The game of football has had many great players, some of whom may even be called legends. But one man influenced the game so much that his name has been given to the ultimate prize awarded in football- The Lombardi Trophy. Players often aspire to his way of football and coaches are often measured by his talents. But no one will ever replace the legend of Vince Lombardi.

He was born on June 11, 1913 in Brooklyn to parents who had immigrated from Salerno in Italy. They raised young Vincent in Sheepshead Bay, a suburb of Brooklyn. At the age of 15, he entered Cathedral Prep with the intentions of becoming a Catholic Priest. After 4 years he changed his mind and entered St. Francis Prep, where he became a star football player.

In 1933, Lombardi accepted a football scholarship to Fordham University and would meet a couple of people who would greatly influence the way he thought about football. His head coach at Fordham would be Jim Crowley, one of the legendary Four Horsemen of Notre Dame from the 1920's. His position coach would be a man named Frank Leahy, who would later go on to become the head coach of Notre Dame.

In 1948, Lombardi would become an Assistant Coach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He would coach at West Point for 5 seasons, and then accept an asistant coaching position with the NFL's New York Giants in 1954. His position on the team would later be known as the offensive coordinator, and his counterpart, the defensive coordinator would be none other than the legendary Tom Landry, who would go on to coach a championship football team called the Dallas Cowboys. During the 1956 season, Lombardi would rely on the skills of a young player named Frank Gifford.

In 1959, Vince Lombardi would become Head Coach and General Manager of the Green Bay Packers. With his no nonsense and back to basics style of football, he would turn a lackluster team into a championship team in the matter of a couple of seasons. He would never have a losing season with the Packers during his tenure. In 1967, he would step down as head coach, staying on as general manager during the 1968 season.

But Lombardi could not stay off the football field for long, and soon accepted the coaching position of the Washington Redskins. It was in his second season of coaching the Redskins that he noticed he was not feeling right. He was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 1970, and died 10 weeks later on September 3, 1970.

Lombardi will be remembered not only for his winning style, but also for his famous quotes such as, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing", and "If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you'll be fired with enthusiasm."

It could very easily be said that Vince Lombardi was the embodiment of a positive thinker. He would drive it into the minds of his players and would not tolerate anyone thinking otherwise. His legacy could probably be summed up best by a quote from legendary football player Jim Taylor who said, "All he wanted from you was perfection."

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