table of contents · 2018. 6. 1. · based on david maraniss’ book when pride still mattered: a...

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

About AtC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GENERouS SuPPoRt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

INtRoduCtIoN to thE PlAy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SyNoPSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MEEt thE ChARACtERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MEEt thE CREAtoRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

INtERvIEw wIth ERIC SIMoNSoN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

vINCE loMbARdI bIoGRAPhy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GREEN bAy PACkERS: A ShoRt hIStoRy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1960s tIMElINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

thE NFl ANd thE SuPER bowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

RACE IN thE NFl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

loMbARdI SwEEP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

loMbARdI AwARd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A QuotAblE MAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It is Arizona theatre Company’s goal to share the enriching experience of live theatre. this Play Guide is intended to help you prepare for your visit to Arizona theatre Company. Should you have comments or suggestions regarding the play guide, or if you need more information about scheduling trips to see an AtC production, please feel free to contact us:

tucson: April JacksonAssociate Education Manager(520) [email protected]

Phoenix: Amber tibbittsEducation and Company Management Associate(602) [email protected]

Lombardi Play Guide compiled and written by katherine Monberg, literary Assistant. discussion questions and activities provided by April Jackson, Associate Education Manager, and Amber tibbitts, Education Associate.

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ABOUT ATC

Arizona theatre Company is a professional, not-for-profit theatre

company. this means all of our artists, administrators and

production staff are paid professionals, and the income we receive

from ticket sales and contributions goes right back into our budget

to create our work, rather than to any particular person as a profit.

Each season, AtC employs hundreds of actors, directors and

designers from all over the country to create the work you see on

stage. In addition, AtC currently employs about 100 staff members

in our production shops and administrative offices in tucson and

Phoenix during our season. Among these people are carpenters,

painters, marketing professionals, fundraisers, stage directors,

computer specialists, sound and light board operators, tailors, costume designers, box office agents, stage crew – the list is endless –

representing an amazing range of talents and skills.

we are also supported by a board of trustees, a group of business and community leaders who volunteer their time and expertise to

assist the theatre in financial and legal matters, advise in marketing and fundraising, and help represent the theatre in our community.

Roughly 150,000 people attend our shows every year, and several thousands of those people support us with charitable contributions

in addition to purchasing their tickets. businesses large and small, private foundations and the city and state governments also support

our work financially.

All of this is in support of our vision and mission:

our vision is to touch lives through the power of theatre.

our mission is to create professional theatre that continually strives

to reach new levels of artistic excellence and that resonates locally,

in the state of Arizona and throughout the nation. In order to fulfill

our mission, the theatre produces a broad repertoire ranging from

classics to new works, engages artists of the highest caliber, and is

committed to assuring access to the broadest spectrum of citizens.

The Temple of Music and Art, the home of ATC shows in downtown Tucson.

The Herberger Theater Center, ATC’s performance venue in downtown Phoenix.

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GENErOUS SUppOrT

support for AtC’s education and community programming has been provided by:

APSArizona Commission on the Artsbank of America Foundationblue Cross blue Shield ArizonaboeingCity of GlendaleCommunity Foundation for Southern ArizonaCox Charitiesdowntown tucson PartnershipEnterprise holdings FoundationFord Motor Company FundFreeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold FoundationJPMorgan ChaseJohn and helen Murphy FoundationNational Endowment for the ArtsPhoenix office of Arts and CulturePICoR Charitable Foundation

Rosemont Copper SRP Stonewall Foundationtargetthe boeing Companythe donald Pitt Family Foundationthe Johnson Family Foundation, Inc.the lovell Foundationthe Marshall Foundationthe Maurice and Meta Gross Foundationthe Max and victoria dreyfus Foundationthe Stocker Foundationthe william l. and Ruth t. Pendleton Memorial Fundtucson Medical Centertucson Pima Arts Councilwells Fargo

INTrOdUCTION TO ThE pLAy

Lombardi

by Eric Simonson

based on the book When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi by david Maraniss

directed by Casey Stangl

vince lombardi, icon of professional football and the namesake of the Super bowl trophy remains

one of the most legendary names in American sports history. Most famous for the time he spent in

the 1960s as head coach to the Green bay Packers, vince lombardi revolutionized the team, the sport,

and the future of American football. Remembered for the image he presented stalking the sidelines,

program in hand, few people know the real story of vince lombardi the man – his

passions, his inspirations, and his remarkable ability to spur people to new heights of achievement

that had never been dreamed of before. based on david Maraniss’ book When Pride Still Mattered:

A Life of Vince Lombardi, this new American play explores the complexity and the relationships of the

man behind the team and the trophies, who turned a losing team into one of the most successful and

longstanding organizations in professional sports.

Bob Ari as the legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi. Photo by Roger Mastroianni/Arizona Theatre Company.

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Synopsis

It is 1965 and Michael McCormick, a young and aspiring sports writer for Look Magazine, has arrived in Green bay to profile the legendary vince lombardi, and discover what exactly makes him win. hoping to improve his image in the press, lombardi invites Michael to stay at his home for a week of reporting and to observe his Packers in their home territory.

