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Lombardi and Landry: How Two of Pro Football's Greatest Coaches Launched Their Legends and Changed the Game Forever
Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry could not have had two more divergent personalities. Yet, while working for the New York Giants of the mid-to-late ’50s under head coach Jim Lee Howell, the pair formed what stands, to this day, as the greatest set of coordinators on one team. Given their personalities, one might have likened Howell’s job to that of Dwight Eisenhower as the general struggled to control the egos and politics of his allied subordinates during WWII. But for some reason, Lombardi and Landry worked almost seamlessly, and as a result, the Giants rose to the top of the NFL. In the five seasons they coached together between 1956 and 1959, the Giants appeared in three championship games, winning the NFL title in ’56.
Both coaches would go on to NFL stardom, Lombardi with the Green Bay Packers and Landry with the Dallas Cowboys. But it was during their years as Giants coordinators that they developed the coaching philosophies they would employ later in their careers. For Lombardi, it was the reliance on the running game that started with Frank Gifford and would continue in the “Packers Sweep” days of Paul Hornung. For Landry, it was his own invention of the 4-3 defense that led to the “Flex” defense of his Super Bowl winners in Dallas. How they developed their ideas, and how they were allowed to implement them, was a testament not only to their genius, but to Howell’s willingness to let them handle the strategic matters while he looked after the big picture.
In Lombardi and Landry , veteran sportswriter Ernie Palladino takes an in-depth look at these two legends’ formative years in New York, offering up a vivid, revealing portrait of two brilliant coaches just coming into an understanding of their formidable powers.
Both coaches would go on to NFL stardom, Lombardi with the Green Bay Packers and Landry with the Dallas Cowboys. But it was during their years as Giants coordinators that they developed the coaching philosophies they would employ later in their careers. For Lombardi, it was the reliance on the running game that started with Frank Gifford and would continue in the “Packers Sweep” days of Paul Hornung. For Landry, it was his own invention of the 4-3 defense that led to the “Flex” defense of his Super Bowl winners in Dallas. How they developed their ideas, and how they were allowed to implement them, was a testament not only to their genius, but to Howell’s willingness to let them handle the strategic matters while he looked after the big picture.
In Lombardi and Landry , veteran sportswriter Ernie Palladino takes an in-depth look at these two legends’ formative years in New York, offering up a vivid, revealing portrait of two brilliant coaches just coming into an understanding of their formidable powers.
320 pages, Paperback
First published August 24, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 7, 2019
(NOTE: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book or a B. 3 stars means a very good book or a B+. 4 stars means an outstanding book or an A {only about 5% of the books I read merit 4 stars}. 5 stars means an all time favorite or an A+ {Only one of 400 or 500 books rates this!).
This was very entertaining. It is hard to imagine these two legends being assistant coaches on the same team (New York Giants). Both of course wanted to be head coaches and rather than wait on the Giants they both too other offers. And then they became rivals for the rest of Lombardi's career.
Here are some quotes from just their early careers:
"Letting Lombardi, then Landry, go a year apart to the Green Bay Packers and expansion Dallas Cowboys (originally dubbed the Rangers) would be one of the great mistakes the Giants’ brain trust ever made, a mess created in part by ownership's frugality. Had Jack Mara been less concerned about his head coach fulfilling the final year of his contract and more in tune with the future, the Giants might have avoided a seventeen-year malaise that started four years into Howell successor Allie Sherman's contentious eight-season reign." (104)
“Since his arrival in 1950 as one of the dispersed New York Yankees of the AAFC, the former University of Texas defensive back had led an All-Pro life in Owen's Umbrella defense. He had done remarkably well on the field, despite his admission that he'd never run a 100-yard dash faster than 10.3 seconds. Landry made up for that by studying film, noting the tendencies of each player. By knowing an offense's tendencies, he could predict where a receiver might be at any time, and then get to the spot before him.
