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Summary: Few books deserve the label "must read"; this is one of them
Review: Is it the best sports biography ever written? I can't answer that question because I haven't read them all. But it's certainly the best I've ever read. It's also one of the very best biographies I've read on ANY subject. IT'S THAT GOOD!Simply put, Maraniss is a superb writer, and this book is so well researched I was continually amazed at the insights offered up by the author. On top of all that, his subject, Vince Lombardi, is a fascinating character. Even if you're not much of a football fan, do yourself a favor and read this wonderful book.
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Summary: Lombardi's Packers live again
Review: This excellent book, although an end to end study of Vince Lombardi's life, vividly brought me back to the days when I followed the exploits of the Green Bay Packers of the 1960's from my home in not so frigid Northern California. Anyone who has good memories of watching those superb teams in action will enjoy this book.
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Summary: The Working Man's Coach
Review: David Maraniss's excellent biography of Vince Lombardi reveals a man in touch with the average American, the story of a super achiever whose own struggles propelled him with increased conviction to drive others toward victory. Maraniss traces Lombardi's roots as a butcher's son growing up in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn. His passion for football exceeds his on field talent, but through grit and determination Lombardi obtained a scholarship to Fordham University in the Bronx and became one of the "Seven Blocks of Granite" at guard, helping bolster the line offensively and defensively. His innate coaching gifts were on display early as, according to Maraniss the least talented of his teammates on the Fordham line, he became the most inspirational. More talented teammates would listen to his criticism and react to his fiery exhortations to push onward toward perfection. The Fordham school motto was "do or die" and Lombardi profited from the teachings of the Jesuit fathers at Fordham, instilling discipline within him and a sense of commitment. After coaching football and basketball at St. Cecilia's High School in Englewood, New Jersey, Lombardi then received an opportunity to become line coach at Army, where he sopped up gridiron knowledge from one of the game's all-time coaching masters, Colonel Earl "Red" Blaik. At Army he also became acquainted with General Douglas MacArthur, whose motto of "There is no substitute for victory" remained within him from that time thereafter, as did the Army motto of "God, honor and country." Eventually Lombardi moved on to become offensive coordinator under Jim Lee Howell with the New York Giants. Another young up and coming coach, Tom Landry, assumed the defensive coordinator's role, comprising with Lombardi the most formidable one-two punch among assistants in National Football League history. While Landry became famous by becoming the original coach of the expansion Dallas Cowboys, guiding them to greatness, Lombardi received first crack one year earlier in 1959 in an NFL head coaching status, becoming mentor of the hapless Green Bay Packers, thought by many to be on their way out of the NFL. In 1958, under Scooter McLean, the Packers were 1-10-1. The tenacious Lombardi brought his determined ways immediately to bear, finishing 7-5 in his astounding first season, then losing by an eyelash to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL championship game one year later. Not to be thwarted, in 1961 Lombardi won it all, romping at home over his old New York Giants' team in a 37-0 rout, then repeating the victory feat one year later in Yankee Stadium 16-7. Green Bay was a small town consisting of uncomplicated people adhering to the traditional values. Lombardi was a no nonsense coach who disdained fancy formations and trick plays, focusing his attention on perfecting the basics, emphasizing execution. This is a book that could be read and enjoyed by those interested in solid biography and not in football, and will be devoured by afficianados. Lombardi is presented in human terms, revealing him as someone with his own troubles. His devotion to his teams left less time at home than he would have desired. He fought with wife Marie often and struggled to find more time to spend with son Vince Jr. and daughter Susan. His relations with management and with the press were often less than cordial, and yet, in the final analysis, despite his imperfections, Lombardi emerges as a loving, caring individual to players, family and friends. He emerges as a giant, an overachiever determined to come as close as humanly possible to attaining perfection in his field, obtaining the maximal effort from his players.