Michael accompanies lombardi to the Packers’ practice field where the team is being dog-gedly conditioned after two years’ failed efforts to make it to the championship. Attempting to delve into the myth that is lombardi, Michael first approaches linebacker dave Robinson. he is stopped by lombardi himself, who informs him which players he may and may not speak to, sending him to the business-minded and image-conscious Paul hornung instead.

his access to the players restricted by lombardi, Michael alters his tactic to discover the real vince lombardi. At home, from lombardi’s wife Marie, Michael learns the facts about the beginning of lombardi’s relationship with the Packers, and the past that brought lombardi to coaching.

Michael later approaches the players in the practice field locker room, who relate to him the early days of lombardi’s career with the Packers. upon his arrival, lombardi immediately insisted upon maximum effort, subsequent winning, and the termination of discrimination among his players on and off the field, despite the civil rights battles still being confronted in general society. lombardi teaches his famous Packers Power Sweep in a flashback.

the next day at practice, Michael witnesses lombardi experience an attack of stomach pain, and is treated to a lecture about the purpose of integrity and intelligence in reporting. Michael tries to snag fullback Jim taylor for an informal interview, and is roundly chastised by lombardi before being ordered off the field.

later that night at the lombardi house after some drinks with the players, Michael finds lombardi up late, watching game footage. lombardi apologizes for his temper and his

behavior, and reveals that he has an agreement with Michael’s editor that all press coverage of the Packers must be reviewed and approved by him before publication. Enraged, Michael refuses to comply and lombardi grudgingly respects his integrity.

Michael narrates the Packers winning game the next day, writes his article, and hands it to lombardi with the qualification that it will be his only draft – he has quit Look Magazine. lombardi, Michael and Marie celebrate together, for both victories: lombardi’s over a rival football team, and Michael’s over a courageous exit from a hollow institution.

In the epilogue, lombardi gives his final speech to his 1965 championship team, congratulating them for their win, and for embracing one another’s imperfections in order to achieve success.

Michael (right, Nick Mills) is a young reporter with sideline access to Coach Lombardi (Bob Ari). Photo by Roger Mastroianni/Arizona Theatre Company.

Marie Lombardi (right, DeeDee Rescher) shares a story with a young reporter (Nick Mills) writing about her husband Vince Lombardi.Photo by Roger Mastroianni/Arizona Theatre Company.

Coach Lombardi (left, Bob Ari) reacts to fullback Jim Taylor (David Hardie) while discussing the player’s contract.Photo by Roger Mastroianni/Arizona Theatre Company.

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MEET ThE ChArACTErS

the lombardi period of 1959-1967 is fondly remembered in Packer history as a time of great glory. under head coach vince lombardi, the

Green bay Packers won five out of seven world championships, turning what had been a losing tradition into a winning one, and initiating the

momentum that has won the Green bay Packers more NFl titles than any other team in history.

In Lombardi, the Packers are in mid-season 1965 as they attempt to win their way to the NFl championship for the first time since 1962.

“Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” – Vince Lombardi

Most of the characters in Lombardi are based on real people, with the exception of Michael McCormick.

VINCE LOMBArdI (1913-1970) - one of the most celebrated names in NFl coaching history, vince lombardi led the Green bay Packers to five world championships, including the first two Super bowls, demanding excellence, pride, and equality from his team on and off the field. his name endures on the lombardi trophy, awarded to the Super bowl championship team each year, and a 14-foot statue of him continues to watch over lambeau Field, home of the Packers, in Green bay, wisconsin.

MIChAEL MCCOrMICk – A young, enthusiastic sports writer on assignment from Look Magazine to report on Coach lombardi’s winning methods.

MArIE LOMBArdI (1915-1984) – the wife of vince lombardi, Marie was the strength and the driving force behind the coach. Recognized as one of the few people who could return vince lombardi’s bark and control his bite, she was the support on the sidelines that propelled her husband, and his team, to success.

dAVE rOBINSON (b. 1941) - Richard david Robinson was the starting left side linebacker and representative to the Players’ Association, the labor organization representing professional football players, for the Green bay Packers, where he was part of one of the most formidable starting units of linebackers in the history of the NFl. drafted by the Packers in 1963, he remained in Green bay for ten seasons and finished his career with the washington Redskins in 1975. Robinson was inducted into the Packers hall of Fame in 1982, and alongside Royce bowles is the co-author of the book The Lombardi Legacy: Thirty People Touched by Greatness (2009).

The measure of a man is noT in how he falls down, buT how he pulls himself up off The ground.

god, family, and The green bay packers are The Three mosT imporTanT Things in [Vince’s] life. and noT necessarily in ThaT order…

his Team was so well prepped ThaT once The game had sTarTed, [Vince lombardi] was The mosT useless man on The field.

Actor Bob Ari plays vince lombardi in AtC’s production of

Lombardi.

Actor Nick Mills plays Michael McCormick

in AtC’s production of Lombardi.

