 6 ties in the NFL 2 The year after his sudden death from cancer in 1970 he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the NFL Super Bowl trophy was named in his honor Contents 1 Early years 1 1 High school 1 2 Fordham University 1 3 Early career 2 Coaching career 2 1 St Cecilia High School 2 2 Fordham 2 3 West Point 2 4 New York Giants 2 5 Green Bay Packers 2 5 1 1959 2 5 2 1960 1966 2 5 3 Packers Sweep 2 5 3 1 Ice Bowl 2 6 Washington Redskins 3 Personal life 3 1 Family 3 2 World War II deferments 3 3 Religion 3 4 Anti discrimination philosophy 3 5 Politics 4 Illness and death 5 In popular culture 6 Honors 7 Head coaching record 8 Coaching tree 9 Books 10 Books written about him 11 See also 12 Notes 13 References 14 Sources 15 Further reading 16 External linksEarly years editLombardi was born on June 11 1913 in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn to Enrico Harry Lombardi 1889 1971 and Matilda Mattie Izzo 1891 1972 3 4 Harry s mother and father Vincenzo and Michelina emigrated from Salerno Italy 5 6 Mattie s father and mother Anthony and Loretta emigrated from Vietri di Potenza Basilicata 3 4 Harry had three siblings 3 6 and Matilda had twelve 3 4 Vince was the oldest of five children including Madeleine Harold Claire and Joe 4 7 Both the Lombardi and Izzo clans settled entirely in Sheepshead Bay 3 8 nbsp St Mark s Catholic Church where Lombardi served as an altar boy in his childhoodMatilda s father Anthony opened up a barber shop in Sheepshead Bay before the turn of the century 3 4 At about the time of Lombardi s birth Harry and his brother Eddie opened a butcher shop in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan 3 9 Throughout the Great Depression Harry s shop did well and his family prospered 10 11 Lombardi grew up in an ethnically diverse middle class neighborhood 12 13 Church attendance was mandatory for the Lombardis on Sundays 14 15 Mass would be followed with an equally compulsory few hours of dinner with extended family members friends and local clergy 16 17 Lombardi himself was an altar boy at St Mark s Catholic Church 14 15 Outside their local neighborhood the Lombardi children were subject to the rampant ethnic discrimination that existed at the time against Italian immigrants and their descendants 18 As a child Lombardi helped his father at his meat cutting business but grew to hate it 19 20 At the age of 12 he started playing in an uncoached but organized football league in Sheepshead Bay 15 High school edit Lombardi graduated from the eighth grade at age 15 in 1928 8 21 note 1 He then enrolled in the Cathedral Preparatory Seminary a division of Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception in Brooklyn a six year secondary program to become a Catholic priest 8 21 At Cathedral he played on the school s baseball and basketball teams 22 23 but his performance was hindered by his poor athleticism and eyesight 15 Against school rules he continued to play football off campus throughout his studies at Cathedral 24 After completing four years at Cathedral he decided not to pursue the priesthood 24 He enrolled at St Francis Preparatory high school for the fall of 1932 25 26 note 2 There he became a Charter Member of Omega Gamma Delta fraternity 27 His performance as a fullback on the Terriers football team earned him a position on the virtual All City football team 28 29 Fordham University edit In 1933 Lombardi received a football scholarship 30 to Fordham University 31 in the Bronx to play for the Fordham Rams and Coach Jim Crowley who was one of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame in the 1920s During his freshman year Lombardi proved to be an aggressive and spirited player on the football field 32 Prior to the beginning of his sophomore year Lombardi was projected to start games at the tackle position Lombardi was only 5 8 and about 180 pounds and was classified as undersized for the position 33 In his senior year of 1936 he was the right guard in the Seven Blocks of Granite 34 a nickname given by a Fordham University publicist to the Fordham University football team s offensive front line 35 note 3 36 In a game against Pitt he suffered a severe gash inside his mouth and had several teeth knocked out 37 He missed most of the remainder of the game until he was called in on defense for a successful goal line stand that preserved a scoreless tie The Rams were 5 0 2 38 before losing in the final game of the season 7 6 to NYU 39 The loss destroyed all hopes of Fordham playing in the Rose Bowl and taught Lombardi a lesson he would never forget never to underestimate your opponent 40 Early career edit Lombardi graduated from Fordham University on June 16 1937 41 42 The nation was still plagued by the Great Depression so there were few career opportunities for the young Lombardi and for the next two years he showed no discernible career path or ambition He tried to play semi professional football with the Wilmington Clippers 43 of the American Association and worked as a debt collector for a collection agency but those efforts very quickly proved to be failures With his father s strong support he enrolled in Fordham Law School in September 1938 Although he did not fail any classes he believed his grades were so poor that he dropped out after one semester 44 Later in life he would explain to others that he was close to graduating but his desire to start and support a family forced him to leave law school and get a job 45 He also joined the Brooklyn Eagles Coaching career editSt Cecilia High School edit In 1939 Lombardi wanted to marry his girlfriend Marie Planitz 46 but he deferred at his father s insistence because he needed a steady job to support himself and a family he married Marie the following year 47 In 1939 Lombardi accepted an assistant coaching job at St Cecilia a Catholic high school in Englewood New Jersey 48 49 He was offered the position by the school s new head coach Lombardi s former Fordham teammate quarterback Andy Palau Palau had just inherited 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 taught Latin chemistry and physics for an annual salary of under 1 000 50 note 4 In 1942 Andy Palau left St Cecilia s for another position at Fordham and Lombardi became the head coach at St Cecilia s He