Growing up in Chicago as a Bears fan, I was always taught to loathe everything about the Green Bay Packers.

It is because of this that this next statement feels so odd when taking residence in my mind:

There may not be another coach that I respect more than Vincent Thomas Lombardi.

Lombardi may not have the win totals of a Halas (324 including play offs) or a Shula (347 including play offs) but his impact on the game is nothing short of indelible.

Lombardi began his coaching career as an assistant coach at St. Cecilia catholic high school in 1939 and his advance up the coaching ranks was rapid. By 1948, Lombardi was the offensive line coach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. It was here that Lombardi perfected the tactician and drill sergeant mentality that became his trademark.

In 1954, Lombardi accepted his coaching position in the NFL as an assistant with the New York Giants. The Giants enjoyed a wealth of success with Lombardi manning the offense, and fellow future legend Tom Landry controlling the defense. Lombardi, Landry and the Giants beat my beloved Bears in the 1956 championship.

In 1959, Lombardi was hired by the Packers as the Head coach and General Manager. Prior to his arrival, Green Bay had fallen on hard times. Lombardi sought to change this fact in short order.

Lombardi led the Packers to the 1960 NFL championship game where they suffered a defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles. This would be the only post-season game that Lombardi would ever lose.

Lombardi went on to impose his style and will on the Green Bay Packers who would reward him with 5 NFL Championships during his 9 year tenure, including the first two "Super Bowls."

The great coach relinquished his coaching duties of the Packers in 1967 and did the same with his General Manager title the following year.

Retirement was brief for Lombardi, who returned to the sidelines with the Washington Redskins in 1969. Despite a winning season, aggressively advancing cancer kept him from returning in 1970. A week after his death, the Super Bowl trophy was named in his honor.

Lombardi compiled a record of 105-35-6 as a head coach and propelled himself to an iconic status that he still holds today.

George Halas was quoted as saying that Vince Lombardi was the only man he ever called "coach," which for Halas stands as the highest of praise.

Lombardi's life may have been cut short before he could compile the sheer number of wins that other coaches enjoy, but he simply didn't need to.

Lombardi had an incredible eye in which he was able to see more in his players than they ever saw in themselves. Beyond this, he carried with him an uncanny ability to motivate his squads to perform beyond their preconceived abilities nearly every single year.

Learn more about this author, Joe Jenkins.
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