Actress deedee rescher plays Marie lombardi in AtC’s production of

Lombardi.

Actor William Oliver Watkins plays dave

Robinson in AtC’s production of Lombardi.

Actor Branton Box plays Paul hournung


Actor david hardie plays Jim taylor


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-vince lombardi, Lombardi

-Michael McCormick, Lombardi

-Marie lombardi, Lombardi

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MEET ThE CrEATOrS

pAUL hOrNUNG (b. 1935) – one of the most versatile players ever to play professional football and selected first overall in the 1957 NFl draft, Paul “the Golden boy” hornung played for the Green bay Packers from 1957-1966. he played under lombardi as a halfback, won four league champion-ships with the Packers, and was twice voted the league MvP. his career was occasionally interrupted as he was called to active duty in the u.S. Army during the 1961 season, though Coach lombardi secured a pass from President kennedy to allow him to play on weekends, and he was suspended for gambling indiscretions during the 1963 season. hornung returned to the field in 1964 but injuries forced him to effectively retire two years later, after which he became a real estate investor and sports commentator. he was inducted into both the Packers and the Pro Football halls of Fame and in 2004 his autobiography, Golden Boy, was published, followed by his book Lombardi and Me: Players, Coaches and Colleagues Talk About the Man and the Myth in 2006.

JIM TAyLOr (b. 1935) – Jim taylor was a running back for the Green bay Packers from 1958-1966, selected fifteenth overall in the 1958 NFl draft. he won four championships with the Packers, including Super bowl I, and still holds many Packer records, including those for career touchdowns and touchdowns in a single season. teamed in the backfield with fellow Packer Paul hornung, the duo became known as the “thunder and lightning Pair,” and were largely responsible for the massive success of the Packer Power Sweep (also known as the lombardi Sweep). taylor spent a single season with the New orleans Saints in 1967 before retiring with an exceptional professional record, fumbling only 34 times in his entire career. he was inducted into the Packers hall of Fame in 1975, and into the Pro Football hall of Fame in 1976.

ErIC SIMONSON (Playwright) is a director, writer and ensemble member of the Steppenwolf theatre Company in Chicago, Il. born in Milwaukee, wI, Simonson grew up on a farm in the small nearby town of Eagle, wI. his plays have been produced throughout the country and include Nomathemba (written with Ntozake Shange and Joseph Shabalala), Carter’s Way, Fake, The Last Hurrah, Work Song: Three Views of Frank Lloyd Wright (with Jeffrey hatcher), Edge of the World, and Speak American. his adaptation of Moby Dick was chosen as one of Time Magazine’s top ten productions of 2002. In addition to his writing, Mr. Simonson is also an accomplished director in theater, film, and opera. his production of The Song of Jacob Zulu at Steppenwolf theatre Company garnered six tony Award nominations, including one for best direction, and he was the recipient of a 2006 Academy Award for his documentary, A Note of Triumph.

dAVId MArANISS (Author) is an associate editor at The Washington Post. he has authored several critically-acclaimed books on bill Clinton, vince lombardi, Roberto Clemente, vietnam, and the 1960 Rome olympics as well as Out of This World, a multigenerational biography of barack obama. he is the recipient of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting, shared The Washington Post’s 2008 Pulitzer for coverage of the virginia tech shootings, and served as editor for a series on walter Reed that received the Pulitzer Gold Medal in 2008.

freedom Through discipline…all i know is we were losing before coach came, and we’re winning now.

we fighT To win like we always do – you made us ThaT way, coach.

Then we sTarT Training camp and i Think, why is This guy all oVer me? he is ranTing and raVing and he jusT won’T leT up. Then … i geT iT. iT’s when he leaVes you alone is when you should sTarT worrying. -dave Robinson, Lombardi

-Paul hournung, Lombardi

-Jim taylor, Lombardi

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INTErVIEW WITh ErIC SIMONSON

Reprinted from the Study Guide for the broadway production of Lombardi.

Why is Vince Lombardi such a fascinating character?

Eric Simonson: I grew up in wisconsin, so he was always part of

the ether. I have always been fascinated with people in our culture,

American culture, who have such a force of personality that they’ve

somehow made themselves part of the cultural landscape. vince

lombardi is one of those people. you could also say that about

folks like theodore Roosevelt, Frank lloyd wright…any number of

people. take a famous musician like Count basie. these people have

not only influenced the cultural landscape, they also had fascinat-

ing lives. For me, vince lombardi was a football coach, but he was

much more than that. he was a philosopher, he was a teacher, he

inspired a lot of people through what he said and the way he said it.

david Maraniss had written this great book, When Pride Still Mattered. he really brought to light the things that I was just talking about. So

when I started doing a play on him, it was not just to recount a famous man’s life story, it was really to find out and unearth the reasons

why this man was famous. he’s a fully dimensional man, a complicated man, more complex than people realize.

What was your process for turning the book into a play?

