The NFL has had its share of influential coaches in its history.
Arguably the best, and most quoted, coach of the modern game was Vince Lombardi.
Lombardi was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers for nearly a decade.
Vince Lombardi was born on this day in 1913. He had a profound impact on every man who played for him, and on our country. “Your religion, family, and the Green Bay Packers-those will be your priorities!” He taught us to take responsibility, seek perfection, and reach excellence. pic.twitter.com/eBQBpVoQhu
— Bill Curry (@coachbillcurry) June 11, 2021
When he arrived, the Packers were barely hanging on as a franchise.
By the time he left Wisconsin, the Packers were one of the best teams in the league.
Lombardi’s gruff nature, quick temper, and directness belied the fact that he was a man of compassion and understanding.
Unfortunately, Lombardi’s life ended too soon due to cancer.
However, his imprint on the game has been embedded into the very culture of the NFL.
This is the story of Vince Lombardi.
Early Life
Vincent Thomas Lombardi was born on June 11, 1913, in Brooklyn, New York, and he was the oldest of five children.
Growing up, Lombardi worked with his father in the family’s butcher shop.
It didn’t take long for him to realize meat cutting wasn’t in his future and took steps to avoid the family business.
When he turned 12, Lombardi joined a football league in the Sheepshead Bay area of Brooklyn.
After middle school, he enrolled at Catholic Preparatory Seminary in order to get his high school degree and eventually become a priest.
While in seminary, Lombardi played on the school’s basketball and baseball teams.
However, his eyesight and lack of ability in those sports led Lombardi to play football off-campus (and against seminary rules).
Two years later, Lombardi chose not to pursue a career in ministry.
He then enrolled at St. Francis Preparatory High School in 1932 and played fullback for the Terriers.
Lombardi played well enough that year that he garnered All-City football team honors.
Fordham and the Seven Blocks of Granite
Lombardi’s play at St. Francis caught the attention of coach Jim Crowley at Fordham University in New York City.
He was given a scholarship to play for the Rams and soon impressed Crowley, who had been a member of the fabled Four Horsemen of Notre Dame in the 1920s.
“Old Days”Fordham University Guard Vince Lombardi poses at a 1936 Practice.#HOF #Fordham #NCAAF #Packers #1930s pic.twitter.com/v49VXRDXp5
— Tom's Old Days (@sigg20) October 16, 2021
Crowley noted Lombardi’s grit and aggressive behavior on the gridiron.
The only problem was, his new lineman was undersized at 5’8” and 180-pounds.
After three years of battling against larger teammates, Lombardi was made a starter on the offensive line as a senior.
Fordham’s line was so thoroughly dominant during the 1936 season that they were given the nickname the “Seven Blocks of Granite.”
Fordham's famed OL, nicknamed the Seven Blocks of Granite, in 1936. Vince Lombardi is 3rd from the left. pic.twitter.com/XaIF6V1Dy1
— Fear The Wing™ (@FearTheWing) May 27, 2016
The team’s play that year led the Associated Press to rank the program near the top of their weekly polls.
By the final game of the season, the Rams were 5-0-2 and one victory away from playing in the Rose Bowl.
Unfortunately, their dream of playing in California ended when NYU upset Fordham 7-6.
Lombardi Gravitates to Coaching
When Lombardi graduated from Fordham in 1937, the country was still mired in the Great Depression.
For the next two years, he bounced around various jobs including playing semi-pro football with the Wilmington, Delaware, Clippers of the American Association.
At the urging of his father, Lombardi went back to Fordham and enrolled in law school.
After a semester, he dropped out to pursue a job as a teacher and coach so he could marry his girlfriend, Marie Planitz.
One of Lombardi’s former Fordham teammates, quarterback Andy Palau, was the head coach at St. Cecilia’s High School in New Jersey.
Palau hired Lombardi to be an assistant and Lombardi also taught Latin, chemistry, and physics for the school.
Vince Lombardi at St Cecilia's HS coaching basketball. My friends dad is second from the left. pic.twitter.com/JVn1F7w5ys
— John Cimasko (@jersey_johnny) March 17, 2016
In 1942, Palau left St. Cecilia’s to coach at Fordham, and Lombardi took over as the school’s head coach.