stayed a total of eight years five as head coach In 1943 St Cecilia s was recognized as the top high school football team in the nation in large part because of their victory over Brooklyn Prep a Jesuit school considered one of the best teams in the eastern United States Brooklyn Prep that season was led by senior Joe Paterno who like Lombardi was to rise to legendary status in football Lombardi won six state private school championships NJISAA New Jersey Independent Schools Athletic Association 51 and became the president of the Bergen County Coaches Association 52 Fordham edit In 1947 Lombardi became the coach of freshman teams in football and basketball at his alma mater Fordham University The following year he was an assistant coach for the varsity football team under head coach Ed Danowski but he was arguably the de facto head coach 53 West Point edit Following the 1948 season Lombardi accepted an assistant coaching job at the U S Military Academy at West Point a position that greatly influenced his future philosophy and system of coaching He was offensive line coach 54 under head coach Earl Colonel Red Blaik As integral as religion was to 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 55 Blaik s emphasis on execution 56 became a trademark of Lombardi s coaching style 57 Lombardi coached at West Point for five seasons with varying results The 1949 and 1950 seasons were successful but the 1951 and 1952 seasons were not due to the aftermath of a cadet cribbing scandal a violation of the Cadet Honor Code 58 which was revealed in spring 1951 By order of the Superintendent 43 of the 45 members of the varsity football team were discharged from the Academy as a result of the scandal 59 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 60 After the 1951 and 1952 seasons not much was expected from the 1953 team as it had also lost six players due to academic failure The 1953 team however did achieve a 7 1 1 record as Lombardi had a bigger role than ever in coaching the team 61 Following these five seasons at Army Lombardi accepted an assistant coaching position with the New York Giants New York Giants edit At age 41 in 1954 Lombardi began his NFL career with the New York Giants He accepted a job that later became known as the offensive coordinator position under new head coach Jim Lee Howell 62 The Giants had finished the previous season under 23 year coach Steve Owen with a 3 9 record By his third season in 1956 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 47 7 for the league title 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 63 At points in his tenure as an assistant coach at West Point and as an assistant coach with the Giants Lombardi worried that he was unable to land a head coaching job due to prejudice against his Italian heritage 64 especially with respect to Southern colleges 65 Howell wrote numerous recommendations for Lombardi to aid him in obtaining a head coaching position Lombardi applied for head coaching positions at Wake Forest 66 Notre Dame and other universities and in some cases never received a reply 65 In New York Lombardi introduced the strategy of rule blocking to the NFL 67 In rule blocking the offensive lineman would block an area and not necessarily a particular defensive player as was the norm up to that time 68 The running back was then expected to run towards any hole that was created Lombardi referred to this as running to daylight 69 Green Bay Packers edit 1959 edit The Green Bay Packers with six future Hall of Famers on the roster in 1958 70 note 5 finished at 1 10 1 under head coach Ray McLean 70 the worst record in Packers history 71 The players were dispirited 72 the Packers shareholders were disheartened and the Green Bay community was enraged The angst in Green Bay extended to the NFL as a whole as the financial viability and the very existence of the Green Bay Packer franchise were in jeopardy On February 2 1959 Lombardi accepted the position of head coach and general manager of the Packers 73 74 75 He demanded and gained full control over the football operations of the community owned franchise leaving no doubt of this when he told the franchise s executive committee I want it understood that I am in complete command here 76 Lombardi s assertion of complete command applied to the players as well For his first training camp he instituted harsh regimens and demanded absolute dedication and effort from his players The Packers immediately improved in 1959 to 7 5 and rookie head coach Lombardi was named Coach of the Year 77 The fans appreciated what Lombardi was trying to do and responded by purchasing all the tickets for every home game during the 1960 season 78 Every Packers home game preseason regular season and playoffs has been sold out ever since then 1960 1966 edit In Lombardi s second year in 1960 Green Bay won the NFL Western Conference for the first time since 1944 This victory along with his well known religious convictions 79 led the Green Bay community to anoint Lombardi with the nickname The Pope 79 Lombardi led the Packers to the 1960 Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles Before 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 80 In the final play of the game in a drive that would have won it the Packers were stopped a few yards from the goal line Lombardi had suffered his first and only 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 81 In later years as coach of the Packers Lombardi made it a point to admonish his running backs that if they failed to score from one yard out he would consider it a personal affront to him and he would seek retribution 82 He coached the Packers to win their next nine post season games a record streak not matched or broken until Bill Belichick won ten straight from 2002 to 2006 with New England 83 The Packers defeated 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 seven years After the 1962 championship victory President John F Kennedy called Lombardi and asked him if he would come back to Army and coach again Kennedy received Lombardi s tacit refusal of the request 84 His only other post season loss occurred to the St Louis Cardinals in the third place Playoff Bowl after the 1964 season officially classified as an exhibition game 85 Including postseason