Green Bay Packers in the Hall of Fame: Vince Lombardi

Vince Lombardi probably needs no introduction, least of all among those interested in the Green Bay Packers.

No introduction is needed for Vince Lombardi, as every Packer fan is well aware of his accomplishments, such as being the winning coach of the first two Super Bowls as well as several other NFL Championships, not to mention having the Super Bowl trophy named for him.

Vince Lombardi had professional relationships with other teams besides the Green Bay Packers, such as the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, but that’s like saying Paul McCartney not only played with the Beatles, but also Wings and Fireman. In other words, just as McCartney will always be primarily associated with the Beatles, Lombardi will always be most closely connected with the Packers.

Vincent Thomas Lombardi was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1913, one year after the Titanic sunk in the Atlantic, and one year before “The Great War” (later renamed World War 1) began across the Atlantic.

Although both of his parents lived into their 80s, Lombardi only survived to the age of 57, dying in 1970. The following year he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.

Naturally, Lombardi is in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, too.

So far, Lombardi is the only Packers coach to win two Super Bowls, although Mike McCarthy may match or eventually exceed that total.

Lombardi was named NFL Coach of the Year twice, only lost one of 10 playoff games, and won three times as many games as he lost – the equivalent of going 12-4 in each season (in a modern-day 16-game season; when Lombardi was coaching NFL regular seasons were first 12, then 14 games long).

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Being full-blooded Italian, Lombardi faced prejudice, something he hated and refused to tolerate on his teams as a coach. He later said that he didn’t view his players at Green Bay as black or white, but rather as “Packer green.”

When Lombardi became head coach of the Packers, there was only one African-American on the team – Nate Borden (no known relation to Lizzie). By 1967, the Packers fielded 13 African-Americans.

This integration obviously proved beneficial to the Packers, as the names attached to some of these individuals were Herb Adderley, Willie Davis, Bob Jeter, Dave Robinson, and Willie Wood – all members of the NFL Hall of Fame.

Perhaps it is Lombardi’s greatest legacy that he had no tolerance for racism, going so far as to threaten his players with being jettisoned from the team if they displayed racism in any way, and letting Green Bay business establishments know that if they manifested any discrimination, their business would be off limits to ALL members of the team.

At Cathedral Preparatory Seminary in Brooklyn, Lombardi was in a program that would lead to becoming a catholic priest. There he played on the basketball and football teams (not football!), but Vince was not much of an athlete, and also had a hard time with sports due to poor vision.

Nevertheless, after deciding against the priesthood, Lombardi switched schools, where he did play fullback on the football team.

Lombardi played football well enough there to get a scholarship to Fordham, though, and after college eventually began his coaching career, gradually moving up the levels and ranks until he became the head coach of the Green Bay Packers in 1959.

Although they had five future Hall-of-Famers on the team (Forrest Gregg, Paul Hornung, Ray Nitschke, Bart Starr and Jim Taylor), the Packers were a mess when Lombardi arrived. They had just concluded the worst season in their history, going 1-10-1 the year before.

Lombardi got to work, and made sure the players did, too. He was named coach of the year following that 1959 season, after the Packers won seven times as many games as the previous season, ending with a record of 7-5.

Starting with the next season, the rejuvenated fan base has sold out every game since.

Highlights of Lombardi’s coaching included playoff victories over the New York Giants (after losing his only playoff game to them earlier) and the mythical and iconic “Ice Bowl” victory over the Dallas Cowboys in 1967, which propelled the Packers into their second straight Super Bowl, which turned out to be a decisive win over the Oakland Raiders.

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Following that second Super Bowl victory, Lombardi retired as head coach, but stayed on as general manager for one more season with the Packers.

Vince Lombardi was a great and successful coach, but more importantly, he promoted unity and equality within his team, and set an example for others in that way.