His work habits reaped tremendous results. By the time he stepped off the gridiron for good after 1955, the admittedly slow-footed Texan had nabbed 31 interceptions, 3 returned for touchdowns, in seventy career games. He picked off 8 passes in 1951, ’52, and ’54, ranking him among the league's leaders.
Owen was the first to notice Landry's impeccable football intellect. Though Landry wouldn't become an official coach until Howell took over in 1954—first for two years as a twenty-nine-year-old player-coach—he had served Owen unofficially in that same capacity since he was twenty-five out of sheer necessity.” (159)
“I can remember being in training camp and Owen would be up at the chalkboard, going over a defense,” Wellington Mara said. “Suddenly, he'd just stop and say, ‘Tom, come up and do this. You know more about it than I do.’ It was during those times when Tom was still playing that he was also becoming a coach, whether he knew it or not.” (164)
His overall intelligence had gained him entrance in 1943 to pre-flight school in San Antonio, followed by pilot training and assignment to a bomber crew in the Eighth Air Force. And his quick mind and analytical brain eventually saved his life, and that of his crewmen. ….” (170)
“The pilot ordered the crew to bail out. But Landry, the co-pilot, looked over at the instrument panel just before he started heading for the door. Working on a hunch, he calmly reached over and adjusted the fuel mixture. The engines started up again, the plane got back to England, and the whole crew was saved from death or, at the very least, interment in a prisoner of war camp.” (175)
“That same composure also saved Landry and his family in 1995. While piloting a private Cessna over Ennis, Texas, Landry's engine stalled. Without a hint of panic, he set the plane down on a dirt field next to a high school. Police later reported that Tom and Alicia Landry and two other relatives walked away uninjured. The Cessna was undamaged.” (181)
“Landry was also hard-working. It was nothing for him to put in eighteen- to twenty-hour days watching film in the office or at home, logging percentages of passes versus runs out of various formations, while also observing players as a card sharp might eye his foes for any physical tells—a head-nod here, a subtle shifting of weight from one foot to the other there.” (320)
“Landry's biggest development was the 4-3 inside and 4-3 outside alignment: four men up front, three linebackers, all acting differently depending on formation and game situation.” (331)
“During Landry's time in New York, his defenses averaged just 194 points allowed per season, well under the 215 league average over that span. In 13 games against the vaunted Browns, Cleveland managed only 16 points per game, a far cry from the 25 they averaged against everyone else.” (343)
“They were of two temperaments; “different as daylight and dark,” Howell said. He could not have known it at the time, but Lombardi and Landry's differences proved to be their greatest strengths.” (348)
“They could not have been more different in temperament, character, or even spirituality. Though both were God-fearing men, they wore their religion in different ways. Landry was a church-going Methodist who would come to a life-altering epiphany while attending Bible classes after the 1958 season. Lombardi, born and raised in the Roman Catholic Church, took Holy Communion daily for as long as he could remember, and helped priests as an altar server well into adulthood. “They probably could have gone to church together,” Frank Gifford said. The difference was that Landry found peace with his Lord, while Lombardi found both comfort and conflict. (371)
“Whether Lombardi ever did find that balance between God and football is debatable. He never did subdue his temper, a major reason why colleges never warmed to him as a potential head coach. He never did find the patience for which he prayed.” (382)
“Adaptability became Lombardi's greatest strength.” (404)
“God, Family, and Football remained in constant conflict. “Sometimes, he'd forget those priorities,” Vince Jr. said.” (422)
““He never intended to be a coach,” Alicia Landry said. “He was going to go into industrial engineering, but [the Giants] asked him to be a player-coach and he enjoyed it. And then they asked him to stay on as the defensive coach.”
The balancing act wasn't that difficult for him.
