When Pride Still Mattered; a Life of Vince Lombardi
by David Maraniss
Reviewed by: Ralph Bender, MBA, CFP®
There is a good reason the Super Bowl trophy is named after Vince Lombardi. His Green Bay Packers were NFL champions in five of his seven seasons as coach, including winning the first two Super Bowls.
This biography details both the public and private sides of Coach Lombardi. Like a coin, the two sides presented very different pictures. To the public he was both a driven and compassionate leader. He was literally color blind, and his views on racism were also color blind. He developed a system that simplified the play-calling which helped Bart Starr, and later, Sonny Jurgensen with the Washington Redskins, slow down the action to become NFL Hall of Fame quarterbacks.
His history as a player is interesting. He was considered the least of the “Seven Blocks of Granite” playing at Fordham College, a pre-war football powerhouse. After his first season with the Packers, he became a celebrity, and developed a motivational speaking career using a speech built on seven principles, parlaying that image to his advantage.
On the other side of the coin, the picture is much different. His wife Marie was devoted to Vin. While they argued a lot, she was the only person who could stand up to him. Unfortunately, she didn’t protect their kids from his tirades and their relationships were never as idyllic as portrayed in the press.
Like many successful people, he had innumerable failures and doubts. That should encourage readers to trust in their abilities and strive for perfection in their own endeavors.
Tracking #590134-1