For those of us old enough to remember Green Bay thrashing Kansas City 35-10 in the first Super Bowl, ESPN recently naming then-Packers coach Vince Lombardi as the greatest NFL coach in history was a foregone conclusion.
Kind of like someone naming the Beatles the greatest rock group ever. Or Coca-Cola the greatest soft drink ever (sorry, Pepsi). Or “To Kill A Mockingbird” author Harper Lee the greatest one-hit wonder writer of all-time.
Much like that trio, Lombardi was always first among equals, a Brooklyn native given to passion, persistence and perfection, determined that his Packers would execute a few plays so well that no one could stop them.
It won him five NFL titles in nine seasons as the Green Bay coach, as well as the first two Super Bowls, that game’s trophy now bearing his name.
But it was something that his quarterback, Bart Starr, told ESPN earlier this week that made me realize how much his beliefs still hugely impact the game nearly 43 years after his death in 1970 due to cancer. He was 57 years old.