Customer Reviews

When Pride Still Mattered : A Life of Vince Lombardi

5 star:		(137)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My dad was one of the eight men who played under Lombardi for his entire tenure in Green Bay. In fact he is a frequent contributor to Mr Maraniss's work. Now that my some of bias has been revealed I want to say that this is the finest biography I ever read. Mr. Maraniss filled out so much about a character I thought I knew well. I had heard my dad say the things about Lombardi that are quoted in the book, so in some ways the inclusion of his thoughts in the book were its least interesting parts to me. The author's research into Lombardi's early life and his conclusions from that research, not just names and dates, is a thread carefully woven through every chapter to a point that near the end the effect is nearly haunting. Lombardi was not really the myth he is often portrayed as, but rather a man acutely aware of his surroundings in nearly every circumstance who was able to absorb enough positive material from each that when his opportunity finally came he seized it and delivered all he had absorbed in a way no one ever had and maybe never will again. The true inspiration that comes from this book is not what Lombardi became but rather the revelation of the power of something so simple as paying attention to what makes great things great and staying dedicated to those values. I am forty years old and there is picture in my office that is one of my most prized possessions. The photo is of my dad, my brothers, Lombardi and me getting off the plane before the NFL Championship in 1960. It was always important to me because of its unique representaton of that part of my family. Though I never thought it possible, Mr. Maraniss made it more precious to me because of what he taught me about the only guy in the picture who was not a member of my family.

Although I grew up in during Lombardi's rise to fame in the 1960's, I have never read any other sports book or biography that dealt with him, up to this time, motivated finally more by Mr. Maraniss's previous books on President Clinton, which I have read, than by any great desire to become knowledgeable about this football great.

There is not much that I can add that hasn't already been said in all the other reader reviews that appear on this page. The author's biography presents a no-holds-bared look at this interesting sports coach and personality that fortunately, as another reader said, presents a man whose reality lives up to the myths that have been built up around him.

What I would like to add is that this book also provides some very useful historical context around the Lombardi years that makes his life all the more vivid: life in the fifties and sixties, the rise of professional football to its prominence today and the rise and influence of the media in the sports world as well as in all other aspects of late 20th century life.

This is a book ANYONE will enjoy, not only because of the subject matter it covers, but also due to the meticulous reporting, fluid writing style, and most of all, for the way the book sincerely tugs on the emotions of the reader, for Lombardi, his family and for a time period gone by.

In sum, this is a book that rewards the reader all the way around.

When I was a kid, I read Green Bay Packers lineman Jerry Kramer's book Instant Replay, his diary of the 1967 season, and to this day that era still has a mythical hold on me. Indeed, "When Pride Still Mattered: The Life of Vince Lombardi" continued the magic. After also reading David Maraniss' biography on Bill Clinton, I'm convinced Maraniss is one of the best non-fiction writers of our time. With Clinton and now Lombardi, Maraniss proves he has the ability to take a person who has reached unimaginable success, and show us their strengths, weaknesses and flaws, without taking away from what made them great in the first place. This is a book that you wish would never end. It's that good.

As he did in First In His Class, his wonderful biography of Bill Clinton, Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Maraniss has packed so many details and so many colorful stories into When Pride Still Mattered that the book reads more like a novel than a biography. Football fans probably think they already know everything about Vince Lombardi; serious readers may think they have no use for a biography of a football coach. Both don't know what they're missing. There's plenty of football here: great chapters on Fordham's Seven Blocks of Granite, the New York Giants team with assistant coaches named Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry, the immortal Ice Bowl, Lombardi's final season in Washington. But Maraniss sets it all in its proper context, and the reader knows what it's like to live in the New York of the 1930s (even which subway routes to take from here to there), knows Lombardi's weekly routine in Green Bay (clean closets, watch Tom and Jerry cartoons), feels how cold it was at Lambeau Field or how difficult it could be for his family to live with "St. Vince." This is not merely a sports book or only a biography; like Lombardi himself, it's everything -- more than -- and yet nothing, like you'd expect it to be.

