In a small bungalow in Green Bay, there once lived a man who has become one of the all-time greats of American football. Born in 1913, Vincent Thomas 'Vince' Lombardi came to Green Bay in 1959 and inherited a Packers team that had recorded only one win in 12 attempts the previous season. By the time he left nine years later, they had won five championships in seven years, and he had firmly established himself as a legend of the game. Even those who bet on the NFL owe him a debt of gratitude for helping make the modern game what it is.
It is not just his stats that make Lombardi so memorable, though they are impressive: nominated Coach of the Year in his first season, finishing with 98 wins and only 30 defeats, and posting a 9-1 record in the playoffs. A film of the 1967 Packers, The Greatest Challenge, described Lombardi as a man 'whose iron discipline was the foundation on which they built a fortress'. But he was no iron man, being often moved to tears, as when the film was first screened at his home.
During Lombardi's time as a coach, discrimination was prevalent outside the organisation, but for the coach all his players were 'neither black nor white, but Packer green'. Lombardi's players were as devoted to him as he was to the game, and it was his character as much as his success that makes him so popular. Those casting their eye over the NFL betting tips this weekend should remember the impact he had on the game.
He leaves quite a legacy. Not just the Vince Lombardi Trophy, for which the Packers and Steelers will compete on Sunday. The quotation 'Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing' is often attributed to Lombardi, although it is unlikely that it originated with him. But a slightly different version sits better with the great man's values: 'Winning isn't everything; the will to win is the only thing'.
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