Rating: 
Summary: In-depth and Intriguing
Review: "When Pride Still Mattered" is a well-researched and very enjoyable biography of pro football's most infamous coach. Author David Maraniss takes the reader on a page-turning journey beginning with Vince Lombardi's boyhood in Sheepshead Bay, N.Y. and continues his detailed chronicle through his college years at Fordham, his early (and somewhat obscure and lengthy) coaching positions, finally to his glory days with the Green Bay Packers (and ultimately to his death from cancer). The reader learns of Lombardi's devotion to God, Family and Football and the author attempts to illustrate how these priorities came to be the underlying foundation of Lombardi's persona via his large extended family, his devout Catholicism, and his relationships with various instructors and coaches who influenced him as he transitioned to adulthood. As enjoyable and informative as the entire book is, it does have its problems. In a nutshell, Maraniss, a Washington-based journalist, is unable (or unwilling) to conceal his "bay-boom" deconstructionist mentality (or his leftward political leanings). Besides his Pulitzer-Prize winning book on Bill Clinton, he also has written a book on Gore and co-authored a little ditty entitled "Tell Newt to Shut Up". Enough said. These leanings manifest themselves in the following ways: 1)Maraniss seems bent on destroying the Lombardi "myth" (as well as the myth of the "innocent past"). While we all want to know Lombardi "the man", Maraniss all too often concentrates on Lombardi's faults (his inattentiveness to his wife and children, for example) to the point were it becomes bothersome and repetitive. 2)We learn (on a variety of occasions) that Lombardi was a Democrat and considered JFK a personal friend (who supposedly did help neuter Paul Horning's suspension). He detested racism and 'homophobia'. While Maraniss presents Lombardi as a social liberal, he potrays his wife Marie (an avowed conservative Republican, by the way) as a tragic figure, an alcoholic who seeks recognition and identity throughout her entire life with Vince. After Lombardi's death, she is practically demonized as a chain-smoking boozer and recluse who lives behind closed doors in a dream-like trance. 3)At the very beginning of the book, Maraniss mentions he meant the title to contain a certain irony. Like other reviewers, I failed to find it. Pride clearly DID matter to Lombardi. In fact, blemishes and all, I admire Lombardi the man more now than ever. If Maraniss intended to "deconstruct" Lombardi, he failed in a rather big way. I do not question the basic truths Maraniss presents here, but I do question the weight he attaches to them. After all, as good as his research was, he never interviewed Lombardi or his wife. Nonetheless, a great read, and one that's hard to put down. Not an "X's and O's" book, but a wonderfully informative one about the life of the NFL's greatest coaching legend.
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Summary: THE EVOLUTION OF A CHAMPION
Review: David Maraniss has written the story of a champion, Vince Lombardi, covering his life from birth in Brooklyn in 1913 to his untimely death in 1970. The book briefly describes his family background noting that his father with his father's brother owned their own business selling wholesale meat. Family, religion and sports shaped Lombardi's childhood. While sometimes inaccurately portrayed as a martinet, this is misleading, as he was a more complex person. The author traces Lombardi's development as he progressed from playing high school football, to college football at Fordham, to an assistant coach at Army, to finally becoming an outstanding NFL head coach. Many influenced Lombardi's career. On page 245 the author notes "The fundamental principles that he used in coaching-repetition, discipline, clarity, faith, subsuming individual ego to a larger good-were merely extensions of the religious ethic he had learned from the Jesuits." From Army coach Red Blake he learned how to organize a team and prepare it to play its best. Interestingly, his first head-coaching job was as a high school basketball coach. He knew little about basketball but coached his team to a regional championship. He began his football-coaching career at St. Cecilia High School in North Jersey staying eight years and developing there many of the skills that later allowed him to stand apart form the coaching multitudes. The text narrates Lombardi's coaching career from St. Cecilia, to an assistant coach under Red Blake at Army, to his first pro-football coaching job in 1954 as offensive coach for the New York Giants. The author notes that with the Giants "Lombardi began to earn the respect of the pros.. .If he had to adjust, he would find the means; it was a talent that exhibited for the rest of his coaching career, though it often went unrecognized, overshadowed by his public image as the implacable leader who demanded that the world adapt to him." The Giants offense scored 264 points in 1956, the most in the East, and the press began to recognize him. In 1959 Lombardi went to Green Bay Packers as general manager and head coach. Here "He would have no tolerance for the halfhearted, the defeatist, the loser. The goal was to be the New York Yankees of football. World champions, every day, year round. Admired everywhere." The Packers ended their first season with Lombardi with a record of 7 and 5, the first Packer winning season in a dozen year; and Lombardi was named NFL coach of the year in an Associated Press