but excluding exhibition games Lombardi compiled a 105 35 6 740 record as head coach and never suffered a losing season 86 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 co 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 won the first two Super Bowls 87 88 89 for championships in five of seven seasons 90 Packers Sweep edit Main article Packers sweep As coach of the Packers Lombardi converted Notre Dame quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Paul Hornung to a full time halfback Lombardi also designed a play for fullback Jim Taylor both guards Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston pulled to the outside and blocked downfield while Taylor would run to daylight i e wherever the defenders weren t This was a play that he had originally developed with the Giants for Frank Gifford It soon became known as the Packers sweep or Lombardi sweep though Lombardi openly admitted it was based on an old single wing concept 91 Ice Bowl edit Main article 1967 NFL Championship Game In 1967 Lombardi s Packers hosted the Dallas Cowboys in Green Bay on December 31 in the NFL Championship Game a rematch of the previous season 92 This became known as the Ice Bowl because of the 13 F 25 C game time temperature Lombardi had a heating coil underneath the field but on this day it was not functioning Some people believe that he turned it off on purpose With 16 seconds left in the game and down by three points the Packers called their final time out It was 3rd and goal on the Dallas two foot line 93 In the huddle with the game on the line quarterback Bart Starr asked Kramer whether he could get enough traction on the icy turf for a wedge play and Kramer responded with an unequivocal yes 94 Starr came over to Lombardi on the sidelines to discuss the last play and told him he wanted to run a 31 wedge but with him keeping the ball Lombardi having had enough of the bitter cold told Starr to Run it And let s get the hell out of here Lombardi was asked by Pat Peppler what play Starr would call to which Lombardi replied Damned if I know 95 Starr returned to the huddle and called a Brown right 31 Wedge 96 but with him keeping the ball 97 98 Kramer blocked Jethro Pugh low and Ken Bowman hit Pugh high as Starr followed them into the end zone for the Packer lead and gained victory 99 Washington Redskins edit Shortly after the victory in Super Bowl II Lombardi resigned as head coach of the Packers on February 1 1968 continuing as general manager He handed the head coaching position to Phil Bengtson a longtime assistant but the Packers finished at 6 7 1 in the 1968 season and were out of the four team NFL playoffs 100 In February 1969 Lombardi became head coach and general manager of the Washington Redskins 101 102 103 The Redskins finished at 7 5 2 their first winning record since the 1955 season 104 Lombardi died during the 1970 preseason but he was credited with having truly changed the culture in that one unforgettable season in 1969 105 laying the foundation for Washington s early 1970s success under another future Hall of Fame coach George Allen 106 the Redskins next fulltime coach Personal life editFamily edit In the fall of 1934 Lombardi s roommate Jim Lawlor introduced him to his cousin s relative Marie Planitz 107 When Marie announced her ardent desire to marry Lombardi her status conscious stockbroker father did not like the idea of his daughter marrying the son of an Italian butcher from Brooklyn 108 a prejudice he would face more than once in his life 109 110 Lombardi and Marie wed nonetheless on August 31 1940 111 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 111 Marie s first pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage This had a terrible effect on Marie and caused her to turn to heavy drinking 112 a problem she would encounter on more than one occasion in her life 113 Their son Vincent Henry Lombardi Vince Jr was born in 1942 114 and their daughter Susan followed five years later in 1947 115 Lombardi s perfectionism 87 116 authoritarian nature 117 and temper 111 instilled in his wife a masterful ability to verbally assault and demean Lombardi when he verbally abused her 37 His children were not immune from his yelling When Lombardi had not lost his temper he would often be reticent and aloof 118 Lombardi s grandson Joe Lombardi has served as an assistant coach in the NFL since 2006 Joe is currently the offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos citation needed World War II deferments edit Though he was 28 years old when the United States entered World War II Lombardi did not serve in the war He obtained a series of deferments his first was a 2 A due to his teaching occupation in 1943 he obtained a second deferment due to parenthood 3 A and his final deferment was labelled a 4 A and given in 1944 119 Religion edit The three constants throughout Lombardi s life were his Roman Catholic religion his family and football 120 His father was a daily Communicant throughout his life 14 and his mother s favorite picture of Vince as a child was on his Confirmation 15 When Lombardi was 12 while serving as an altar boy on Easter Sunday amid the color and pageantry scarlet and white vestments golden cross scepters the wafers and wine body and blood the inspiration came to him that he should become a priest 15 When his mother Matty got wind of it she bragged about her son s plan to her neighbors 23 Lombardi attended Mass on a daily basis throughout his life 121 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 When Lombardi became head coach of football in 1942 he led his team to Sunday Mass before each home game 122 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 for which Father Tim obliged him right in the office 123 During his stay at Green Bay Lombardi once 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 124 Each day on his way to work for the Green Bay Packers Lombardi would stop at St Willebrord Church 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 125 He regularly attended Sunday Mass at Resurrection Church in the Allouez neighborhood of Green Bay s southeast side always sitting with his wife in the middle of the ninth pew 126 On the morning of the dedication of Lombardi Avenue Lombardi remarked to his 37 member entourage