E.S.: well, it’s a 500 page book, so it’s kind of impossible to put that on stage. All of it. dramatically speaking, when you do something that

has a huge backstory and is a long story to tell, you try to condense the time in which the dramatic event takes place. So that’s what I did

here. that’s the first thing. It’s to try to come up with an idea of how to get the characters to open up. the way I did that was by using

this tool of a character, the reporter called Michael McCormick, who comes to the lombardis’ house and lives with them during a week of a

season of football, when everything is on the line. there’s so much research already done, and I know so much about the characters, except

for Michael of course, who’s invented. As the characters go through their everyday actions, all the other information – facts about their lives,

their desires, their goals, and their obstacles – all of that tends to come out in the drama. you hope, anyway.

What led you to structure the play as you did, with Michael McCormick narrating the piece for us as a visiting writer in

1965?

E.S.: the problem with dramatizing vince lombardi’s life is that there is really never one moment in his life that was a turning point. he’s

kind of lived his life like a steamroller, with his ideals and his own personal philosophy. Nothing really ever got in the way. there was a

15-year-long slow burn where he was frustrated that he was an assistant coach and not a head coach, but you can’t dramatize that on stage.

So what I did was, I looked at his football career, and I picked a year in which he was really struggling. he was obsessed with winning and

he had spent the previous two seasons coming in second, which to him was just like coming in last. So in this particular time, there’s a week

in that year when everything is on the line. he has a chance to get back to first place or to be in second place again, which probably would

have killed him. So that was why I chose that particular moment. there are also a lot of things going on in professional football at the time:

Coach Lombardi (Bob Ari) watches team practice.Photo by Roger Mastroianni/Arizona Theatre Company.

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new kinds of players coming in, the Players Association speaking with the owners, football is starting to make a lot of money for a lot of

people and be televised. this is when football is starting to become America’s game so the sport itself is in a transitional phase.

It was interesting that you included the fact that Lombardi enjoyed reading cookbooks.

E.S.: david Maraniss asked if we could sneak that in some way. It’s charming, isn’t it?

What inspired you to get into playwriting?

E.S.: I was a director. I had a couple of bad experiences where the rights to a certain play that I wanted to direct were sort of pulled out

from under me. I was also at the same time around a lot of peers who were writing plays. when I saw that they could write a play, it

demystified the whole process for me. because when you’re directing, getting a job is really all about getting the phone call, knowing the

right people, forming relationships, that sort of thing. In the meantime, I thought, why not write a play? So I started to do that and pick

projects; stories that I wanted to see on stage. It’s really about having more of an idea of what you want to see and then pursuing it. I could

tell you, “I want to direct a play about vince lombardi, would you please write it for me?” If you’re a playwright, and you’re not interested in

lombardi, that play is never going to happen. So you take the initiative and you do the play yourself.

What advice do you have for students aspiring to be writers?

E.S.: I’d say, “write every day and never stop, because the more you write the better you get.”

VINCE LOMBArdI BIOGrAphy

vince lombardi is perhaps one of the greatest American football

coaches ever to grace the professional circuit. he is best known

for his time as the head coach of the Green bay Packers during the

1960s, and for turning the previously mediocre Packers into the

powerhouse that has won more titles in professional football than any

other team.

vincent thomas lombardi was born in brooklyn, on June 11, 1913

to Enrico “harry” lombardi and Matilda “Mattie” Izzo, both second-

generation Italian immigrants. the oldest of five children and both of

his parents coming from large Italian families, vince grew up with a

large family clan in Sheepshead bay, brooklyn, in a diverse, middle-

class neighborhood. harry owned a butcher shop in the Meatpacking district which afforded his family a comfortable living even through the

depths of the Great depression, and raised his family in a strict Catholic tradition. outside of the lombardis’ forward-thinking neighborhood,

vince’s childhood was touched by the intense racism toward Italian immigrants that existed in the early 20th century. he began to help

his father at his butcher shop when he was young, but found it distasteful, and at the age of 12 he began to play in an uncoached football

league in Sheepshead bay.


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In 1928, at the age of 15, lombardi entered a six-year secondary school program at the Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception, intending to become a priest. Contrary to the rules of the school, he continued to play off-campus football, and he left the program early to enroll at St. Francis Preparatory school in 1932 where he joined the school team.

After high school, lombardi was awarded a football scholarship to Fordham university in the bronx where he played under Coach Jim Crowley, one of the Four horsemen of Notre dame in the 1920s. though undersized for the position, by the beginning of his sophomore year lombardi was slated to become a starter at tackle. In 1936, during his senior year at Fordham, he became the right guard in the “Seven blocks of Granite,” a nickname given to the team’s offensive front line by a publicist at the university. that season his team went 5-0-2 before a disappointing loss in the final game of the season to Nyu with a score of 7-6. lombardi credited this experience with one of the major lessons of his football career: to never underestimate the opponent.

