Fame Is To Be Earned

Vince Lombardi or Vincent Thomas Lombardi in real life was an American football coach. He was born in June 11, 1913 at Brooklyn, New York, Vince died September 3, 1970 at Washington, D.C. at the age of fifty-seven. He was a great man known for his skills in coaching. He was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s. The National Football League's Super Bowl trophy is named in his honour. He led the team to three directly league championships and five in seven years, as well as winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and 1967 NFL seasons. He was enshrined in the NFL's Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.

He`s the son of Enrico "Harry" Lombardi and Matilda "Mattie" Izzo. Vincent’s grandparents on his father’s side, Vincenzo and Michelina came from Salerno, Italy. His mother’s parents (his grandparents), Anthony and Loretta, came from an area several miles east of Salerno. Henry had three siblings and Matilda had twelve siblings. Vince is the oldest among 5 children: Madeleine, Harold, Claire, and Joe. The clan of both Lombardi and Izzo settled in Sheepshead Bay.

The father of Matilda named Anthony put up a barber shop in Sheepshead Bay prior to the turn of the century. Harry and his brother, Eddie, built a butcher shop in the Meatpacking District When Matilda was about to give birth to Vincent. During the Great Depression, Harry became successful in his business and their family prospered. Vincent spent his childhood in an ethnically-diverse, middle-class area.

The Lombardi family were religious and because of that going to church every Sunday is an obligation. After the mass there will be a compulsory dinner with extended family members and local clergy. He became an altar boy at St. Mark's Catholic Church. Outside of the family’s local region, the children of Henry and Matilda experienced discrimination that lives throughout the time against Italian immigrants. When he was still young, Vince Lombardi usually helped his father at his meat cutting business but he did not like such doings. Because of boredom, he started playing football at the age of 12 in an organized football league with no coached in sheepshead bay.

Vince Lombardi: I am Determined

"This will never happen again. You will never lose another championship." – Vince Lombardi

Lombardi’s first year was not that easy. In 1958 National Football League (NFL) season, the team Packers with the five future MVPs playing on the team finished the game with a record of 1-10-1. This game was the worst in team Packer history. The players of the team were dismayed, the Packer shareholders were discouraged and the Green Bay community were angry with the result. The anxiety in Green Bay extended to the NFL and the financial viability of the Green Bay Packer franchise survival was at risk. On February 2, 1959, Vince Lombardi accepted the position of being the head coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers. He created punishment training treatment and accepted complete dedication and effort from his players. In the year 1959, Packers has an instant development, finishing the record of 7-5. Rookie head coach Lombardi was named “Coach of the Year”.

Vince Lombardi: Sweet Victory

It was Vince’s second year as a coach when Green Bay won the NFL Western Conference for the first time since 1944. This victory along with his religious passion led the Green Bay community to give him the title "The Pope". The Packers entered the finals and they were led by Lombardi in 1960 NFL Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Before championship game, Lombardi met Wellington Mara and advised him that he must not take the invitation to be the head coach of the Giants which was offered after the end of the 1959 season. In the final quarter of the game, an execution that would have gain victory was blocked a few yards from the goal. That was Lombardi’s first and last championship game loss. After the game and after the press corps were gone, the team was left alone at the locker room with Lombardi and then he suddenly told them, "This will never happen again. You will never lose another championship." Later on, it was almost a years as coach of the Packers, Lombardi made it to a point to tell personally his running backs that if they did not make it from one yard that would personally offend him and he would look for revenge.

Lambardi would lead their team for victory on 9 post-season games. An incredible record streak or broken until Bill Belichick won 10 in a row from 2002 to 2006. In 1961, the Packers won against the Giants for the NFL title at Green Bay (37–0) and in 1962 at Yankee Stadium (16–7), gaining the first two of their five titles in Lombardi's 9 years of coaching. After their victory in the 1962 championship, Lombardi was called by President John F. Kennedy and asked him if he would, "come back to Army and coach again" but Lombardi gave Kennedy an inferred denial of the request. His only other recorded season game loss happened at St. Louis Cardinals in the Playoff Bowl (3rd place game) after the 1964 season however, it was officially classified as an exhibition game.

Lombardi continued his career to be able to accomplish a 105–35–6 (740 winning percent) record as head coach and he never again experienced a losing season including postseason but without exhibition games. He again led the Packers to win three consecutive NFL championships in 1965, 1966, and 1967 an achievement accomplished only once before in the history of the NFL (by Curly Lambeau, Co-founder of the Packers, who coached the team to their first three straight NFL Championships in 1929, 1930, and 1931). At the end of the 1966 and 1967 seasons, Lombardi's Packers teams would as well set off to win the first two Super Bowls, solidifying his title as, possibly, the greatest coach in football history. Lombardi coached the Green Bay Packers towards complete championships in five of 7 seasons.

Vince Lombardi: Legacy

As early as 1967, Lombardi suffered a digestive tract problem, but he refused to take the proctoscopic exam which was recommended by his doctor. It was June 24, 1970, Lombardi was admitted to Georgetown University Hospital and after running some test the doctor found out that he had a “revealed anaplastic carcinoma in the rectal area of his colon, a fast-growing malignant cancer in which the cells barely resemble their normal appearance." On July 27, Lombardi was sent again to Georgetown and exploratory surgery they found out that his disease was fatal. Lombardi was accompanied with Marie (his wife), family, friends, clergy, players, and former players at his room in the hospital. Lombardi received a phone call from President Nixon and he told Lombardi that all of America is here to support him because of that Lombardi answered that he would never quit fighting his disease. Before he died Lombardi told his father Tim that he was not afraid to die but the only thing that he regret was he wanted to accomplish more on his life. He died on September 3, 1970 at the age of 57 and still his name prospered and his title will never be forgotten.