that he was pleased to have gotten them all up to attend morning Mass 127 Lombardi was a Fourth Degree in the Knights of Columbus 128 129 Anti discrimination philosophy edit Vince Lombardi brought him Bobby Mitchell into the front office in 1969 and he started doing scouting They wanted the black guys to only scout the black schools and Lombardi said no Bobby s going to scout ALL the schools not just the black ones Brig Owens 130 In 1960 a color barrier still existed on at least one team in the NFL 131 132 but Jack Vainisi the Scouting Director for the Packers 86 and Lombardi were determined to ignore the prejudices then prevalent in most NFL front offices in their search for the most talented players 133 Lombardi explained his views by saying that he viewed his players as neither black nor white but Packer green 134 Among professional football head coaches in the midst of the civil rights movement Lombardi s anti discrimination views were unusual 135 When Lombardi joined the Packers they only had one black player Nate Borden During his time as coach the team became fully integrated by 1967 they had 13 black players including All Pros Willie Davis Willie Wood Dave Robinson Herb Adderley and Bob Jeter 136 During his first training camp in Green Bay Lombardi was notified by Packer veterans that an interracial relationship existed between one of the Packer rookies and a young woman 137 The next day at training camp Lombardi who was vehemently opposed to Jim Crow discrimination and had a zero tolerance policy towards racism responded by warning his team that if any player exhibited prejudice in any manner that specific player would be thrown off the team Lombardi let it be known to all Green Bay establishments that if they did not accommodate his black and white players equally well then that business would be off limits to the entire team 138 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 139 Lombardi also refused to assign hotel rooms to players based on their race by 1967 the Packers were the only NFL team with such a policy 136 Lombardi was a member of the all white Oneida Golf and Riding Country club in Green Bay and he demanded that he should be allowed to choose a Native American caddie even if white caddies were available 140 Lombardi s view on racial matters was a result of his religious faith and the ethnic prejudice that he had experienced as an Italian American 141 While with the Redskins in 1969 at Lombardi s insistence and with the support of then minority owner Jack Kent Cooke Hall of Fame wide receiver Bobby Mitchell joined the Redskins front office becoming the first African American to work in an NFL front office and eventually becoming the NFL s first African American executive working his way up to assistant general manager in 1981 142 One Packer famously said that Lombardi treats us all the same like dogs To the coach there were no gay dogs or straight dogs there were just Packers who had one goal to play their best and win Jim Buzinski Outsports com co founder 143 Lombardi was known to be volatile and terse with players during practices and games and he insisted on unconditional respect for everyone in his organization 144 Lombardi demanded acceptance from players and coaches toward all people and was noted for his stance against homophobia 145 According to Lombardi biographer and Pulitzer Prize winning writer David Maraniss if he caught a coach discriminating against a player thought to be gay he d be fired 146 Richard Nicholls the lifelong partner of Lombardi s younger brother Hal stated Vin was always fair in how he treated everybody a great man who accepted people at face value for what they were and didn t judge anybody He just wanted you to do the job 147 In Washington Lombardi s assistant general manager David Slatterly was gay as was PR director Joe Blair who was described as Lombardi s right hand man 148 According to son Vince Lombardi Jr He saw everyone as equals and I think having a gay brother Hal was a big factor in his approach I think my father would ve felt I hope I ve created an atmosphere in the locker room where this would not be an issue at all And if you do have an issue the problem will be yours because my locker room will tolerate nothing but acceptance 147 Upon his arrival in Washington Lombardi was aware of tight end Jerry Smith s sexual orientation 149 Lombardi protected and loved Jerry said former teammate Dave Kopay 150 Lombardi brought Smith into his office and told him that his sexual orientation would never be an issue as long as he was coaching the Redskins Smith would be judged solely on his on the field performance and contribution to the team s success 151 Under Lombardi s leadership Smith flourished becoming an integral part of Lombardi s offense and was voted a First Team All Pro for the first time in his career which was also Lombardi s only season as the Redskins head coach 152 Lombardi invited other gay players to training camp and would privately hope they would prove they could earn a spot on the team 153 In Lombardi s first season with the Washington Redskins Ray McDonald a gay running back with sub par skills 154 was trying to make the Redskins roster again citation needed Lombardi told running back coach George Dickson 155 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 before your ass hits the ground 156 Politics edit Although his wife was a Republican Lombardi was a lifelong Democrat with liberal views on civil rights he supported John F Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election Robert F Kennedy in the 1968 primaries and was also a supporter of Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson 136 157 Despite this during the 1960s he became uncomfortable with the burgeoning youth protest movements associated with the emerging counterculture such as the New Left and the Anti war movement In a speech that he first delivered in February 1967 to the American Management Association he suggested that everything has been done to strengthen the rights of the individual and at the same time weaken the rights of the church weaken the rights of the state and weaken the rights of all authority Due to Lombardi s popularity Richard Nixon once considered him as a possible running mate in the 1968 