lombardi graduated from college in 1937 and after some failed career attempts at semi-professional football and debt collection, he enrolled in Fordham law School in September, 1938. he left after one semester, explaining much later in his life that his desire to have a family forced him to leave law school for the working world. In 1939, lombardi became an assistant football coach at St. Cecilia, a Catholic high school in New Jersey. In addition to his coaching duties, he taught latin, chemistry, and physics at the school for an annual salary of under $1,000. In 1942, lombardi became head coach of St. Cecilia’s where he remained for the next five years, earning St. Cecilia’s recognition as the top high school football team in the nation in 1943.

while at St. Cecilia’s, lombardi finally had the steady employment that would allow him to start a family and he married his longtime girlfriend, Marie Planitz, in August of 1940, despite her family’s anti-Italian attitudes. they lost their first child in a miscarriage; the traumatic experience led Marie to alcohol, a problem she would struggle with for the rest of her life. In 1942, she gave birth to their son, vince Jr. and the couple had one more child, a daughter Susan, in 1947.

In 1947, lombardi left St. Cecilia’s to return to his alma mater where he coached the freshman foot-ball and basketball teams, and served as the assistant coach for Fordham’s varsity football team the following year. In 1949 he accepted an assistant coaching job at the u.S. Military Academy at west Point as offensive line coach. his time there under head coach Earl “Colonel Red” blaik would greatly influence his own future coaching style: the melding of his own spiritual discipline with blaik’s military discipline, with a strong emphasis on execution.

In 1954 lombardi broke into the NFl as offensive coordinator for the New york Giants, turning the team with a 3-9 record in 1953 into a championship team in 1956 when they defeated the Chicago bears for the league title. while at New york, lombardi introduced a new strategy into the NFl called rule blocking. In rule blocking, the offensive lineman blocks an area of the field rather than a particular defensive player, leaving the running back to run toward any hole on the field that he could find – something lombardi referred to as “running to daylight.”

four horsemen of noTre dame

The four horsemen of notre dame was a nickname given to the four backfield players of notre dame’s 1924 foot-ball team: harry stuhldreher, don miller, elmer layden, and jim crowley. crowley was the future head football coach at fordham university where he would coach Vince lombardi and the formidable offensive line known as the seven blocks of granite.

The recognition as best high school football team in the nation was largely due to st. cecilia’s victory over brooklyn prep, one of the best teams on the eastern seaboard, led that season by quarterback and cornerback joe paterno who would later become head coach for the penn state nittany lions from 1966-2011.

lombardi coached at west point for five total seasons: 1949-1953. however, in the spring of 1951 a cadet crib-bing scandal was revealed, resulting in the discharge of 43 of the football team’s 45 members and destroying the 1951 and 1952 seasons. lombardi later revealed that blaik’s decision not to resign taught him another of his core coaching values: perseverance.

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Finally in 1959, lombardi got his shot at head coaching in the NFl for the Green bay Packers, whose disastrous previous season with a record of 1-10-1 had left the team, the shareholders, and the community hostile, dispirited, and questioning the financial viability of supporting such a team. lombardi arrived forcefully in Green bay demanding intense training regimens, absolute dedication, and unyielding effort from his players. Finishing the 1959 season with a 7-5 record, lombardi was named Coach of the year in his rookie debut.

the following year, lombardi led the Green bay Packers to their first NFl Championship game since 1944, earning him the nickname of “the Pope” in the Green bay community to coincide with his strong religious convictions. In the Championship, the Packers were stopped a few yards from the goal line in the final play of the game, relinquishing the title to the Philadelphia Eagles. they then won their next 9 post-season games – a record that remained undefeated until 2006. the Packers went on to win the NFl title in 1961 and again in 1962, the first two of the five titles lombardi would lead them to in his seven seasons as head coach. Including postseason but excluding exhibition games, lombardi earned a 105-35-6 record as head coach and never suffered a losing season, even winning the first two Super bowls following the 1966 and 1967 seasons.

After the 1967 season lombardi gave up his head coaching position with the Packers, staying on one more season as the team’s general manager, resulting in a 6-7-1 season and missing the playoffs. In 1969 he returned to coaching with the washington Redskins, where he once more broke a losing streak, this time of 14 seasons.

on June 24, 1970, lombardi was admitted to Georgetown university hospital after suffering from digestive tract pains for several years. he was revealed to have fast growing malignant colon cancer, and he was readmitted to the hospital on July 27 of that same year to undergo exploratory surgery. It was discovered that his illness was terminal, and he passed away on September 3, 1970, at the age of 57, a premature end to one of the greatest coaching minds of the 20th century.

After his sudden death in 1970, the Super bowl trophy, originally called the world Professional Championship trophy, was renamed the lombardi trophy to honor his legendary coaching accomplishments and commemorate his victories in the first two Super bowls. In 2003 as part of a renovation of lambeau Field, the home of the Green bay Packers, a 14-foot-statue of vince lombardi was placed outside the stadium, wearing an overcoat and clutching a program as he often did in life, overlooking the game that fueled his passion, brought him fame, and won him an eternal place of honor in American sports history.