“He always said God came first, and then family and football,” Alicia Landry said. “Of course, during the season, we kind of waited a little bit. But he did all of his after-hours work at home. You read about coaches who spend the night in the locker room. Tommy thought those who spent too much time there weren't working on the right thing. “He made an absolute effort. We had breakfast together every morning and dinner together every night …”. (432)
“Their marriage had a storybook quality to it that endured through six decades until Landry's death in 2000.” … They met on a blind date. (443)
'He and Alicia went to church every Sunday. But in the offseason of 1958, Landry got involved in a Bible study class in Dallas at the invitation of a friend. At first, the man of great intellect questioned the veracity of the Scripture passages the group read, discussed, and reread. Eventually, he even came to question whether he truly believed and accepted Jesus Christ's words and message. So Landry started researching Christ, looking for the impact of Christ's life much like he looked for strengths and weaknesses in his defensive schemes. What he found was the man's influence on millions of people. And there was a peace to that which he never found as a casual churchgoer. It took Landry more than a year to conclude that bringing Christ into his life was more important than football. But once he made that choice, he became an active Christian, eventually chairing the Billy Graham Crusade that opened Texas Stadium in 1971 and witnessing frequently before organizations like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.” (454)
“Lombardi and Landry never socialized together.” (466)
“He was so quiet,” said Dan Reeves … If you asked him something, he'd give you an opinion. But he fought it because he didn't want somebody else telling him what to do.” (476)
“Lombardi was not that way. Very gregarious. Talkative and loud. Two completely different personalities.” (482)
“Landry was quite different at home. Alicia Landry remembered her husband as an intuitive, interesting conversationalist. Humorous, even. Not withdrawn by any means.” (482)
“In the locker room and meeting room, Landry could be an aloof character—all business.” (482)
“Only when he stepped outside football did Landry open up, even to people like Frank Gifford, who would eventually become a lifelong friend.” (488)
“The one quality Landry and Lombardi did share—and revel in—was competitiveness. Be it football, golf, tiddlywinks, whatever, they both possessed an unquenchable desire to win.” (498)
“When it came to football, the performance of the two coaches’ individual units became their ultimate measuring stick. Each became a major pain in Howell's ear while promoting the offense or defense, lobbying for more time, more attention; a punt instead of an offensive play on fourth-and-short or, in one instance, a risky play instead of a field goal on fourth-and-10. There, in keeping Landry and Lombardi on a peacefully even keel, Jim Lee Howell's true genius emerged.” (509)
“..; in keeping Landry and Lombardi on a peacefully even keel, Jim Lee Howell's true genius emerged.” (509)
“Whether by loud, crude cajoling or calm explanation, both men were tremendous teachers. Different, certainly, but both extremely effective in his own manner.” (553)
“When things went wrong, it only took a mere glare from Landry to let the player know he'd sinned.” (558)
“Once he got to the Cowboys, Landry gained a major say in personnel decisions, and player intelligence became a major criteria for him when assessing talent. … time. In the early 1970s, he became the first coach to employ the now-standard Wonderlic Classic Cognitive Ability Test as part of the drafting criteria.” (580)
“Landry developed his analytical nature while growing up as a shy kid trying to overcome a speech impediment in Mission, Texas, deep in the Rio Grande Valley near the Mexican border. Though always ambitious, he stayed much to himself until high school, where he blossomed into the class valedictorian and a member of the National Honor Society.” (626)
“He wound up at the University of Texas, where he pursued a degree in industrial engineering with an eye toward entering the oil business. His distinguished hitch flying B-17 Flying Fortresses during World War II interrupted his education, but he returned after his discharge in 1946 to complete the final three years of his degree and playing career.” (632)
“Taking classes at the University of Houston during the AAFC and NFL off-seasons, he earned a master's degree in the subject by 1952.” (638)
Lombardi attended Mass every morning. (687)
“Lombardi never did complete Cathedral Prep's six-year program that led to ordination. By 1932, he'd realized he did not have the priestly calling. But his dogmatic education continued …”. (710)
“Graduation from Fordham did not bring an opportunity in the NFL for the undersized, 180-pound guard. So, after bouncing around semi-pro ball for two years, he got a job at St. Cecilia's High School in Englewood, New Jersey. Lombardi spent eight years there, teaching physics, chemistry, and Latin. He coached the line as a top football assistant under Fordham teammate Andy Palau, and served as head coach of the basketball team. He became the Saints’ head football coach in 1942.” (716)
This was very entertaining. It is hard to imagine these two legends being assistant coaches on the same team (New York Giants). Both of course wanted to be head coaches and rather than wait on the Giants they both too other offers. And then they became rivals for the rest of Lombardi's career.