The following year, St. Cecilia’s beat Brooklyn Prep, a highly touted program (led by a young Joe Paterno) and considered one of the best in the country.
Because of the victory, St. Cecilia’s in turn became noted as one of the best in the nation.
In six years as head coach, Lombardi’s teams won 32 straight games and six private school championships.
College Coach
Just as Palau did before him, Lombardi took a job as an assistant coach at Fordham in 1947.
During his first year at his alma mater, Lombardi coached the school’s freshman football and basketball teams.
In 1948, he was promoted to the varsity program as an assistant to head coach Ed Danowski.
Danowski left the Rams after the ‘48 season and Lombardi expressed his desire to become the program’s next head coach.
Shockingly, he was not given the position.
Instead, Lombardi traveled to West Point, New York to work under famed Army coach Earl “Red” Blaik.
Former Assistant #Coach of #Army #Football & #SuperBowl winning head coach, Vince #Lombardi pic.twitter.com/2lNcGaiBUy
— Thayer Leadership (@ThayerWestPoint) January 28, 2015
Lombardi would long regard his coaching stint at West Point as a major influence in his coaching style and philosophy.
“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,” said author David Maraniss in his book When Pride Still Mattered, A Life of Vince Lombardi.
Under Blaik, Lombardi learned the importance of preparation, game plan simplicity, and the study of game film.
Watching game film was a relatively new concept at the time, but Lombardi took to it with devotion.
New York Giants
After five years at West Point, Lombardi took a job as offensive coordinator with the New York Giants.
The defensive coordinator at the time was former NFL All-Pro corner, Tom Landry.
Under the direction of Lombardi and Landry, the Giants turned into a winner, defeating the Chicago Bears in the 1956 title game 47-7.
#Giants defensive coordinator Tom Landry, head coach Jim Lee Howell, and offensive coordinator Vince Lombardi.
Comiskey Park, Chicago.
November 1957. pic.twitter.com/IfoTsGmVmh— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) November 13, 2021
In 1958, New York would return to the title game yet lose to the Baltimore Colts in overtime 23-17.
While he was an assistant with the Giants, Lombardi tried several times to find head coaching opportunities.
However, even with the recommendations of his superiors, he was repeatedly turned down.
In some cases, he never received a response.
Lombardi believed strongly that the reason for being turned down was due to his Italian heritage.
Before the 1958 season, he was finally offered a head coaching opportunity with the Philadelphia Eagles but declined.
A year later, Lombardi would receive another head coaching opportunity that would shape his life and career forever.
Green Bay
In 1958, Green Bay suffered through the worst season in franchise history.
After a 1-10-1 record, head coach Ray McLean was shown the door. It was McLean’s only season as head coach of the Packers.
The organization had fallen on hard times since their last championship in 1944 under coach Curly Lambeau.
Even more baffling for their fans was the fact that the ‘58 Packers had no less than six future Hall-of-Famers on the roster.
Green Bay not only lacked competitive drive on the field, but the team was losing money and was in severe financial distress.
Essentially, if the losing and loss of revenue continued much longer, one of the NFL’s most venerable franchises would cease to exist.
Looking for an immediate turn in fortune, the organization interviewed Lombardi in early 1959.
In order to become the Packers’ new head coach, Lombardi demanded that he not only have control of the team but also of football operations.
“I want it understood that I am in complete command here,” said Lombardi at the time.
The executive board agreed and Lombardi was hired as Green Bay’s newest coach.
62 years ago today, the Packers made one of the best decisions in franchise history…
Signing Vince Lombardi to a 5-year contract
• 2× NFL Coach of the Year
• 2× Super Bowl Champ
• 5× NFL Champion#GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/6FUTrkIbjf— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) February 3, 2021
At his initial press conference, Lombardi was direct with the public.
“I’ve never been associated with a loser and I don’t expect to be now,” he said.
As his first training camp opened, Lombardi whipped his players into shape, demanding only the best effort and dedication to the team.
As often as possible, he would lord over his players the importance of winning.
“Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all-the-time thing,” Lombardi often told his players.
