Vince Lombardi

1913–1970 · NFL head coach, Green Bay Packers & Washington

Vince Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) coached the Green Bay Packers from 1959 to 1967, winning five NFL championships in seven years and the first two Super Bowls, then spent a final season coaching in Washington before dying of cancer at 57. The Super Bowl trophy carries his name, and so — fairly or not — does a great deal of anonymous locker-room wisdom. He is one of the internet’s most reliable magnets for unsourced hard-nosed aphorisms, including this one and the more famous “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing,” which researchers trace to coach Henry ‘Red’ Sanders in 1948.

Traced to source

1 quote we’ve traced

“Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser”

Disputed

Not actually Vince Lombardi

Often misattributed to Vince Lombardi

Famous lines widely pinned on Vince Lombardi that we’ve traced to someone else.

“The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work”

actually Unknown newspaper wit

“The will to win is not worth much unless you have the will to prepare to win”

actually Fielding H. Yost

“Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing”

actually Henry Russell “Red” Sanders

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