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VINCENT LOMBARDI Continuing the salute to the most influential Italian American men and women of the twentieth century, the editors of the Italian Tribune have chosen legendary football coach Vince Lombardi. Though he passed away nearly thirty years ago, he remains the standard by which all coaches - not just football coaches - are measured. During this time of year, many people's thoughts turn to football and the Super Bowl. As the trophy awarded to the Super Bowl champion is the "Lombardi Trophy," no time is more appropriate to remember a truly great man. By reading some of his more memorable quotes and recalling how he lived his life, we learn that Coach Lombardi's lessons are not exclusive to the football field, rather they are equally applicable to life. In this, but one of many memorable quotes from Lombardi, a sense of the man's commitment to excellence is readily evident. Born in Brooklyn in 1913, at a time when being an Italian American was a handicap within the American society, Lombardi refused to allow this or anything else to hinder his quest for greatness. As did many of the Italian Americans in the early part of the twentieth century, Lombardi recognized the benefits of hard work. Call it "reaching for the brass ring," "searching for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow," or simply "chasing the American dream." Whatever the moniker, the spirit of commitment flowed thickly within Lombardi's veins. Unlike many of today's instant celebrities, he was no overnight success. Dues were paid: as one of Fordham University's famous "Seven Block of Granite," as a Latin and Chemistry teacher in a New Jersey high school, and as an assistant coach at West Point. To all of these activities, Lombardi brought his belief in hard work and discipline - both mental and physical. From each of these activities, he gleaned insights into the human soul; he learned how to motivate men; and he discovered that greatness was not something given, but something earned. The next year, after discovering that life without coaching was not for him, he accepted the head-coaching job for the Washington Redskins. Cancer would ultimately be what forced him from coaching. Coach Lombardi's teams were always prepared. They approached every game with intensity and focus. During an era in which race relations were troublesome at best, he preached brotherhood and racial equality. Racists were traded. Prejudice was simply not tolerated. Many attribute the
Packers fierce loyalty and unity to the atmosphere of equality created by Lombardi. These
men were brothers; they loved each other; and they fought their common enemy as one entity
- the true definition of a team. "I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lie exhausted on the field of battle - victorious." Certainly the man who never coached a team to a losing season and whose teams won more than 75% their games knew a few things about battlefield and victory. But it was in death, a premature death at the age of 57, that Lombardi enjoyed the greatest triumph. A shadow of his former self, his body - ravaged by cancer - was a sight that drove giant, hulking football players to tears. As the coach drifted in and out of consciousness in his hospital room, with his wife Marie at his side, his last team - the Washington Redskins, whom the previous season he had led to their first winning season in 14 years - were playing a game that could be seen on the television. As Death approached, it found the coach struggling to reach out to his players one last time. Coach Lombardi knew his cause was good. In the end, he was exhausted and the battlefield that was his life was divided between those who had benefited from his wisdom and those who been defeated for want of heart or mind. His was a life well lived. An example well set. Coach Lombardi's last victory was his most glorious. Vince Lombardi was posthumously elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
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