Sport-Blog.com

Born in 1913 in New York, Vincent Thomas Lombardi made a decision in high school that would change his life and the game of football forever. Lombardi had been studying to be a priest after having grown up in a strict Catholic household. Lombardi decided that the priesthood was not for him and transferred to Brooklyn's St. Francis Preparatory School where he joined the football team.

After leaving high school, Vince Lombardi accepted a scholarship at Fordham University where he played on the football team's offensive line and received a degree in business. After his college graduation in 1937, Lombardi took a few years to begin to make an impact on the game of football. He worked during the day and attended law school at night, but Lombardi's love was still the game of football. He played with the Wilmington Clippers, a semi-pro team.

After a couple of years, Lombardi took a job teaching high school and coaching football. He remained there for eight years before being hired as an assistant coach at Fordham. Lombardi stayed at Fordham only two years, however, before he accepted a position coaching under his mentor, Earl Blaik, at West Point. Blaik would help Lombardi develop the belief in fundamentals and the respect for the game and the players that would later guide Lombardi's career as a professional coach.

When Lombardi left West Point in 1954, he went to the New York Giants, where he would begin to show his genius as a football coach. Lombardi served as the Giants' offensive coordinator, helping turn around the pitiful New York offensive team. They had a winning season in Lombardi's five years there, and people began to notice his coaching abilities.

In 1958, Lombardi took the leap to accept a laughable job in professional football. He accepted a three-year contract with the Green Bay Packers. The 1950s Packers were not the Brett Favre Packers of the 1990s. They were a sorry team and won very little. Lombardi viewed this opportunity as a chance to show that he could be successful as a head coach, even with such a bad team. When Lombardi took the reins in Green Bay, he did so with little regard for being soft on the players and coddling them. Instead, Lombardi instituted new practice efforts and told the team - and everyone - that he expected hard work and dedication. After a grueling off-season, the Packers took the field under Lombardi's now legendary influence.

It took Lombardi only three years to turn the Packers into a championship team. The team won their first championship in 1961 under Lombardi's leadership. He continued to coach the Packers until 1967. During that time, the NFL and AFL merged, creating today's NFL. The Packers won the first two Super Bowls in addition to the five NFL championships they won before the merger.

After retiring from coaching the Packers, Lombardi accepted a job with the Washington Redskins, again a team that had not won in the past. Lombardi coached the Redskins just as he had the Packers, and the team had a winning season in 1970. Lombardi's career record stood at 105-35-6, and that is where it remains for history. During his 16 years as a professional coach, Lombardi never had a team with a losing record, an amazing feat in the world of football.

Lombardi died in 1970 after a short battle with intestinal cancer. Lombardi's death was a national event, and many people felt the loss. Lombardi's coaching took on new legend after his death. He was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 1971. Later, the NFL named the Super Bowl trophy The Vince Lombardi Trophy, and that is what it is still called today. He also was Coach of the Century, according to ESPN.

Lombardi is the benchmark by which many coaches are measured. He demanded the best of his players, but he gave football his all, too. Lombardi worked long, intense hours trying to defeat his opponents and create new ways for his teams to win. Off the field, Lombardi was married to Marie Planitz for 30 years, and the couple had two children, Vince and Susan. Lombardi's legacy is one that many young football fans learn and one that many coaches seek to emulate.

By Julia Mercer