Homeskool Valedictorian

Jeff Craig

Vince Lombardi had a way with words.

The legendary former coach of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, Lombardi’s legacy may very well be found in his skills as a motivator – and his having won three NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls along the way.

Lombardi died 30 years ago today at the young age of 57. An aggressive case of colon cancer robbed the world of one of its great coaches, and the source of many of its witty and intelligent maxims.

Today, the Super Bowl trophy is named in his honor, and his words of wisdom echo in locker rooms around the nation. We pay tribute to a football legend with 10 of his most memorable quotations:

No. 10: “Football is like life – it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority.”

No. 9: “It’s easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you’re a winner, when you’re number one. What you got to have is faith and discipline when you’re not a winner.”

No. 8: “Leaders aren’t born; they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that’s the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal.”

No. 7: “Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.”

No. 6: “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”

No. 5: “The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.”

No. 4: “The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.”

No. 3: “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”

No. 2: “The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That’s real glory. That’s the essence of it.”

No. 1: “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”