presidential election but dropped the idea upon learning about Lombardi s support for the Democratic Party 136 157 Illness and death editLombardi had suffered from digestive tract problems as early as 1967 and he had refused his doctor s request to undergo a proctoscopic exam 158 On June 24 1970 Lombardi was admitted to Georgetown University Hospital and tests revealed anaplastic carcinoma in the rectal area of his colon a fast growing malignant cancer in which the cells barely resemble their normal appearance 159 On July 27 Lombardi was readmitted to Georgetown and exploratory surgery found that the cancer was terminal 160 Lombardi and Marie received family friends clergy players and former players at his hospital bedside 161 He received a phone call from President Nixon telling Lombardi that all of the U S was behind him to which Lombardi replied that he would never give up his fight against his illness 162 On his deathbed Lombardi told Father Tim that he was not afraid to die but that he regretted he could not have accomplished more in his life 163 Lombardi died in Washington D C at 7 12 a m on Thursday September 3 1970 surrounded by his wife parents two children and six grandchildren He was 57 164 The funeral was held on September 7 at St Patrick s Cathedral in Manhattan Approximately 1 500 people 165 lined Fifth Avenue and the avenue was closed to traffic between 39th and 50th Street Terence Cardinal Cooke delivered the eulogy In attendance were team owners coaches Tom Landry Dick Nolan Weeb Ewbank Alex Webster Norm Van Brocklin Phil Bengtson and Bill Austin Commissioner Pete Rozelle past and present members of the Packers Redskins and Giants broadcasters Ray Scott and Howard Cosell former students from Saints colleagues and players from West Point including Red Blaik and classmates from Fordham University including the remaining Seven Blocks of Granite note 6 166 Lombardi was interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Middletown Township New Jersey 167 In popular culture editIn 1968 Lombardi starred in a half hour motivational film titled Second Effort that has been called The best selling training film of all time 168 169 On December 14 1973 ABC aired Legend in Granite starring Ernest Borgnine as Vince The biographical TV drama focused mostly on his first two years as Packers head coach 1959 1960 170 A service area on the New Jersey Turnpike dedicated to and named after Lombardi opened in 1974 171 The high school in the 1979 movie Rock n Roll High School is named Vince Lombardi High School 172 173 174 In 1986 CHCH aired the TV movie Lombardi I Am Not a Legend starring Robert Knuckle in the title role that depicted Lombardi s life up until the NFL 175 In 1996 Nike aired several commercials featuring Jerry Stiller as the ghost of Lombardi 176 177 ESPN produced the 2005 TV movie Code Breakers that depicted the West Point cheating scandal and its effect on the football program Richard Zeppieri played then Assistant Coach Lombardi 178 A play titled 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 starred Dan Lauria as Lombardi and Judith Light as his wife Marie The play received positive reviews as did Lauria s performance 179 NFL Films and HBO produced a film about Lombardi that debuted Saturday December 11 2010 180 Honors editIn May 1967 Lombardi received Fordham s highest honor the Insignis Medal 181 for being a great teacher 182 On January 13 1969 he was inducted into the Knights of Malta at St Patrick s 183 Inducted into the Fordham University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1971 184 185 nbsp Statues of Vince Lombardi and Curly Lambeau at Lambeau Field As part of the Lambeau Field renovation in 2003 a 14 foot statue of Lombardi along with one for Curly Lambeau now stands on a plaza outside the stadium 186 187 188 In 1968 Highland Avenue in Green Bay home to the Packers Lambeau Field was renamed Lombardi Avenue 127 In 1969 the Catholic Youth Organization CYO awarded Lombardi with the Jack Mara sportsman of the year 189 190 The Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University is named in his honor 191 One of the Green Bay School District s public middle schools is named the Lombardi Middle School 192 193 The football field at Old Bridge High School in Old Bridge New Jersey is named Lombardi Field 194 The football field in Palisades Park is also known as Lombardi Field 195 A plaque dedication installed in 1974 in the sidewalk on a square unofficially called Vince Lombardi Square near Sheepshead Bay Road and East 14th Street in Brooklyn New York 196 There are two places in the Bensonhurst area which are or were dedicated to Lombardi at one time P S 204 Vince Lombardi Elementary School 197 and the entire Bensonhurst stretch of 16th Avenue was once dedicated by the City of New York as Vince Lombardi Boulevard 198 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 NJ is named for him 199 The Vince Lombardi Cancer clinic at Aurora Health Care is named after him 200 The Vincent T Lombardi Center at Fordham University was named for the coach 201 In 1970 the NFL s Super Bowl Trophy was renamed the Vince Lombardi Trophy 202 In 1970 the Rotary Club of Houston created the Lombardi Award which is given annually to the best college football offensive or defensive lineman or linebacker 203 In 1969 Lombardi received the Silver Buffalo Award the highest adult award given by the Boy Scouts of America 204 Lombardi was enshrined in the NFL s Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971 205 Lombardi was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1976 86 Lombardi is a member of the Ring of Fame of the Washington Commanders formerly known as the Redskins 206 Induction into the American Football Association s Semi Pro Football Hall of Fame 1988 207 In 2008 Lombardi is inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame 208 Lombardi appeared on a U S Postage stamp first issued on July 25 1997 209 Head coaching record editTeam Year Regular season PostseasonWon Lost Ties Win ratio Finish Won Lost Win ResultGB 1959 7 5 0 583 T 3rd in NFL West GB 1960 8 4 0 667 1st in NFL West 0 1 000 Lost to Philadelphia Eagles in NFL ChampionshipGB 1961 11 3 0 786 1st in NFL West 1 0 1 000 Won NFL ChampionshipGB 1962 13 1 0 929 1st in NFL West 1 0 1 