Vince Lombardi: American Coaching Legend

Vince Lombardi: American Coaching Legend

Vince Lombardi inspired his players to do great things. He had the desire to win at whatever he did. He was determined to succeed, and made his players work hard to do just that. He was very successful as a result of his strict work ethic. Vince Lombardi was a man who was to be respected, possessing a commitment to excellence and the will to succeed.

Vince Lombardi was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 11, 1913(Benagh 1). His parents were Italian immigrants. For five years, he studied to be a Catholic priest. However, he found that he was more successful at football. He was an All-City fullback at Brooklyn's St. Francis Prep School, and earned a scholarship to Fordham University ("Vince Lombardi" Pro Sports Halls of Fame 110).

Lombardi was the Fordham Rams' starting guard for two years. He was almost 200 pounds and was 5 feet 11 inches tall, a very aggressive competitor. He was one part of a seven player line that was nicknamed "Fordham's Seven Blocks of Granite." Once he played almost an entire game with his mouth full of blood. He had to be given 30 stitches to close that cut ("Vince Lombardi" Pro Sports Halls of Fame 110).

Lombardi attended Fordham Law School at night. During the day, he coached football at St. Cecilia High School ("Vince Lombardi" Pro Sports Halls of Fame 110) in New Jersey; he also taught Latin and chemistry there (Lombardi, Jr. Online). The football team had a winning streak of 36 games, and won six state titles in eight years.

Wellington Mara was a former Fordham classmate of Lombardi's. She was the owner of the New York Giants, and Lombardi was hired to coach the struggling offense. In 1956, with Lombardi's help, the Giants won their first NFL title in eighteen years.

Bibliography

Benagh, Jim. "Vince Lombardi." Grolier Multimedia. 1996.

Lombardi, Vince Jr. "Vince Lombardi" [Online] Available

http://www.cmgww.com/football/lombardi/lombardi.html

Rowland, Della. "Vince Lombardi." Pro Sports Halls of Fame. ed. Matt Levine. Danbury: Grolier

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