Lombardi won fame as head coach of the Green Bay Packers. Lombardi became head coach and general manager of the Packers in 1959. He quickly shaped a team that had won one game in 1958 into one of professional football's most powerful teams. He led the Packers to National Football League (NFL) titles in 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, and 1967. His Packers beat the American Football League (AFL) champions in the first two AFL-NFL play-off games, after the 1966 and 1967 seasons.
Lombardi retired as Packer coach in 1968. From 1969 until his death, he was head coach, general manager, and part owner of the NFL's Washington Redskins. He was elected to the professional Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
Vincent Thomas Lombardi was born in Brooklyn. From 1934 to 1936, he played guard on Fordam University's famous line, called the Seven Blocks of Granite. Lombardi was the New York Giant's offensive coach for the five years before joining the Packers.