000 Won NFL ChampionshipGB 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 ChampionshipGB 1966 12 2 0 847 1st in NFL West 2 0 1 000 Super Bowl I championsGB 1967 9 4 1 692 1st in NFL Central 3 0 1 000 Super Bowl II championsGB Total 89 29 4 754 9 1 900 5 NFL Championships 6 conference titles in 9 seasonsWAS 1969 7 5 2 583 2nd in Eastern Capital WAS Total 7 5 2 583Total 96 34 6 738 9 1 900Source 86 The Packers played in the third place Playoff Bowl in Miami after the 1963 and 1964 seasons these are categorized as exhibition games Coaching tree editHarland Svare Los Angeles Rams 1962 1965 San Diego Chargers 1971 1973 Bill Austin Pittsburgh Steelers 1966 1968 Norb Hecker Atlanta Falcons 1966 1968 Tom Fears New Orleans Saints 1967 1970 Southern California Sun 1974 1975 Phil Bengtson Green Bay Packers 1968 1970 New England Patriots 1972 Mike McCormack Philadelphia Eagles 1973 1975 Baltimore Colts 1980 1981 Seattle Seahawks 1982 Jerry Burns Minnesota Vikings 1986 1991 Books editRun to Daylight by Vince Lombardi with W C Heinz 210 Books written about him editInstant Replay the Green Bay Diary of Jerry Kramer by Jerry Kramer and Dick Schaap 211 Football s Greatest Coach Vince Lombardi by Gene Schoor 212 The Lombardi Legacy Thirty People who were Touched by Greatness by Royce Boyles and Dave Robinson 213 Coach A Season With Lombardi by Tom Dowling 214 When Pride Still Mattered A Life Of Vince Lombardi by David Maraniss 119 Vince by Michael O Brien 215 Run to Win Vince Lombardi on Coaching and Leadership by Donald T Phillips 216 See also editList of Knights of Columbus List of National Football League head coach wins leaders List of National Football League head coaches by playoff record List of Super Bowl head coachesNotes edit O Brien incorrectly implies he graduated in 1929 from eighth grade which is completely refuted by Maraniss and O Brien s date of 1928 makes no sense O Brien on page 28 writes he left after three years there when he left after four His stint at seminary school would cost him one year of his academic life as he would be generally speaking repeating his senior year of high school in order to obtain a high school diploma 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 Maraniss 1999 lists his starting salary as 1 700 pg 70 and O Brien 1987 lists it as 1 000 pg 51 Wiebusch s source is a quote from Father Tim Moore The five future hall of famers were Forrest Gregg Jim Taylor Paul Hornung Ray Nitschke Bart Starr and Jerry Kramer Honorary pallbearers included Bart Starr Paul Hornung Willie Davis Tony Canadeo Wellington Mara Dick Bourguignon Edward Bennett Williams and Marc Chubb References edit Countdown No 1 Vince Lombardi go com June 11 2013 Retrieved April 25 2017 Hall of Famers VINCE LOMBARDI Profootballhof com Archived from the original on September 24 2015 Retrieved April 29 2013 a b c d e f g O Brien 1987 p 21 a b c d e Maraniss 1999 p 17 O Brien 1987 p 20 a b Maraniss 1999 p 23 O Brien 1987 p 22 a b c Maraniss 1999 p 25 Maraniss 1999 p 16 O Brien 1987 pp 21 23 Maraniss 1999 p 24 O Brien 1987 pp 21 22 Maraniss 1999 pp 16 17 a b c O Brien 1987 p 25 a b c d e f Maraniss 1999 p 20 O Brien 1987 p 24 Maraniss 1999 p 18 O Brien 1987 pp 24 25 O Brien 1987 p 23 Maraniss 1999 pp 23 24 a b O Brien 1987 p 26 O Brien 1987 pp 27 28 a b Maraniss 1999 p 26 a b Maraniss 1999 p 27 O Brien 1987 p 29 Maraniss 1999 p 28 Prominent Alumni of The Omega Gamma Delta Fraternity Retrieved April 8 2011 O Brien 1987 p 31 Maraniss 1999 pp 29 30 About Lombardi HBO Retrieved December 22 2010 Maraniss 1999 p 31 Maraniss 1999 p 37 Maraniss 1999 p 38 Maraniss 1999 p 225 Maraniss 1999 p 49 Maraniss 1999 pp 58 59 a b Gruver 1998 p 36 Fordham University Official Athletic Site fordhamsports com Archived from the original on July 20 2011 Retrieved April 25 2017 Green Bay Packers Legend of the Past Vince Lombardi Part I Archived from the original on August 24 2013 O Brien 1987 p 46 O Brien 1987 p 48 Maraniss 1999 p 66 Vince Lombardi hired as Packers coach History com Retrieved September 23 2015 O Brien 1987 p 49 O Brien 1987 pp 49 50 Flynn 1976 pp 19 29 Flynn 1976 p 19 Englewood s St Cecilia school to close Bergen County Record Archived from the original on September 27 2012 Retrieved March 29 2011 About Vince Lombardi Retrieved February 7 2011 Wiebusch 1971 p 61 Paterno legend traces back to prep roots The Brooklyn Prep Alumni Association Retrieved May 22 2012 Flynn 1976 p 30 Maraniss 1999 pp 94 95 Maraniss 1999 p 96 99 Maraniss 1999 p 101 Maraniss 1999 p 100 MacCambridge 2004 p 291 Maraniss 1999 p 129 Maraniss 1999 p 131 Maraniss 1999 p 136 Maraniss 1999 p 147 Maraniss 1999 p 154 Maraniss 1999 p 160 Maraniss 1999 pp 146 165 a b O Brien 1987 p 104 Claerbaut 2004 p 106 Vince Lombardi The Read Optional Maraniss 1999 p 156 Lombardi invented philosophy Run to Daylight www packers com Retrieved April 3 2019 a b Claerbaut 2004 p 86 Eisenberg 2009 p 33 Phillips 2001 p 28 Johnson Chuck January 29 1959 Packers name Vince Lombardi head coach general manager Milwaukee Journal p 11 part 2 Archived from the original on May 19 2016 Retrieved September 20 2020 Johnson Chuck February 3 1959 Lombardi reception warm despite cold Milwaukee Journal p 14 part 2 permanent dead link Vince Lombardi Class of 1971 Green Bay Packers Inc Archived from the original on May 5 2012 Retrieved May 5 2012 Don Guilbrandsen 2011 Green Bay Packers The Complete Illustrated History Third Edition Voyageur Press ISBN 978 1616731489 Maraniss 1999 p 230 Connolly Oliver May 29 2015 The Men Who Made The Game Vince Lombardi The Read Optional Retrieved April 3 2019 a b Maraniss 1999 pp 260 303 Maraniss 1999 p 266 268 Maraniss 1999 p 265 Kramer amp Schapp 2006 p 58 Official Website of the New England Patriots patriots com Retrieved April 25 2017 Maraniss 1999 p 299 Maraniss 1999 p 362 a b c d Green Bay Packer Media Guide PDF nfl com Archived from the original PDF on January 26 2021 Retrieved April 25 2017 a b Day Iyer amp Boswell 2009 ESPN com Page 2 The greatest NFL coaches ever go com Retrieved April 25 2017 Davis 2005 p 417 MacCambridge 2004 p 306 Bob Newhardt Carroll 1997 Total Football The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League HarperCollins ISBN 9780062701701 ESPN com ENDOFCENTURY The NFL s greatest games Espn go com Retrieved