'Lombardi', Based on the Life of the Catholic Coach, To Take the Broadway Stage

Vince Lombardi's life was profoundly shaped by his deep Catholic faith; his life is now the subject of a Broadway play.Lombardi was the eldest of five children born to a Catholic family in Brooklyn, New York. As a teenager he studied for the priesthood for two years before transferring to St. Francis Preparatory High School.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI (Catholic Online) - The legend of Green Bay is coming to Broadway. The National Football League is serving as a special producing partner for "Lombardi," a new play which is scheduled to open October 21 at New York's Circle in the Square Theatre. The play will star Dan Lauria ("The Wonder Years") in the title role, and will be directed by Tony Award nominee Thomas Kail. "Football and Broadway are both iconic forms of entertainment, and the NFL is proud to bring these two unique and passionate audiences together under one roof," said Tracy Perlman, NFL vice president of entertainment marketing and promotions. "Lombardi's charisma and coaching style were legendary-and intensely theatrical. Football fans will learn more about the dramatic private life of the sports hero for whom the Super Bowl trophy is named, and Broadway audiences will be captivated by the story of a family chasing the American dream." That family was devoutly Catholic. Lombardi was the eldest of five children born to a Catholic family in Brooklyn, New York. As a teenager he studied for the priesthood for two years before transferring to St. Francis Preparatory High School. Lombardi graduated from Fordham University in 1937 and later coached there, after serving eight years as a teacher and coach at St. Cecilia High School in Englewood, New Jersey. It was during a later stint as an assistant coach with the NFL's New York Giants that Lombardi was offered a head coaching position from the then lowly Green Bay Packers. It was not only the team's dismal status in the league that made the decision a difficult one for Lombardi; the thought of moving to a small Midwestern town would be a big change for the life-long New Yorker. Green Bay's strong Catholic identity was a major factor in convincing Lombardi to take the job. Historically the city has always been an extraordinarily Catholic community, with some estimates reporting as much as seventy percent of the population claiming membership. Lombardi found a spiritual home at St. Willebrord Church in downtown Green Bay, where he attended (and often served) daily Mass. He frequently brought some of his players to Mass as well. Green Bay's strong Catholic identity has, in fact, helped shape the Packers from the very beginning. The team's founder, Earl "Curly" Lambeau, came from a devout Catholic family, whose life also centered upon St. Willebrord Church. Lombardi was followed in the head coach's office by Catholics such as Dan Devine, Mike Sherman, and current head coach Mike McCarthy, whose Catholic roots have continued to advance the team's spiritual focus. "The Packers have a great dedication to the holistic development of their players," said Fr. Jim Baraniak, a Norbertine priest who serves as the Packers' Catholic chaplain. "They have always been concerned not only for their physical well-being, but for their spiritual, mental, academic and emotional health as well." (Fr. Jim, a member of Catholic Athletes for Christ's network of NFL chaplains, also serves as the pastor of the student parish at St. Norbert College in DePere, Wisconsin, where the Packers have held training camp for more than 50 years. Vince Lombardi frequently visited with the Norbertine priests there during his head coaching tenure.) As theatre patrons enjoy the production of "Lombardi," it will be with the knowledge that his life was profoundly and fundamentally influenced by his deep Catholic faith. It should be a tough act to follow.

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James Penrice is the author of eight books, is a correspondent for Catholic Athletes for Christ and a contributing writer for Catholic Online.

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