Here are some quotes from just their early careers:
"Letting Lombardi, then Landry, go a year apart to the Green Bay Packers and expansion Dallas Cowboys (originally dubbed the Rangers) would be one of the great mistakes the Giants’ brain trust ever made, a mess created in part by ownership's frugality. Had Jack Mara been less concerned about his head coach fulfilling the final year of his contract and more in tune with the future, the Giants might have avoided a seventeen-year malaise that started four years into Howell successor Allie Sherman's contentious eight-season reign." (104)
“Since his arrival in 1950 as one of the dispersed New York Yankees of the AAFC, the former University of Texas defensive back had led an All-Pro life in Owen's Umbrella defense. He had done remarkably well on the field, despite his admission that he'd never run a 100-yard dash faster than 10.3 seconds. Landry made up for that by studying film, noting the tendencies of each player. By knowing an offense's tendencies, he could predict where a receiver might be at any time, and then get to the spot before him.
His work habits reaped tremendous results. By the time he stepped off the gridiron for good after 1955, the admittedly slow-footed Texan had nabbed 31 interceptions, 3 returned for touchdowns, in seventy career games. He picked off 8 passes in 1951, ’52, and ’54, ranking him among the league's leaders.
Owen was the first to notice Landry's impeccable football intellect. Though Landry wouldn't become an official coach until Howell took over in 1954—first for two years as a twenty-nine-year-old player-coach—he had served Owen unofficially in that same capacity since he was twenty-five out of sheer necessity.” (159)
“I can remember being in training camp and Owen would be up at the chalkboard, going over a defense,” Wellington Mara said. “Suddenly, he'd just stop and say, ‘Tom, come up and do this. You know more about it than I do.’ It was during those times when Tom was still playing that he was also becoming a coach, whether he knew it or not.” (164)
His overall intelligence had gained him entrance in 1943 to pre-flight school in San Antonio, followed by pilot training and assignment to a bomber crew in the Eighth Air Force. And his quick mind and analytical brain eventually saved his life, and that of his crewmen. ….” (170)
“The pilot ordered the crew to bail out. But Landry, the co-pilot, looked over at the instrument panel just before he started heading for the door. Working on a hunch, he calmly reached over and adjusted the fuel mixture. The engines started up again, the plane got back to England, and the whole crew was saved from death or, at the very least, interment in a prisoner of war camp.” (175)
“That same composure also saved Landry and his family in 1995. While piloting a private Cessna over Ennis, Texas, Landry's engine stalled. Without a hint of panic, he set the plane down on a dirt field next to a high school. Police later reported that Tom and Alicia Landry and two other relatives walked away uninjured. The Cessna was undamaged.” (181)
“Landry was also hard-working. It was nothing for him to put in eighteen- to twenty-hour days watching film in the office or at home, logging percentages of passes versus runs out of various formations, while also observing players as a card sharp might eye his foes for any physical tells—a head-nod here, a subtle shifting of weight from one foot to the other there.” (320)
“Landry's biggest development was the 4-3 inside and 4-3 outside alignment: four men up front, three linebackers, all acting differently depending on formation and game situation.” (331)
“During Landry's time in New York, his defenses averaged just 194 points allowed per season, well under the 215 league average over that span. In 13 games against the vaunted Browns, Cleveland managed only 16 points per game, a far cry from the 25 they averaged against everyone else.” (343)
“They were of two temperaments; “different as daylight and dark,” Howell said. He could not have known it at the time, but Lombardi and Landry's differences proved to be their greatest strengths.” (348)
“They could not have been more different in temperament, character, or even spirituality. Though both were God-fearing men, they wore their religion in different ways. Landry was a church-going Methodist who would come to a life-altering epiphany while attending Bible classes after the 1958 season. Lombardi, born and raised in the Roman Catholic Church, took Holy Communion daily for as long as he could remember, and helped priests as an altar server well into adulthood. “They probably could have gone to church together,” Frank Gifford said. The difference was that Landry found peace with his Lord, while Lombardi found both comfort and conflict. (371)
“Whether Lombardi ever did find that balance between God and football is debatable. He never did subdue his temper, a major reason why colleges never warmed to him as a potential head coach. He never did find the patience for which he prayed.” (382)
“Adaptability became Lombardi's greatest strength.” (404)
“God, Family, and Football remained in constant conflict. “Sometimes, he'd forget those priorities,” Vince Jr. said.” (422)
““He never intended to be a coach,” Alicia Landry said. “He was going to go into industrial engineering, but [the Giants] asked him to be a player-coach and he enjoyed it. And then they asked him to stay on as the defensive coach.”