12

ThE GrEEN BAy pACkErS: A ShOrT hISTOry

In August, 1911, Curly lambeau and George Calhoun gathered twenty or so young athletes of the Green bay, wisconsin, area into the editorial room of the Green Bay Press Gazette building, not knowing that they would come to be known as the force that organized one of the most successful teams in professional football.

what started as a casual conversation began to pick up steam as lambeau, a shipping clerk at the Indian Packing Company, persuaded his employers to donate $500 for team jerseys (then blue and gold), and acquired permission to play on the company-owned athletic field. In honor of their benefactors, the loosely organized community of football enthusiasts took on the name of the Green bay Packers, and went 10-1 in their inaugural season against teams from wisconsin and upper Michigan. Games were held on an open field with no markings, no bleachers, and no price of admission as the burgeoning organization accepted freewill donations by the passing of a hat through the spectators.

In 1921, the Acme Packing Company purchased several assets from the Indian Packing Company, including the new football team, and with these new backers lambeau obtained a franchise in the new American National Football Association, established in 1920 (and renamed the National Football league two years later). After a single season, the cash collections from spectators failed to cover the cost of the franchise and the team was disbanded. but lambeau persevered, collecting additional community backers and repurchasing the franchise in 1922 for $250, which included $50 of his own money – a modern day equivalent of nearly $3,400.

despite the triumph of the repurchased franchise, financial troubles continued to plague the team during their early days as the unpredictable weather of the upper Midwest cancelled several games, costing the team the spectator contributions upon which it still heavily relied.

Eager to keep their team, a group of Green bay businessmen including Green Bay Press Gazette general manager A.b. turnbull gathered together to back the team financially, and formed the Green bay Football Corporation. the businessmen, deemed “the hungry Five” because of their constant calls for money, raised funds, promoted the franchise, and incorporated the team as a non-

profit organization, building the young team that would come to win more professional championships than any other team in NFl history – 13 at last count – and leading to the colloquial designation of Green bay as

MOST WOrLd ChAMpIONShIpS

13 green bay packers9 chicago bears8 new york giants6 pittsburgh steelers5 dallas cowboys san francisco 49ers washington redskins4 cleveland browns detroit lions indianapolis/baltimore colts

GrEEN BAy’S FIVE SUpEr BOWLS

Super Bowl I, jan. 15, 1967vs. kansas city chiefs at los angeles memorial coliseum. won 35-10. Qb: bart starr

Super Bowl II, jan. 14, 1968 vs. oakland raiders at miami orange bowl. won 33-14. Qb: bart starr.

Super Bowl XXXI, jan. 26, 1997 vs. new england patriots at louisiana superdome, new orleans. won 35-21 Qb: des-mond howard.

Super Bowl XXXII, jan. 25, 1998 vs. denver broncos at Qualcomm stadium, san diego. lost 31-24. Qb: Terrell davis.

Super Bowl XLV, feb. 6, 2011 vs. pittsburgh steelers at cow-boys stadium, arlington. won 31-25. Qb: aaron rodgers.

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the 1960s were a time of change, of progress, and of cultural shift for the united States of America. As vince lombardi redefined what it

meant to be a Green bay Packer, the united States redefined what it meant to be an American as civil rights, foreign policy, and the space

race propelled the country into a previously unexplored social, political, and cultural identity.

“titletown,” uSA. the Green bay Packers remain the only publicly owned team in professional sports, and the oldest remaining team name in the NFl. Fiercely loyal to their football team, Packer fans – lovingly referred to as “Cheeseh-eads” – make up one the largest fan bases in professional football and despite the team’s rough financial past, every

Packer game at lambeau Field has been sold out since 1960.

1960s TIMELINE

1960 1961 1962 1963 1964

the Green bay Packers become the NFl’s western Conference Champions

Green bay Packers defeat the Ny Giants in the NFl Championship

Packers again defeat the Ny Giants in the NFl Championship

JFk elected to Presidency

First birth control pill approved for sale by the FdA

Sit-in at woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, NC protests segregation in service

50-star u.S. flag debuts

the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) formed in Raleigh, NC

Peace Corp established by executive order from JFk

bay of Pigs invasion

Ray kroc establishes the first Mcdonald’s

Construction of the berlin wall begins

Cuban Missile Crisis

John Glenn becomes the first American in orbit

James Meredith becomes the first black student at the university of Mississippi, as 3,000 troops quell related riots

Alcatraz, the island prison in San Francisco bay, is closed

I Have a Dream speech delivered in washington, dC by Martin luther king, Jr.

