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When Pride Still Mattered

By David Maraniss

I've finally finished this biography of Vince Lombardi that I started at Christmastime last year. Not that it was bad or uninteresting, I was just sidetracked by other projects and books. I guess that's my first unofficial New Year's resolution: to finish the half-read books that I've started. Except now I've started another new one.

When Pride Still Mattered: A Life Of Vince Lombardi was an honest portrayal of Vince Lombardi the man, not the legend. The book follows the typical biographical arc: it starts in his boyhood w all the familial, cultural and societal influences that played out through his adult life. The theme for Lombardi's life was not success at any cost, but success comes to those who "pay the price." I.e., it's okay to lose, but it's not okay to lose through lack of effort. And when you do lose, you'd better have learned some lessons along the way.

The book presented Lombardi as a driven, hardworking, charismatic, somewhat self-centered, autocratic, kindhearted, color-blind (racially as well as visually) coach who gave everything to his players, friends and fans, but very little to his wife and family. If you have any interest in football or sports personalities, it's definitely worth a read.

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