When Pride Still Mattered

A Life of Vince Lombardi

By: David Maraniss

Narrated by: David Maraniss

When Pride Still Mattered is the quintessential story of the American family: how Vince Lombardi, the son of an immigrant Italian butcher, rose to the top, and how his character and will to prevail transformed him, his wife, his children, his players, his sport, and ultimately the entire country.

It is also a vibrant football story, abundant with accounts of Lombardi's thrilling life in that world, from his playing days with the Seven Blocks of Granite at Fordham in the 1930s to the glory of coaching the Green Bay Packers in the 1960s. It is also a study of national myths, tracing what Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer David Maraniss calls the fallacy of the innocent past, and an absorbing account of the mythmakers from Grantland Rice to Howard Cosell who shaped Lombardi's image.

By the time he died of cancer in 1970, after one season in Washington during which he transformed the Redskins into winners, Lombardi had become a mythic character who transcended sport, and his legend has only grown in the decades since. In When Pride Still Mattered, Maraniss renders Lombardi as flawed and driven yet ultimately misunderstood, a heroic figure who was more complex and authentic than the stereotypical images of him propounded by admirers and critics.

Using the same meticulous reporting and sweeping narrative style that he employed in First in His Class, his classic biography of Bill Clinton, Maraniss separates myth from reality and wondrously recaptures Vince Lombardi's life and times.

©1999 by David Maraniss, All Rights Reserved (P)1999 Simon & Schuster, Inc., All Rights Reserved, AUDIOWORKS Is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.

Coach Lombardi

Great book. Vince Lombardi taught so many lessons beyond the game of football. He is still the best coach in the history of the NFL!

Great!

Great story about a great man! A must read for football fans, specially Green Bay Packers fans!

pretty intersting

thought it was pretty good, interesting guy. Was hoping it would dig a little more into his mindset

Strong though mildly disappointing

The 1st 75% of the book were very good but I felt the discussion of the packers especially the 3 straight championships at the end of his career was under developed also the lack of definition regarding his not serving in World War II and how that may have affected him was disappointing

Great story, sad production.

Great story not only of the man but the sport. Lots of interesting tie-ins from New York, New Jersey, West Point and, of course, Green Bay. Sadly the production is lacking. Narration is dry and the audio quality varies. It is muffled at times.

Not bad but missing the "enthusiasm"

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, was informative

Was When Pride Still Mattered worth the listening time?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Its a good story but I wanted to feel real pride-something was missing from the actual story

A real man

Would you consider the audio edition of When Pride Still Mattered to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version but I prefer the audio.

Have you listened to any of David Maraniss’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I am a first time listener.

Seems Edited

I feel like this might be abridged. I am not positive but it felt rushed and short. If you watch the Vince Lombardi "A Football Life" you will get most of the information contained in this book.

Great Story

A very good read for anyone that wants to reflect on leadership. I knew Vince Lombardi was an exceptional leader and sports icon, but this biography gave me way more appreciation for the man- not only his accomplishments, but also his flaws.

Packer fan or football historians

Growing up with the Packers and living in the shadow of Lambeau Field made this a must read. The story filled in many of the holes in my understanding of the Lombardi years. I had to work to accept the dry reading of the text. Worth every penny.