During the 1959 season, the Packers were noticeably different.
The Green Bay faithful could clearly see that their team was well-coached and prepared for each game.
That year, the team finished 7-5. That marked the most wins since the fabled 1944 squad.
Lombardi was named the league’s Coach of the Year after the season.
Success comes Quickly
With the product on the field vastly improved, more and more Green Bay fans bought tickets to home games.
Soon, the team’s financial fortunes turned around and the franchise was no longer a laughingstock.
In 1960, the Packers went 8-4 and narrowly lost to Philadelphia in the NFL Championship game 17-13.
The loss came on an Eagles stop of the Packers offense just a few yards from paydirt as time expired.
After the game, Lombardi gathered the team and made them a promise.
“This will never happen again. You will never lose another championship.”
In 1961 and 1962, Lombardi proved prophetic.
“Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.”
Vince Lombardi with the wives of the players, all wearing the mink stoles he gave them after the team won the NFL Championships (1962) pic.twitter.com/NyRxB6XmSK— Jim Koenigsberger (@Jimfrombaseball) January 14, 2022
Green Bay roared through the regular season both years and went a combined 24-4.
Their success was due to typical Lombardi game planning and design.
Not long after becoming coach, he installed the Packers sweep.
During the play, guards Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston would pull to the outside of the formation.
Following behind them was fullback Jim Taylor or halfback Paul Hornung who were ordered to “run to daylight” by Lombardi.
Hall-of-Fame Inductee G Jerry Kramer (#64) leads the way for Green Bay FB Jim Taylor on Vince Lombardi’s vaunted power sweep. #NFL #60s #HOF #Packers #HallofFame #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/eFhqevOeaz
— Retro Sports (@RetroSports411) August 4, 2018
The play wasn’t overly complicated, but it was very effective.
“Lombardi didn’t surprise or confound you. He just beat you,” said longtime Bears coach George Halas.
In the ‘61 title game against the Giants, the Packers crushed New York 37-0.
The following year, Green Bay again defeated the Giants in the championship game 16-7.
Although the Packers were becoming one of the most dominating teams in the league, Lombardi never let up in his discipline with the team.
While the fanbase was anointing Lombardi as “The Pope,” the Packers players themselves had a different opinion of their coach.
“Lombardi treats us all the same — like dogs.”
After a winning regular season the next two years, the Packers failed to reach the league’s title game.
However, the team did advance to the newly formed Playoff Bowl, a game played for third place in the NFL, both years.
In 1963, Green Bay dismantled Cleveland in the Playoff Bowl 40-23 and then lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 24-17 in the same game in 1964.
More Championships
From 1965-1967, Green Bay tore through their opponents.
The franchise never lost more than four games during the regular season and they reached as many as 12 victories in 1966.
After winning the NFL title against the Browns in 1965, the Packers played in the first two Super Bowls in 1966 and 1967.
50 years ago today, Vince Lombardi's Packers route the Chiefs 35-10 in Super Bowl I. pic.twitter.com/Fh873x7M5J
— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) January 15, 2017
Against Kansas City in Super Bowl I, the Packers narrowly led 14-10 at halftime. In the second half, they blanked the Chiefs on their way to a 35-10 final.
In Super Bowl II, Green Bay cruised to a 33-14 victory over the Oakland Raiders.
ON THIS DAY IN 1968! Dad & Forrest Gregg carried Vince Lombardi off the field after the Packers defeated the Raiders in Super Bowl II. This was Green Bay's 3rd consecutive NFL Championship and Lombardi's last game as Coach of the Packers. Photo by Neil Leifer pic.twitter.com/jU64bnnc63
— Daniel Kramer (@DanKramerPhotos) January 14, 2022
As they sat at the pinnacle of the NFL, Lombardi’s words were never far from Green Bay’s ears.
Lombardi Leaves Green Bay, Joins Washington
Only two weeks after the Packers won Super Bowl II, Lombardi stepped down from his coaching duties to concentrate solely on being the general manager.
His absence was noticeable in 1968 when the Packers fell to 6-7-1.
Lombardi realized that he wasn’t happy only working in the front office and looked for a new opportunity.
