# U618 FDC - 1990 25c Lombardi Trophy
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Happy Birthday Vince Lombardi
The oldest of five children, Lombardi grew up working in his fatherâs butcher shop, which he eventually grew to dislike. When he was 12, Lombardi began playing football with an uncoached but organized league.
At age 15 Lombardi entered a program to join the priesthood at the Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception. He played on the schoolâs baseball and basketball teams and continued to play football off-campus, which was against school rules. After four years Lombardi left the school for St. Francis Preparatory. There, he helped found the Omega Gamma Delta fraternity and played fullback on the schoolâs football team. After graduating Lombardi attended Fordham University on a football scholarship.
By 1939, Lombardi wanted to marry his girlfriend, but needed a steady job to support a family. So he accepted an assistant coaching job at St. Cecilia Roman Catholic High School in New Jersey. He served under a former Fordham teammate and also taught Latin, chemistry, and physics. When the head coach left three years later, Lombardi was promoted. The following year, his team was honored as the top football team in the country. In the coming years, they won six championships under Lombardiâs leadership.
Lombardi joined the NFL in 1954 as offensive coordinator of the New York Giants. Within a few years, the Giants became a championship team and head coach Jim Lee Howell credited much of that success to Lombardi and defensive coordinator Tom Landry. It was while working with the Giants that Lombardi introduced a new strategy known as rule blocking (he called it ârunning to daylightâ), in which offensive linemen blocked an area rather than a specific player.
The Packers finished with a 7-5 record in his first season, and Lombardi was voted âCoach of the Year.â Lombardiâs forceful personality sparked confidence in his players and reinforced a belief in the teamâs power to overcome obstacles. From 1959 to 1968, the Packers racked up 98 victories, 30 losses, and 4 ties, for a .758 winning percentage. The franchise was one of the most successful in the 1960s, winning six divisional championships, five NFL championships, and the first and second Super Bowls. Lombardi became a national symbol of single-minded determination to win. Believing that âwinning isnât everythingâ¦but wanting to win is,â he embodied the ideals of honest-to-goodness hard work and reward.
In 1968 Lombardi stepped down as head coach of the Packers, though he stayed on as general manager. He then became head coach and manager of the Washington Redskins. Under his leadership they had their first winning record in 14 years.
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Happy Birthday Vince Lombardi
The oldest of five children, Lombardi grew up working in his fatherâs butcher shop, which he eventually grew to dislike. When he was 12, Lombardi began playing football with an uncoached but organized league.
At age 15 Lombardi entered a program to join the priesthood at the Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception. He played on the schoolâs baseball and basketball teams and continued to play football off-campus, which was against school rules. After four years Lombardi left the school for St. Francis Preparatory. There, he helped found the Omega Gamma Delta fraternity and played fullback on the schoolâs football team. After graduating Lombardi attended Fordham University on a football scholarship.
By 1939, Lombardi wanted to marry his girlfriend, but needed a steady job to support a family. So he accepted an assistant coaching job at St. Cecilia Roman Catholic High School in New Jersey. He served under a former Fordham teammate and also taught Latin, chemistry, and physics. When the head coach left three years later, Lombardi was promoted. The following year, his team was honored as the top football team in the country. In the coming years, they won six championships under Lombardiâs leadership.
Lombardi joined the NFL in 1954 as offensive coordinator of the New York Giants. Within a few years, the Giants became a championship team and head coach Jim Lee Howell credited much of that success to Lombardi and defensive coordinator Tom Landry. It was while working with the Giants that Lombardi introduced a new strategy known as rule blocking (he called it ârunning to daylightâ), in which offensive linemen blocked an area rather than a specific player.
The Packers finished with a 7-5 record in his first season, and Lombardi was voted âCoach of the Year.â Lombardiâs forceful personality sparked confidence in his players and reinforced a belief in the teamâs power to overcome obstacles. From 1959 to 1968, the Packers racked up 98 victories, 30 losses, and 4 ties, for a .758 winning percentage. The franchise was one of the most successful in the 1960s, winning six divisional championships, five NFL championships, and the first and second Super Bowls. Lombardi became a national symbol of single-minded determination to win. Believing that âwinning isnât everythingâ¦but wanting to win is,â he embodied the ideals of honest-to-goodness hard work and reward.
In 1968 Lombardi stepped down as head coach of the Packers, though he stayed on as general manager. He then became head coach and manager of the Washington Redskins. Under his leadership they had their first winning record in 14 years.
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