The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Coaches 2023
Vince Lombardi
- Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Coaches 2023
- Embed from Getty Images
- Sport(s): Football
-
Statistics:
2 Super Bowls (I & II)
5 NFL Championships (1961, 1962, 1965, 1966 & 1967)
2 NFL Coach of the Year Awards (1959 & 1961)
96-34-6 NFL Record
9-1 NFL Playoff Record
Member of the NFL 100th Anniversary Team
Member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame -
We say this with all due respect to every other football coach, but there is no other coach more synonymous with the game than Vince Lombardi.
Proving himself as a valuable assistant at Army, the New York Giants hired him as an assistant in 1954. Performing what would now be called an offensive co-ordinator, Lombardi reimagined the Giants offensive line, coming up with the concept of "rule blocking," which focused on an area rather than a specific opponent. With Lombardi running the offense, and future Hall of Famer, Tom Landry running the defense, the Giants were the best-coached team in the 1950s.
Despite his success, Lombardi’s Italian heritage made him less than desirable for some NCAA teams and NFL owners to look at, but the Green Bay Packers, coming off a 1-10-1 season in 1958, gave Lombardi an opportunity. It remains the best decision that the Packers ever made.
Lombardi immediately turned them around, taking them to a winning 7-5 record, and he won the Coach of the Year Award. His success was based on getting his players to buy into the Packers' culture and leaving all prejudices at the door. He had a zero-tolerance policy for racism of any kind, and that extended outside to any establishment that would not welcome all players.
His cohesive approach and eye for talent led to a Packers dynasty, which won five NFL Championships and the first two Super Bowls. Lombardi was as revered as he was talented, and if you want to argue that he set the template on how to act not just as a coach but as a human being, you would not hear any objections.
Following Super Bowl II, Lombardi stepped down as head coach but remained the team's general manager. That lasted for only one year, as he accepted a new challenge in Washington as their coach and general manager. He was credited with changing the culture and laying the groundwork for future success, but Lombardi’s time with Washington was brief.
In July of 1970, he was diagnosed with colon cancer that would be revealed as terminal. He died two months later.
After his death, the Super Bowl Trophy was renamed the Lombardi Trophy, the perfect name for football’s greatest prize.
We are proud to nominate Vince Lombardi for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.
Powered by NorrCompetition