After resigning his position with the Packers, the Washington Redskins were only too happy to turn over their woeful program to Lombardi.
Redskins president Edward Bennett Williams rolled out the red carpet.
Today in 1969, Vince Lombardi is named coach & GM of Redskins. Sadly, a year later the great man succumbs to cancer pic.twitter.com/T9gDbY5tFn
— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) February 6, 2016
Lombardi was given complete control of the team and also made part owner.
Meanwhile, the Green Bay populace was exasperated that their football savior had left them behind.
“It is true that our hero has treated us rather shabbily in the end,” a local columnist wrote. “Vince Lombardi has gone off, without asking us about it, and made himself a deal in a foreign land to the east. He has cast us aside, and rather roughly at that.”
In his first season with Washington, Lombardi’s new team went 7-5-2, their first winning season since 1955.
It would prove to be his only season with the Redskins.
Cancer Leads to Lombardi’s Death
While he was coaching the Packers, Lombardi had complained of digestive issues.
He was asked by his doctor to undergo a proctoscopic exam at the time, but Lombardi refused.
By June of 1970, the situation had gotten much worse.
On June 24, 1970, he was admitted to Georgetown University Hospital.
Tests taken on Lombardi revealed that he had colon cancer and that it was terminal.
For the next several weeks, Lombardi was visited by friends, family, and former players.
Not long before he passed, Lombardi told a clergy member that he was not afraid to die, but wished he had done more with his life.
On September 3, 1970, Lombardi passed away. He was only 57 years old.
Legacy
In 10 years as a coach in the NFL, Lombardi had a 96-34-6 record and led his Packers teams to five world titles including two Super Bowls.
The year after he passed, Lombardi was inducted into the 1971 class of the NFL Hall of Fame.
However, perhaps the most important legacy Lombardi left behind was his treatment of players.
Vince Lombardi was born on this date 102 years ago. His legacy will live forever. pic.twitter.com/laHLpDuO2A
— John R. (@jrehor) June 11, 2015
Specifically, he was insistent that his scouts find the best possible players, regardless of color.
When Lombardi joined Green Bay, the league was still relatively segregated.
In fact, during the 1959 season, Lombardi’s first with the Packers, the team had one black player.
That would soon change as the coach told everyone that he “…viewed his players as neither black or white, but Packer green.”
Furthermore, he prohibited Packers players from discriminating against teammates of color.
On the road and at home, the team shunned any establishment that did not accommodate his entire team regardless of color.
By 1967, the Packers had 13 black players on the team including five All-Pros.
Lombardi was also accepting of gay people.
Long after he passed, it became known that a number of players on his Packer and Redskins teams were gay.
However, just as he did with black players, Lombardi expressly prohibited ill-treatment toward gay players from their teammates.
Let’s Celebrate This Day – Happy Birthday Vince Lombardi! June 11, 1913 Brooklyn, New York. The greatest American football coach (Green Bay Packers). My favorite: He expected excellence & also expected equal treatment for all players, regardless of race or sexual orientation. pic.twitter.com/4h8tPKivDS
— Steve Whipple (@swhippleIII) June 11, 2020
To drive home the point, he spoke directly to his Washington team in 1969 regarding a gay member of the team.
“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.”
It also later became known that Lombardi’s brother, Harold, was gay and that his assistant general manager and PR director in Green Bay were both gay.
“My father was way ahead of his time,” Susan Lombardi said in 2013. “He was discriminated against as a dark-skinned Italian American when he was younger, when he felt he was passed up for coaching jobs that he deserved. He felt the pain of discrimination, and so he raised his family to accept everybody, no matter what color they were or whatever their sexual orientation was.”
Long after his passing, the Lombardi name continues to live on in the NFL.
Joe Lombardi, the coach’s grandson, has spent time in the league as an offensive coach with teams such as the Lions, Saints, and the Chargers.
In 2009, the Saints, along with Joe Lombardi, raised the Super Bowl trophy bearing the Lombardi name.
Though he is gone, Lombardi’s influence on the game is still being felt and his thoughts about succeeding in life are still referred to.
“The difference between men,” Lombardi said long ago, “is in energy, in the strong will, in the settled purpose and in the invincible determination.”
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