Rutgers football head coach Kyle Flood, left, and John Lombardi honor Lombardi’s grandfather, Vince Lombardi, at the famous coach’s alma mater, St. Francis Preparatory School, last week. Michael Florio/The Forum Newsgroup
The Pro Football Hall of Fame, along with Allstate Insurance Company, honored Vince Lombardi – an athlete who became one of the country’s most feted and successful coaches – on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at his alma mater, Saint Francis Preparatory School.
Lombardi, the man for which the National Football League championship trophy is named, was honored as a “Hometown Hall of Famer.” St. Francis Prep, located in Fresh Meadows, was given a Vince Lombardi plaque that was unveiled by Lombardi’s grandson, John Lombardi and George Veras of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enterprises.
“This is really an exciting event. You got all these kids, faculty, and coaches from St. Francis, where my grandfather went to school,” said John Lombardi. “I think [Vince Lombardi] would be humbled that he was honored this way.”
Also at the ceremony was former St. Francis Prep Terrier and current Rutgers University head football coach, Kyle Flood.
“There’s no doubt that he had some core beliefs that I have taken with me my entire career,” Flood said. “He believed in the idea of excellence. Excellence is not an act but a habit, was something he said to his players and I say to mine till this day.”
After playing football at St. Francis Prep until graduating in 1933, Lombardi, who grew up in Brooklyn, went on to play at Fordham University until he graduated in 1937. He started in the NFL in 1941 as the offensive coordinator of the New York Giants and later took over as head coach of the Green Bay Packers in 1959. He led them to win six division titles and five NFL championships in eight years. He also led them to victory in Super Bowl I and II.
“I think one of the things that made my grandfather successful is he had an amazing drive. As my father would say, ‘He had a drive like I had never seen,’ ” said John Lombardi. “He had this ability to push himself and consequently push others around him.”
Every speaker spoke about Lombardi’s ability to get the most out of all his players.
“If you were doing the best you could with what God gave you, then you were okay with him – but if you were slacking or not living up to your potential, then I felt sorry for you,” said John Lombardi. “He made you better, probably better then you ever thought you could be.”
“His inspirational words have personally encouraged me throughout my career and my life,” said Kevin Spann, an Allstate agent from Middle Village.
Spann cited two of Lombardi’s most popular quotes: “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing,” and, “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up.”
St. Francis Prep’s head football coach for the past 61 years, Vince O’Connor, also spoke at the ceremony.
“Honoring Vince Lombardi and high school football is something we really enjoy,” he said.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Lombardi family presented the plaque to St. Francis Prep to commemorate where the legendary coach’s football career began.
“Here, Vince Lombardi took his first steps to the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” said Veras said of St. Francis Prep.
The Lombardi family is hopeful that the plaque will inspire students every time they see it.
John Lombardi shared a story about his grandfather’s last year playing for St. Francis Prep, when the team’s only loss was to Erasmus Hall High School. Erasmus Hall’s team was led by quarterback Sid Luckman, who later went on to make the pro football hall of fame.
“After that loss, my grandfather realized that football was his life’s pursuit and he would go after it with every fiber in his being,” he said.
Lombardi wants the students of St. Francis Prep to take the same approach.
“My message to you is to find out what that is. Once you do find it, go after it with everything you got and don’t settle for second best,” he said. “I would ask that you let this [plaque] inspire you to find that one thing and go after it with everything you have.”
By Michael Florio
