Lombardi, Vince

Lombardi, Vince

▪ American football coach
byname of  Vincent Thomas Lombardi  
born June 11, 1913, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
died September 3, 1970, Washington, D.C.

      coach in American professional gridiron football who became a national symbol of single-minded determination to win. In nine seasons (1959–67) as head coach of the previously moribund Green Bay Packers, he led the team to five championships of the National Football League (NFL) and, in the last two seasons, to victory in the first two Super Bowl games against the American Football League titleholder.

      At Fordham University, Lombardi was outstanding in the classroom as well as on the football field, where he was one of the group of linemen known as the “Seven Blocks of Granite.” After completing his undergraduate education in business (1937), he studied law at Fordham, briefly played semiprofessional football, and then entered high-school football coaching (1939). Afterward he served as an assistant coach at Fordham (1947–48), at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York (1949–53), and with the New York Giants of the NFL (1954–58). Hired as head coach and general manager of the Packers in February 1959, Lombardi imposed an unusually strenuous regimen (some critics described it as spartan or fanatic) on his players, most of whom had been accustomed to defeat. The players who survived his relentless driving and gained his respect became deeply loyal to him. In his second year, Green Bay led the Western Conference of the NFL. The Packers subsequently won the league championship in 1961–62 and 1965–67 and defeated Kansas City and then Oakland in the Super Bowl games following the 1966 and 1967 seasons. Unlike his chief rival, Tom Landry (Landry, Tom) of the Dallas Cowboys, Lombardi excelled as a motivator rather than as an innovator; however, his teams were known for one signature play—the Green Bay sweep. The play, which saw the ball carrier dash around the end escorted by a host of blockers, was copied by virtually every football team in the 1960s and '70s.

      Retiring as coach, Lombardi served the Packers in 1968 as general manager. He then went to the Washington Redskins of the NFL as head coach, general manager, and part owner, and in 1969 he led the team to its first winning season in 14 years. He died shortly before the 1970 season.

      During his most successful years in Green Bay and even after his death, Lombardi was widely esteemed for his views on the virtues of hard work and winning. Upon his death, President Richard Nixon telegrammed condolences to Lombardi's widow, signing the message “The People.” His personal philosophy is reflected in a celebrated quotation:

Winning is not a sometime thing: it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do the right thing once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit.

      In 1971 the Super Bowl trophy was named in his memory. A year earlier the Lombardi award, given annually to college football's top lineman, had been established.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Lombardi, Vince(nt Thomas) — born June 11, 1913, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S. died Sept. 3, 1970, Washington, D.C. U.S. football coach. He attended Fordham University, where he played on the famous line known as the Seven Blocks of Granite. As head coach and general manager of the… …   Universalium

  • Lombardi, Vince(nt Thomas) — (11 jun. 1913, Brooklyn, N.Y., EE.UU.–3 sep. 1970, Washington, D.C.). Entrenador estadounidense de fútbol americano. Asistió a la Universidad de Fordham, donde jugó en la famosa línea denominada Siete bloques de granito. Como entrenador jefe y… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Vince Lombardi — Head Coach/General Manager Personal information Date of birth: June 11, 1913 …   Wikipedia

  • Vince-Lombardi-Trophy — Die Vince Lombardi Trophy ist der Pokal, den der Sieger des alljährlich stattfindenden Super Bowls der amerikanischen National Football League gewinnt. Ursprünglich hieß der Pokal World Championship Game Trophy , er wurde jedoch 1971 zu Ehren des …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Vince Lombardi — [Vince Lombardi] (1913–70) a US professional American football ↑trainer, known for his tough methods. He trained the Green Bay Packers of ↑Wisconsin from 1959 to 1967, during which time they won 141 games and lost only 39. His teams won the… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Vince Lombardi — Dieser Artikel wurde auf den Seiten der Qualitätssicherung eingetragen. Bitte hilf mit, ihn zu verbessern, und beteilige dich bitte an der Diskussion! Folgendes muss noch verbessert werden: Bitte Entschwurbeln, kein enz. Artikel, sondern Fan …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Vince Lombardi Trophy — Die Vince Lombardi Trophy ist der Pokal, den der Sieger des alljährlich stattfindenden Super Bowls der amerikanischen National Football League gewinnt. Ursprünglich hieß der Pokal „World Championship Game Trophy“, er wurde jedoch 1971 zu Ehren… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Lombardi — puede hacer referencia a: Contenido 1 Lugares 2 Personas 3 Miscelánea 4 Véase también Lugares …   Wikipedia Español

  • Vince Lombardi Trophy — Vince Lombardi Trophy. Le Vince Lombardi Trophy est le trophée décerné chaque année à l équipe victorieuse du Super Bowl de la National Football League. Il est considéré comme le trophée le plus prestigieux de la NFL. Le trophée était à l origine …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Lombardi — steht für: Den Familiennamen folgender Personen: Carlo Lombardi (Baumeister) (1559–1620‏), italienischer Baumeister Carlo Lombardi (Schauspieler) (1900–1984), italienischer Schauspieler, Produzent und Drehbuchautor Carlos Lombardi (* 1958),… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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