Vince Lombardi
“Vincent Thomas Lombardi was born on June 11, 1913 in Brooklyn, New York, the first of Henry and Matilda Lombardi's five children. He was raised in the Catholic faith and studied the priesthood for two years before transferring to St. Francis Preparatory High School, where he was a star fullback on the football team.” (McComb)
“Vince was accepted at New York City's Fordham University in 1933. After a year on the freshman team, the varsity football coach made one hundred seventy pound Vince, a guard in Fordham's steadfast defensive line, which was nick-named the "Seven Blocks of Granite." He was successful off the field as well, graduating with a business major in 1937.” (McComb)
For the next two years, Vince worked at a finance company, took night classes at Fordham's law school and played semi-pro football with Delaware's Wilmington Clippers. In 1939 he took a teaching and coaching job at St. Cecilia High School in Englewood, New Jersey. For $1,700 a year
Gratwohl
“Vince taught Latin, algebra, physics and chemistry, and coached the football, basketball, and baseball teams.” (McComb)
“Vince left St. Cecilia in 1947 to coach at Fordham. He spent one year coaching Fordham's freshman football team and the next as an assistant coach for the varsity team. Earl "Colonel Red" Blaik, football coach for the United States Military Academy at West Point who was considered the best in the country at the time, hired Vince to manage their varsity defensive line in 1949.“ (Dowling) Vince regularly worked seventeen hour days with Blaik, whose expertise helped refine Vince's leadership skills. Blaik taught Vince to stick with simple blocking and tackling plays, strive for perfect execution, and conduct himself respectively on the field. (Dowling)
“Vince left West Point in 1954 for an assistant coaching position with the New York Giants, under head coach and former classmate Jim Lee Howell. Vince was in charge of offensive strategy for the Giants,...