JFk assassinated in dallas, tX

the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Muhammed Ali wins heavyweight Championship in boxing

Freedom Summer begins

the beatles first appear on The Ed Sullivan Show

the Gulf of tonkin Resolution passed

LOMBArdI ANd ThE pACkErS

AMErICA ANd ThE WOrLd

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1965 1966 1967 1968 1969

Green bay wins NFl Championship by defeating the Cleveland browns

Packers become NFl Champions in the “Ice bowl” against the dallas Cowboys

Green bay wins Super bowl I by defeating the kansas City Chiefs

Green bay Packers defeat the oakland Raiders to win the Super bowl.

vince lombardi resigns as head Coach, staying in Green bay as General Manager of the team

lombardi accepts head Coaching position with the washington Redskins

National voting Rights Act of 1965

the watts race riots in los Angeles kill 34 people and destroy $200 million in property

Malcolm X assassinated

draft card burnings in berkeley, CA to protest the vietnam war

American bombing of North vietnam begins

black Panther Party founded in oakland, CA

Medicare established

First black u.S. Senator, Edward brooke, is elected to Congress

National organization for women is founded

Star trek debuts

”Summer of love” in San Francisco

Race riots plague u.S. cities

Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by the beatles is released

thurgood Marshall becomes first black Supreme Court Justice

Martin luther king, Jr is assassinated

Presidential candidate Robert kennedy is assassinated

tet offensive launched in vietnam

My lai Massacre

Hair opens on broadway

Richard Nixon elected President of the united States

Apollo 11, and Neil Armstrong, land on the moon

the Internet, originally called Arpanet, is invented by the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the u.S. department of defense

woodstock music festival in New york

Sesame Street debuts

Strategic Arms limitation talks (SAlt) begin

LOMBArdI ANd ThE pACkErS

AMErICA ANd ThE WOrLd

(Play is set in this year)

15

In 1960, race was still a much contested topic in the united States,

and the NFl was no exception. however, vince lombardi and Jack

vainisi, the Scouting director for the Green bay Packers, were deter-

mined that they would search avidly for the most talented players,

ignoring the racial prejudice still prevalent in the NFl and in the nation

as a greater whole. lombardi was quoted as saying that he “…viewed

his players as neither black nor white, but Packer green.”

lombardi was fiercely dedicated to racial equality on his team, perhaps

due to the discrimination he faced growing up as an Italian-American,

and enforced a strict zero tolerance policy on and off the field. he also

made it exceedingly clear to Green bay establishments as well as to

lodging establishments on the road that if they did not accommodate

all of his players, black as well as white, those businesses would be

off limits to the entire team.

rACE IN ThE NFL

the American Professional Football Association was formed by agree-

ment with eleven teams in 1920, becoming known as the National

Football league (NFl) in 1922. In 1960, another professional football

organization was formed, known as the American Football league

and consisting of ten teams. the Super bowl was established in

1967 to determine the national champion in a showdown between

the NFl’s and the AFl’s respective champions. Although the NFl

regarded the new American league as inferior, the new organiza-

tion operated in direct competition with the older one and a massive

rivalry ensued, resulting in the merging of the two organizations in

1970. At the time of the merge, all ten former AFl teams as well as

three from the former NFl became identified as the American Foot-

ball Conference (AFC), while the remaining 13 teams became known

as the National Football Conference (NFC). the two champions of

the respective conferences continue to compete in the Super bowl,

though all are technically united under the NFl banner.

ThE NFL ANd ThE SUpEr BOWL

professional football was first introduced in the u.s. in 1892. not long after, in 1902, charles follis became the first african-american football player, nicknamed “The black cyclone,” and setting an early example for the racial integration of the sport. however, in 1933, racial segregation became the official policy of american football, and african-americans were banned from participating. after wwii, these racial barriers began to disintegrate, and by 1944 there were four african-americans in professional football – three years before jackie robinson joined the brooklyn dodgers.

Legendary players on the 1965 Green Bay Packers team Dave Robinson (left, William Oliver Watkins), Jim Taylor (David Hardie) and Paul Hornung (Branton Box). Photo by Roger Mastroianni/Arizona Theatre Company.

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the lombardi Sweep (also called the

Packers Power Sweep), was head coach vince

lombardi’s signature play, and it dominated

professional football for most of the 1960s.

lombardi openly discussed the theoretical

simplicity of the play, declaring it to be a “just

a yard gainer.” but as a militant proponent of

teamwork and an unfailing demander of effort

and dedication, lombardi adopted the Sweep

as his number one play because “it requires all

eleven men to play as one to make it succeed,

and that’s what ‘team’ means.” lombardi

attributed the success of the play and, subsequently, the team, to endless drilling, repetition, and the constant expectation that only the

absolute best effort – from individual players and from the Packers as a team – would be allowed to grace the field.

the Rotary lombardi Award was established in 1970, shortly after the death

of vince lombardi from colon cancer. It is awarded annually to the best

college football lineman or linebacker according to the following criteria: the

player must be a down lineman on either side of the ball, or a linebacker who

lines up no further than five yards deep from the ball. the main part of the

trophy itself consists of a block of granite to commemorate vince lombardi’s

days at Fordham university as an offensive lineman, when his formidable

offensive line was designated “the Seven blocks of Granite.” Nominees must

also demonstrate the qualities that vince lombardi displayed in his coaching

and cultivated in his players: leadership, desire, respect for authority, courage,

and discipline.

