Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi was a prominent American football coach, best known for his transformative role as head coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s. Born into an immigrant Italian family in Brooklyn, Lombardi showcased his football talent at Fordham University, where he played on a celebrated team known as the "Seven Blocks of Granite." After several years of coaching at the high school level and assisting at collegiate and military institutions, he entered the professional arena as an offensive coach for the New York Giants before taking the helm at the Packers in 1959.
Under his leadership, the Packers transitioned from a struggling team to a powerhouse, winning multiple league titles and Super Bowl championships. Lombardi was characterized by his rigorous coaching style, commitment to excellence, and belief that "Winning isn't everything. It is the only thing." After retiring from coaching in 1968, he briefly managed the Washington Redskins before his untimely death from cancer. Lombardi's legacy endures in American sports culture, symbolizing discipline and achievement, albeit not without some criticism of his strong stance on winning and his political views.
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Vince Lombardi
- Born: June 11, 1913
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
- Died: September 3, 1970
- Place of death: Washington, D.C.
One of the nation’s most successful professional football coaches. Lombardi’s style of leadership influenced a wide public.
Origins and History
Born to an immigrant Italian family, Vincent Thomas Lombardi attended parochial schools in Brooklyn. At Fordham University, he played on the school’s football team, the Rams. He was a guard in the front line popularly known as the “Seven Blocks of Granite.” He coached high school athletics for several years, then assisted at Fordham and West Point, where he came under the influence of Colonel Earl Blaik, whose military-style discipline he admired. In 1954, he entered professional football as offensive coach of the New York Giants.
In 1959, Lombardi became head coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers, a Wisconsin football team that had won only one game in twelve the previous season. Lombardi weeded out the weak players, and his tough but fair coaching style got the team into great shape, physically and mentally. His quest for excellence once led him to say, “Winning isn’t everything. It is the only thing.” For the next nine years, the Packers dominated the National Football League, winning the league title in 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, and 1967. They won the Super Bowl games of 1967 and 1968.
Lombardi retired from coaching in 1968 but remained with the Packers as general manager. In 1969, he moved to Washington, D.C., and coached the Redskins to their first winning season in fourteen years. He died of intestinal cancer the next year.
Impact
Lombardi projected an image of discipline, commitment to excellence, and moral integrity. He had a remarkable understanding of his players and the ability to challenge them to perform often above what seemed possible. This single-minded pursuit of winning, plus his support of the Vietnam War, led some social commentators and sportswriters to criticize him in the late 1960’s. However, his life and success provided the sports community in the United States a figure for all to emulate.
Additional Information
Michael J. O’Brien’s Vince: A Personal Biography of Vince Lombardi (1987) takes a close look at Lombardi’s life.