poll of sportswriters and sportscasters. As the old saying goes "From this point on it was all history." The text continues the Lombardi story which is the birth and history of modern NFL football as the game emerged from it one conference to today's era of two conferences and the Super Bowl. Along with the story of Lombardi's coaching career and his outstanding record with the Packers which included two Super Bowl Championships, the author relates the fascinating stories of Packer greats such as Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Ray Nitschke, Forrest Greg, Willie Wood, etc. Interwoven with the narration, the personality and philosophy of Vince Lombardi is given. It some paragraphs, the story is almost like a motivation lecture given by Lombardi and later by his son Vincent. A very interesting chapter is a discussion of Lombardi's signature phrase "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." Contrary to popular belief Lombardi did not originate the expression. "Red " Sanders (later UCLA football coach) coined the phrase in the mid-1930s.and the line was later used in a John Wayne movie. Perhaps Lombardi's preferred expression was "Run to win" which emphasized his expectation of maximum effort from all involved. The book notes that in 1968 having chosen to be just general manager and no longer coach, Lombardi was miserable, was faced with a team going downhill and suffered from declining health. In 1969, he accepted a part owner and head coach position with the Washington Redskins. The text recounts Lombardi ending, in 1969, the Redskins twelve year losing streak with a 7-5-2 winning record while the Packers without Lombardi went into a decline that lasted for more than a quarter-century. The story ends with a moving account of Lombardi's terminal illness and his death on September 3, 1970. The author closes the book noting "The remnants of Lombardi's world are fading, yet his legend only grows in memory: the rugged and noble face, commanding voice, flashing teeth, primordial passion, unmatched commitment." This is a book that both fan and non-fan alike will enjoy.
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Summary: For Any Football Fan
Review: I found this book simply amazing. I was captivated by the year by year synopsis of Vince Lombardi's life, and how it was centered around football as a fledgling national pasttime. I would highly recommend this book as a gift for any football enthusiast.
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Summary: An awesome biography!!!!
Review: You know, if there is anyone out there striving for greatness in anything they do, go to the bookstore and purchase a copy of this book. The story of Lombardi serves as a model reference for excellence.
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Summary: What an Outstanding Guy Book
Review: I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't have cared much for Vince Lombardi, But, God, I surely did love this book. Maraniss is one fine writer. The content is excellent. From stories about the Packers and their classic games, stories about a lot of the players, and , of course , many stories about Lombardi himself, the book really flows well. This is one of those books for me that when it ended after some 540 pages, I was sad. They have an excerpt from a Washington Post review on the cover,
"An astonishingly good book... A trimuph, a classic American biography " I completely agree. Maybe reflecting I'm about the age Lombardi was when he died, I was very taken with the end of the book in which the author wrote a particularly moving account of Lombardi's last illness and death. There ain't nothing wrong with this book.
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Summary: Work and Play
Review: Work and Play. These words were tattooed on the knuckles of Vince's father. They symbolize the paradox that was Vince Lambardi. He stood for work and play, love and hate. Over the years, Vince has become a legend in the business world, football, and sports in general. Lombardi was preached the themes of discipline and patriotism, and he passed on at a time when these values that he symbolized began to decay. Lombardi was a complicated man indeed. One element, Maraniss does at excellent job of bringing out in Lombardi is the fact that he was a flawed individual and not the symbol of perfection he was held up to be. The 3 most important things in the coach's life were God, football, and family. Lombardi attended church daily and was perhaps the best footbal coach ever. Maraniss does an excellent job of looking into the flawed and often neglected family life of Lombardi. As a Packer fan and football fan, I believe this is an excellent documentation of the life of Vince Lombardi. While I am not a reader of biographies, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I just wish I could have lived through this golden era of football.
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Summary: A hero in many ways but one.
Review: As a young boy growing up in the 60's, I always liked to watch the Green Bay Packers growing up. It was terrific how when Coach Lombardi "barked", his players would listen, without question. It's only a shame that the players of today show so little respect. It's also a shame that it doesn't appear that this coach everyone respected and envied, couldn't win in his family. It's so sad to see how he couldn't bring himself to love his wife and children as much as he loved his players.
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