February 7 2011 Gruver 1998 p 203 Gruver 1998 p 202 Maraniss 1999 p 424 Maraniss 1999 p 414 Claerbaut 2004 p 229 Kramer amp Schapp 2006 p 210 D Amato Gary December 28 2017 The Ice Bowl 50 years later An oral history of the Packers Cowboys 1967 NFL Championship Game Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Retrieved September 2 2020 Starr 15 sneaks into the end zone for the winning touchdown Bowman and Kramer executed a double team block on Pugh on the winning touchdown 1968 Green Bay Packers Statistics amp Players Pro Football Reference com Retrieved April 3 2019 Johnson William March 3 1969 ARARARARARARGH Sports Illustrated p 28 Lombardi seeks release to run coach Redskins Milwaukee Sentinel February 4 1969 p 1 part 1 permanent dead link When Vince Lombardi left Green Bay for Washington one town wept The other cheered Washington Post Retrieved April 3 2019 1969 Washington Redskins Statistics amp Players Pro Football Reference com Retrieved April 3 2019 Loverro Thom December 15 2016 Lombardi s one year changed Redskins forever The Washington Times Retrieved September 2 2020 The greatness of Lombardi Allen through the eyes of Larry Brown SI com May 9 2016 Retrieved September 2 2020 Havel Chris November 4 2011 Lombardi An Illustrated Life Krause Publications ISBN 9781440218118 Retrieved April 25 2017 via Google Books permanent dead link Maraniss 1999 pp 40 41 Maraniss 1999 pp 46 47 106 171 251 371 Claerbaut 2004 pp 106 107 a b c Maraniss 1999 p 74 Maraniss 1999 p 75 Maraniss 1999 pp 87 179 236 362 450 Maraniss 1999 pp 75 76 Maraniss 1999 pp 88 89 Maraniss 1999 p 272 Maraniss 1999 pp 27 74 208 Maraniss 1999 p 231 a b Maraniss 1999 Maraniss 1999 pp 19 112 179 Maraniss 1999 pp 20 33 Maraniss 1999 pp 76 77 Maraniss 1999 p 85 86 Maraniss 1999 p 403 Maraniss 1999 p 244 The Compass newspaper Special Section Priests Jubilee www thecompassnews org Retrieved April 1 2016 a b Maraniss 1999 p 444 Butler Andrew 2019 Inspiring Knights in the NFL www kofc org Knights of Columbus Archived from the original on July 13 2020 Retrieved September 2 2020 A Fourth Degree Knight Lombardi brought his Catholic players to Mass while on the road Knights who shaped history www kofc org Knights of Columbus 2020 Lombardi joined Msgr Basche Council 4505 in Green Bay Wis and later became a Fourth Degree Knight Bobby was bigger than a Hall of Famer the meaningful life of Bobby Mitchell theathletic com April 7 2020 Retrieved April 17 2020 Ross 1999 p 149 Eisenberg 2009 p 81 Maraniss 1999 p 237 Maraniss 1999 pp 240 241 Phillips 2001 p 69 a b c d Smith Johnny September 30 2017 Vince Lombardi Would Be Proud slate com Retrieved October 2 2017 Eisenberg 2009 p 99 Maraniss 1999 p 241 Maraniss 1999 pp 241 242 Maraniss 1999 p 242 Phillips 2001 p 70 Bobby Mitchell Pro Football Hall of Famer and pioneering Redskins star dies at 84 The Washington Post April 6 2020 Archived from the original on January 28 2021 Retrieved April 17 2023 Gays in the NFL Vince Lombardi would be fine with it outsports com June 19 2012 Retrieved April 25 2017 Vince Lombardi Was Ahead of His Time acmepackingcompany com May 7 2013 Retrieved April 25 2017 Juzwiak Rich Former Pro Football Player Reflects on Brokeback Romance with Teammate gawker com Archived from the original on November 30 2016 Retrieved April 25 2017 Anniversary year of African American Packers bold historic statement Archived from the original on March 4 2016 Retrieved January 13 2016 a b Ex player Lombardi championed gay rights go com May 3 2013 Retrieved April 25 2017 The NFL Beat Lombardi and Kopay austinchronicle com Retrieved April 25 2017 45 years ago Lombardi accepted a gay player citizen times com Retrieved April 25 2017 Vince Lombardi accepted gay players on his team nbcsports com May 3 2013 Retrieved April 25 2017 Would Vince Lombardi Have Drafted a Gay Player Archived from the original on December 25 2015 Retrieved October 17 2015 Jerry Smith Stats Pro Football Reference com pro football reference com Retrieved April 25 2017 Maraniss 1999 p 344 Maraniss 1999 p 469 Maraniss 1999 p 468 Maraniss 1999 p 471 a b Cillizza Chris April 6 2016 BREAKING Donald Trump doesn t really know much about Vince Lombardi WashingtonPost com Retrieved October 2 2017 Maraniss 1999 p 389 Maraniss 1999 pp 488 489 Maraniss 1999 p 493 Maraniss 1999 pp 493 498 Richard Nixon Remarks to the 89th Annual International Meeting of the Knights of Columbus in New York City ucsb edu Retrieved April 25 2017 Maraniss 1999 p 497 Maraniss 1999 p 498 Flynn 1976 p 176 Maraniss 1999 pp 498 499 Mt Olivet Cemetery Middletown Monmouth County NJ Distantcousin com Retrieved February 7 2011 Maraniss David Coach Symbol Savior Page 2 ESPN com Retrieved January 19 2010 Overman Stephen J 1999 Winning Isn t Everything It s The Only Thing the Origin Attribution and Influence of a Famous Football Quote PDF Archived from the original PDF on May 28 2008 Retrieved January 19 2010 Legend in Granite December 14 1973 Retrieved April 25 2017 via IMDb Phalon Richard February 6 1974 Lombardi Service Area Dedicated on Turnpike The New York Times Retrieved September 2 2020 Rock n Roll High School synopsis and movie info Tribute ca Tribute Retrieved September 2 2020 Rock n Roll High School on iTunes iTunes Preview August 24 1979 Retrieved September 2 2020 Rock N Roll High School TVGuide com TV Guide Retrieved September 2 2020 Lombardi I Am Not a Legend 1986 IMDb Retrieved February 3 2014 Sandomir Richard January 14 1997 From a Loser s Father To a Legendary Winner The New York Times Retrieved September 2 2020 Meinert Kendra May 11 2020 Jerry Stiller played Vince Lombardi for a series of Nike commercials in the 90s including one shot at Al s Hamburger Green Bay Press Gazette Retrieved September 2 2020 Code Breakers 2005 TV Internet Movie Database Retrieved February 3 2014 Hague Jim Lombardi on Broadway is a smash hit Tasty Tidbits The Union City Reporter October 24 2010 pg 12 13 HBO to Air Documentary on Vince Lombardi TVGuide com Vince Lombardi A Coach for All Seasons Fordham edu Archived from the original on June 20 2010 Retrieved February 7 2011 Maraniss 1999 pp 408 409 Flynn 1976 p 38 Fordham University Official Athletic Site Fordhamsports com Archived from the original on March 10 2011 Retrieved February 7 2011 Player Bio Vincent Lombardi