The balancing act wasn't that difficult for him.
“He always said God came first, and then family and football,” Alicia Landry said. “Of course, during the season, we kind of waited a little bit. But he did all of his after-hours work at home. You read about coaches who spend the night in the locker room. Tommy thought those who spent too much time there weren't working on the right thing. “He made an absolute effort. We had breakfast together every morning and dinner together every night …”. (432)
“Their marriage had a storybook quality to it that endured through six decades until Landry's death in 2000.” … They met on a blind date. (443)
'He and Alicia went to church every Sunday. But in the offseason of 1958, Landry got involved in a Bible study class in Dallas at the invitation of a friend. At first, the man of great intellect questioned the veracity of the Scripture passages the group read, discussed, and reread. Eventually, he even came to question whether he truly believed and accepted Jesus Christ's words and message. So Landry started researching Christ, looking for the impact of Christ's life much like he looked for strengths and weaknesses in his defensive schemes. What he found was the man's influence on millions of people. And there was a peace to that which he never found as a casual churchgoer. It took Landry more than a year to conclude that bringing Christ into his life was more important than football. But once he made that choice, he became an active Christian, eventually chairing the Billy Graham Crusade that opened Texas Stadium in 1971 and witnessing frequently before organizations like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.” (454)
“Lombardi and Landry never socialized together.” (466)
“He was so quiet,” said Dan Reeves … If you asked him something, he'd give you an opinion. But he fought it because he didn't want somebody else telling him what to do.” (476)
“Lombardi was not that way. Very gregarious. Talkative and loud. Two completely different personalities.” (482)
“Landry was quite different at home. Alicia Landry remembered her husband as an intuitive, interesting conversationalist. Humorous, even. Not withdrawn by any means.” (482)
“In the locker room and meeting room, Landry could be an aloof character—all business.” (482)
“Only when he stepped outside football did Landry open up, even to people like Frank Gifford, who would eventually become a lifelong friend.” (488)
“The one quality Landry and Lombardi did share—and revel in—was competitiveness. Be it football, golf, tiddlywinks, whatever, they both possessed an unquenchable desire to win.” (498)
“When it came to football, the performance of the two coaches’ individual units became their ultimate measuring stick. Each became a major pain in Howell's ear while promoting the offense or defense, lobbying for more time, more attention; a punt instead of an offensive play on fourth-and-short or, in one instance, a risky play instead of a field goal on fourth-and-10. There, in keeping Landry and Lombardi on a peacefully even keel, Jim Lee Howell's true genius emerged.” (509)
“..; in keeping Landry and Lombardi on a peacefully even keel, Jim Lee Howell's true genius emerged.” (509)
“Whether by loud, crude cajoling or calm explanation, both men were tremendous teachers. Different, certainly, but both extremely effective in his own manner.” (553)
“When things went wrong, it only took a mere glare from Landry to let the player know he'd sinned.” (558)
“Once he got to the Cowboys, Landry gained a major say in personnel decisions, and player intelligence became a major criteria for him when assessing talent. … time. In the early 1970s, he became the first coach to employ the now-standard Wonderlic Classic Cognitive Ability Test as part of the drafting criteria.” (580)