LOMBArdI SWEEp

ThE LOMBArdI AWArd



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Memorable Vince Lombardi Quotes:•there is no substitute for work; it is the price of success. •Fatigue makes cowards of us all; high physical condition is vital to victory. •two or three plays in a game spell victory or defeat; you never know when that play is coming up. •A winning football team must avoid mistakes with a passion; treat mistakes with a vengeance. •the harder a man works, the harder it is to surrender. •the goal line is the moment of truth; there is no room for a timid person there. •Every play must be considered a game breaker. •Physical pressure on an opponent is necessary; mental pressure will make him crack. •Football is a game of inches and inches make a champion. •defeat must be admitted before it is reality. •If two teams are the same in physical ability, it is the team with pride that rakes in the chips. •desire is cold fury burning within a man. •Every man must leave the field with the feeling that every spectator is convinced they have seen the best player in the country. •Maybe winning isn’t everything, but it sure comes way ahead of whatever is second. •on the goal line, the defense must attack. •Pursuit is an all-out effort on defense. •our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. If the defense is scattered all over the field, it means that they are either confused, tired, or without desire. •want it; desire it; earn it; take it. •Anything is ours providing we’re willing to pay the price. •you must forget about being cautious or you are licked before you start. •Mental attitude is 75 percent of winning. •you need fear nothing as long as you are aggressive and keep going. •Football desire is built on pride and effort forged by raw combat. •we have been accused of playing mean, vicious, hungry football. It has been said we only play to win. how else is there to play? •you never lose a game if your opponent doesn’t score. •winning is a habit. •Covering kicks is football’s biggest test of courage. •Good fellows are a dime a dozen; aggressive leaders are priceless. •you must force things to happen; you must grab the initiative.•you win games with aggressiveness and precise execution, not gimmicks. •desire is a constant thing. •Confidence is contagious; so is a lack of confidence. •Pursuit is the shortest course to the ball carrier and arriving there in bad humor. •you will find the extent of a man’s determination on the goal line.

A QUOTABLE MAN


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discussion Questions

1. Michael McCormick is the only fictional character in the play. why do you think the playwright wrote him in? what was his purpose?

2. what is it about lombardi that makes him so iconic? And further, what is it about vince lombardi - a sports personality - that makes

him so appropriate for the stage? would his style of leadership produce the same results outside the world of sports?

3. Michael makes a big decision at the end of the play. do you think he made the right decision? what motivated him to choose the

way he did? why does lombardi admire him for that decision?

4. what are some of the similarities or common traits between sporting and artistic personalities?

5. the play is set for the most part in 1965. the 1960s was an incredibly tumultuous decade, not only in the life of vince lombardi,

but across America. Are there any parallels in the leadership of the Packers and the leadership of the united States during this decade?

would lombardi’s style of leadership work coming from a political figure?

6. Professional sports are one of the highest grossing forms of entertainment in our country today. what do you think is it about sports,

and about football in particular, that is so appealing and uniting? why do we as a society place so much value on professional athletes

and pay such close attention to them?

Activities:

1. Eric Simonson, the playwright for Lombardi, said that to come up with a setting for the play he did the following: “… I looked at his

football career, and I picked a year in which he was really struggling.” why do you think this period of vince lombardi’s life and career

would be particularly interesting to a playwright?

2. think of a character in history that inspires you, and try to pinpoint a time in their life that was particularly challenging for them.

Imagine that that time in their life is the subject of a new play. write a short play proposal of your idea with detailed explanation of the

importance of the character you have chosen and the period of time that you have set it in.

3. look at the list of vince lombardi quotes from earlier in this Play Guide. Choose one that interests you and think of a time or an

incident in your life that is related to that quotation. using the quote as the title, write a short story about that time in your life and what

the quote means to you.

dISCUSSION QUESTIONS ANd ACTIVITIES

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4. theatre often requires the same qualities demanded of recipients of the Rotary lombardi Award: leadership, desire, respect

for authority, courage, and discipline. theatre games especially require strong team work and collaboration, as in the following

example:

Minefield (From ‘theatre, Community, Conflict and dialogue’ by Michael Rohd)

Number of people: 10 or more

Age level: All ages

time: 10-30 minutes

The Basic Idea: Everyone stands in a circle and tosses any objects they can find that aren’t breakable or sharp (shirts, jackets, books

etc.) into the center. Spread the objects out so that the whole center space is evenly covered, but leaving walkable pathways. Find a

volunteer and have them close their eyes. the rest of the group, using their voices, tries to navigate this volunteer to a point directly

across the circle from where they currently stand. If the volunteer touches any of the objects during the navigation, kAbooM, instant

obliteration! you, the leader, watch for fatal contact. the trick is that all participants are trying to lead the volunteer at once. they can-

not speak to each other or designate one speaker. they cannot call the volunteer or each other by name. they must fight through the

chaos and lead the blind volunteer together.

Wrap-up: have a few minutes of discussion after this game to assess how the group did or did not work together as a team to achieve

the desired result (safe passage of the blind volunteer). If the volunteer failed to make it to the other side safely, what went wrong

within the group? Finally, how were each of the traits mentioned above present in this game?

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