Fordham Official Athletic Site Fordhamsports com Archived from the original on July 20 2011 Retrieved February 7 2011 Garber Greg October 9 2012 Toughest NFL venues No 3 Frozen in time ESPN com Retrieved September 2 2020 Meinert Kendra June 24 2016 Lambeau statues bring fans from far and wide Green Bay Press Gazette Retrieved September 2 2020 Lambeau Lombardi Statues Installed At Lambeau Field www packers com August 21 2003 Retrieved September 2 2020 Flynn 1976 p 39 Maraniss 1999 p 459 About georgetown edu Retrieved April 25 2017 Imrie Robert January 21 1998 School Named After Vince Lombardi AP NEWS Retrieved September 2 2020 Lombardi Middle School lombardi gbaps org Green Bay Area Public School District Retrieved September 2 2020 Chiusano Anthony September October 2010 OBHS alumnus replaces long time head football coach PDF KnightLife Old Bridge New Jersey Archived from the original PDF on December 8 2013 Football is Back Palisades Park High School May 7 2011 Archived from the original on May 7 2011 Gottesdiener Laura January 25 2011 Vince Lombardi Brooklyn native is a forgotten hero in his borough The Brooklyn Paper Welcome P S 204 Vince Lombardi K204 New York City Department of Education nyc gov Retrieved April 25 2017 Vince Lombardi a life brooklynpaper com January 25 2011 Retrieved April 25 2017 The Vincent T Lombardi Council 6552 kofc6552 org Knights of Columbus Archived from the original on October 29 2020 Retrieved September 2 2020 Vince Lombardi Cancer clinic website aurorahealthcare org Archived from the original on July 22 2010 Retrieved April 25 2017 Fordham Fordham online information Student Life Deans of Students and Student Life fordham edu Archived from the original on December 10 2013 Retrieved April 25 2017 Maraniss 1999 p 499 Arnaud Maydrick Rotary Lombardi Award rotarylombardiaward com Archived from the original on February 1 2013 Retrieved April 25 2017 Scouting magazine List of Silver Buffalo recipients Scouting magazine June 9 2020 Retrieved September 2 2020 Phillips 2001 p 184 History Ring of Fame Table Washington Commanders Retrieved February 4 2022 Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on January 22 2016 Retrieved August 28 2011 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link New Jersey Hall of Fame welcomes first ever class nj com May 5 2008 Retrieved February 4 2022 Legendary Football Coaches Vince Lombardi Postalmuseum si edu July 25 1997 Archived from the original on June 16 2011 Retrieved February 7 2011 Lombardi Vince Heinz W C 1963 Run to Daylight Prentice Hall ISBN 9780137838523 Retrieved September 2 2020 Kramer amp Schapp 2006 Schoor Gene 1975 Football s Greatest Coach Vince Lombardi Pocket Books ISBN 978 0 671 80130 4 Retrieved September 2 2020 Robinson Richard David December 2009 The Lombardi Legacy 30 Stories of Those Touched by Greatness Goose Creek Publishers ISBN 9781596330214 Retrieved September 2 2020 Dowling Tom September 1970 Coach A Season with Lombardi W W Norton amp Company ISBN 9780393331547 Retrieved September 2 2020 Riess Steven A April 1 1989 Michael O Brien Vince A Personal Biography of Vince Lombardi New York William Morrow 1987 Pp 457 19 95 The American Historical Review 550 doi 10 1086 ahr 94 2 550 Retrieved September 2 2020 Phillips 2001 Sources editClaerbaut David 2004 Bart Starr When Leadership Mattered Lanham MD Taylor Trade Publishing ISBN 978 1 58979 117 6 Davis Jeff 2005 Papa Bear the life and legacy of George Halas New York McGraw Hill ISBN 978 0 07 146054 5 Davis Jeff 2008 Rozelle Czar of the NFL Foreword by Ernie Accorsi New York McGraw Hill ISBN 978 0 07 159352 6 Day Paul Iyer Vinnie Boswell James August 3 2009 Sports 50 greatest coaches Sporting News 233 16 32 45 Eisenberg John 2009 That First Season How Vince Lombardi Took the Worst Team in the NFL and Set It on the Path to Glory New York Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Flynn George L 1976 The Vince Lombardi Scrapbook New York Grosset and Dunlap New York ISBN 978 0 448 12401 8 Gruver Edward 1998 The Ice Bowl The Cold Truth About Football s Most Unforgettable Game Ithaca New York McBooks Press Inc ISBN 978 1 59013 080 3 Kramer Jerry Schapp Dick 2006 Instant Replay The Green Bay Diary of Jerry Kramer New York Doubleday ISBN 978 0 385 51745 4 Levy Alan H 2003 Tackling Jim Crow Racial Segregation in Professional Football Jefferson North Carolina McFarland and Co Inc ISBN 978 0 7864 1597 7 Lombardi Vince Jr 2003 The Essential Vince Lombardi Words amp Wisdom to Motivate New York McGraw Hill ISBN 978 0 07 139096 5 MacCambridge Michael 2004 America s Game New York Anchor Books ISBN 978 0 307 48143 6 Maraniss David 1999 When Pride Still Mattered A Life of Vince Lombardi Simon amp Schuster ISBN 978 0 618 90499 0 O Brien Michael 1987 Vince A Personal Biography of Vince Lombardi New York William Morrow and Company Inc ISBN 978 0 688 07406 7 Phillips Donald T 2001 Run to Win New York St Martin s Griffin ISBN 978 0 312 27298 2 Ross Charles K 1999 Outside the Lines African Americans and the Integration of the National Football League New York New York Publishing Company ISBN 978 0 8147 7495 3 Summerall Pat Levin Michael 2010 Giants What I learned about life from Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry Hoboken NJ John Wiley and Sons Inc ISBN 978 0 470 90908 9 Wiebusch John 1971 Lombardi Chicago Triumph Books ISBN 978 1 57243 028 0 Further reading editCavanaugh Jack 2008 Giants Among Men New York Random House ISBN 978 1 58836 697 9 Gifford Frank and Richmond Peter 2008 The Glory Game How the 1958 NFL Championship Changed Football Forever New York Harper Collins ISBN 978 0 06 171659 1 Lombardi Vince Jr 2001 What It Takes to Be 1 Vince Lombardi on Leadership New York McGraw Hill Lombardi Vince Jr 2003 The Lombardi Rules 26 Lessons from Vince Lombardi The World s Greatest Coach New York McGraw Hill External links edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Vince Lombardi nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vince Lombardi Official website nbsp Vince Lombardi at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Vince Lombardi at Find a Grave Vince Lombardi on American Catholic History Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Vince Lombardi amp 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