I think it is a mistake to idealize Vince as anything other than a phenomenal football coach. He understood the game of his time quite well, taught his players well, and prepared them for each game. It was deeply imbedded in his character to drive himself and his players to excellence.

I'm afraid, however, that some of the stories you hear about Vince outside of football may not be very flattering. We moved from Minnesota to Appleton in 1965 when I was still pretty young, and my family's favorite restaurant there was the Manor House. They put me in a tie and slicked back my hair whenever we went to this fancy-shmancy place!

Apparently, Lombardi liked the place also. The waitresses there were familiar with Lombardi and didn't care much for him. I remember how shocked I was when one waitress told us that they drew straws to see who had to wait on him whenever he brought a party into the place. Lombardi, as the neighbor kids had quickly impressed upon me, was a deity. To hear someone speak ill of him was inconceivable.



(You keep using that word. I am not sure it means what you think it means.)