I previously read Michael O'Brien's "Vince" and found it to be a very good read. However, David Maraniss has cast aside the myth of Lombardi even more effectively and created a detailed portrait of an honest, driven, passionate man.

Lombardi is a fascinating character, and this biography does an excellent job delving into the contradictions in his beliefs, his love for his players and football, and his family struggles.

Maraniss paints such a thorough picture of the character of this man that the final pages (which deal with the Coach's fight against cancer) are heartbreaking.

Anyone who enjoys reading biographies about interesting people will enjoy this book.

If there's a better gift for a father or grandfather than "When Pride Still Mattered," I haven't heard of it. This is truly a masterpiece of a biography, probably the best I've ever read. Like most of the reviewers have already said on this page, the book is dripping with details and wonderful accounts not just from Lombardi's players, but his paperboy, high school classmates, golf caddies, etc. I'm not the world's biggest football fan, but it didn't matter reading this book. Lombardi's story is a true American classic. Can't wait for Maraniss' next biography!

As I read this book, the thing that kept running through my mind was how much research the author had to do. That is the difference between this book and other biographies, especially when you think that the two best sources of information - Vince and wife Marie - have long since passed away. I commend him for his efforts as not just a writer, but as a researcher. I will say this though, there are volumes and volumes of information about the Packers and Lombardi, making the writer's job not easier, but less time-consuming because of the availability of all the information out there.

As for the writing, I loved the way he blended Lombardi's day-to-day life with the football seasons. Just when you thought he was going to give you some boring play-by-play, he took you in another direction, describing Lombardi's relationship with a player, an assistant coach, a business leader, even his secretary, and he did so in a thorough and fascinating manner. He then took you back on the field for the play-by-play, and as a reader you felt like you never left.

You don't have to be a sports lover to love this book, because to me it's not really a sport book. Instead, it is a journey into the psyche of a man who was driven to succeed in everything he did. Chapters on his personal appearances, business ventures and other interests were nearly as interesting as the tales of his obsession with football. Lombardi was truly driven to be the best at everything he did.

The title of this book says volumes because to Lombardi pride did matter. Everything he did - except perhaps his relationship with his immediate family - he did with the intent of showing others that quality mattered to him.

I loved the book and despite his many shortcomings, I love Lombardi.

picked up this book thinking it would give me a motivational boost...didn't get much of a boost, but did read an outstanding biography. i've heard this book quoted as the "best sports biography ever written", and i have no reason to doubt that. it is a book that looks at lombardi's life as if we were viewing it through a 1960's 8mm video movie camera. would recommend it to any and all!

In his excellent biography of Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi, author David Maraniss has painted with his crisp and lively narrative an objective, balanced and candid portrait of a legend. Here is seen the complex, driven man that was Lombardi, "warts" and all -- the undersized and underrated lineman who, despite his admittedly limited football skills, used his unconquerable will to became one of Fordham's "Seven Blocks of Granite"; the ambitious and brilliant assistant coach, first for Army, and then for the New York Giants, always aware of his prodigious coaching talents, looking for twenty years to fulfill his destiny as a head coach; as Green Bay's head coach, the tyrannical taskmaster of the pro gridiron, gaining first fear, then grudging respect, and finally love from those who played for him; and the remote husband and father, unable to make the investment of time and emotion in his wife, son and daughter whom he loved. At Maraniss' hands, Vince Lombardi is sometimes easy to dislike, but always remains an admirable figure. This is a book which allows the reader to really get to know its subject. It is one of the finest biographies I've read in many years. Highly recommended!

When I first picked this book up I thought it might not be my cup of tea. I thought if I didn't like it I could give it to my dad. Now, I intend to give a copy to my dad and other male relatives for Christmas. What a book! Having grown up in Wisconsin after Lombardi, this book has filled in so many holes. But, more importantly, I can't put this book down. Every game that is recounted becomes a breathtaking moment. And the analysis of Lombardi, professional football, and our myth making culture is amazing. Anyone with an interest in football will love this book. Anyone from Wisconsin should read this book (it makes sense of the Packer phenomanon). Anyone who enjoys biography should read this. And, finally, anyone who enjoys a good read ought to read this. Happy holidays...