The Vince Lombardi trophy was presented recently to the New York Giants, and no doubt Vince Lombardi smiled a sigh of relief from beyond that the New England Patriots did not win the Super Bowl. Lombardi would never have stooped to the level of cheating that the Pats and their coach did. Vince Lombardi was a man of unmitigated temerity. Vince Lombardi commandeered everything that his players had inside and pulled it out, coercing the greatest from his players.

Vince Lombardi was a pioneer in the coaching field, and his name has become synonymous with greatness. The National Football League annually bestows an award in his honor to the Super Bowl Champions of that season. This award goes to a team, but it is in the honor of the coach that fashioned his share of dynamic teams. Lombardi's teams dominated the game from every angle, weekly putting on displays of excellence. Lombardi's passion and commitment to the game were unparalleled.

On June 11th, 1913, Vincent Thomas Lombardi was born in Brooklyn, New York. Lombardi began coaching the Green Bay Packers in 1959, and remained at the helm of that team until after the 1967 season. Lombardi had an impressive reign while coaching the Packers, including having a winning season in each of his years as coach of Green Bay. His career record with Green Bay was 89-29-4, a whopping 60 games over .500 which is seemingly unbelievable.

While with the Packers, Lombardi led the team to 3 NFL Championships and 2 Super Bowls, back to back in 1966 and 1967. Lombardi was seen as the consummate coach, sacrificing everything for his players and the organization itself. After a brief hiatus from the league in 1968, Lombardi coached the Washington Redskins in 1969 to a 7-5-2 record, their first winning season in 14 long and arduous years,before ending his coaching career.

ESPN named Vince Lombardi the 'Coach of the Century'. During his coaching career, Lombardi never suffered a losing season. Lombardi would be struck with cancer, and succumb to it in 1970. Lombardi will always be remembered as a fierce competitor who demanded 110% out of his players, promising them that if they gave it all they had on every play of every game that they would be champions. His promises were kept, and his teams were the most dominant of their time. His teams would become the yardsticks that teams and coaches were measured against. No team or coach could stack up to Vincent Thomas Lombardi. Don Shula may have garnered far more wins, but his career numbers were buoyed by far more seasons.

In 1971 Vince Lombardi was inducted into the Hall of Fame, and it was in that same year that the league changed the name of the Super Bowl Trophy to honor the game's greatest head coach. Lombardi's name or his legacy of coaching excellence will never be forgotten. Others may have aspirations of reaching his coaching zenith, but most will fall ludicrously short because they will lack the tenacity and determination of Vincent Lombardi.

Learn more about this author, Bobby Coles.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about NFL coach profiles: Vince Lombardi?
We want to hear your view. Write now!