“Landry developed his analytical nature while growing up as a shy kid trying to overcome a speech impediment in Mission, Texas, deep in the Rio Grande Valley near the Mexican border. Though always ambitious, he stayed much to himself until high school, where he blossomed into the class valedictorian and a member of the National Honor Society.” (626)
“He wound up at the University of Texas, where he pursued a degree in industrial engineering with an eye toward entering the oil business. His distinguished hitch flying B-17 Flying Fortresses during World War II interrupted his education, but he returned after his discharge in 1946 to complete the final three years of his degree and playing career.” (632)
“Taking classes at the University of Houston during the AAFC and NFL off-seasons, he earned a master's degree in the subject by 1952.” (638)
Lombardi attended Mass every morning. (687)
“Lombardi never did complete Cathedral Prep's six-year program that led to ordination. By 1932, he'd realized he did not have the priestly calling. But his dogmatic education continued …”. (710)
“Graduation from Fordham did not bring an opportunity in the NFL for the undersized, 180-pound guard. So, after bouncing around semi-pro ball for two years, he got a job at St. Cecilia's High School in Englewood, New Jersey. Lombardi spent eight years there, teaching physics, chemistry, and Latin. He coached the line as a top football assistant under Fordham teammate Andy Palau, and served as head coach of the basketball team. He became the Saints’ head football coach in 1942.” (716)
January 22, 2022
Fascinating
The author clearly describes how under Jim Lee Howell, the coordinating team of Landry and Lombardi not only operated, but how it built a team that played in 6 NFL championship games in seven years. Through the author’s lens, the readers get a deep look into Landry’s and Lombardi’s methods and how they each went into epic head coaching careers. There were a lot of quotes from players on the Giants and coaches from other teams, notably Paul Brown. This book is a winner in all aspects. Enjoyed it thoroughly.
The author clearly describes how under Jim Lee Howell, the coordinating team of Landry and Lombardi not only operated, but how it built a team that played in 6 NFL championship games in seven years. Through the author’s lens, the readers get a deep look into Landry’s and Lombardi’s methods and how they each went into epic head coaching careers. There were a lot of quotes from players on the Giants and coaches from other teams, notably Paul Brown. This book is a winner in all aspects. Enjoyed it thoroughly.
December 23, 2017
Excellent. Loved the old games. I wasn't as familiar with the NYG as the Packers and this book filled it in nice.
Best takeaway is my daughters go to UMaine up next to Bangor and Lombardi's first preseason game as Packers coach was played vs Giants in Bangor , ME. Who would have guessed?
Good Comparisons between the coaches. More Pre-Packers Vince .
Great quotes from Huff.
Top Notch.
Best takeaway is my daughters go to UMaine up next to Bangor and Lombardi's first preseason game as Packers coach was played vs Giants in Bangor , ME. Who would have guessed?
Good Comparisons between the coaches. More Pre-Packers Vince .
Great quotes from Huff.
Top Notch.
October 30, 2023
Good read of the history of Lombardi and Landry. Amazing what the NY Giants had at the time, thee coaches that were all ahead of their times and with the two assistants they did change tp game of Football forever.
For all football fans this is worth the read for the history lesson on who it all came about, Green Bay and Dallas and what could have been in New York.
For all football fans this is worth the read for the history lesson on who it all came about, Green Bay and Dallas and what could have been in New York.
November 30, 2021
Intriguing
I’ve been a Packer fan from day one. A Wisconsin resident, I grew up watching Vince and the boys play. I had no idea about this fascinating back story about the Giants, Lombardi and Landry. Recommend highly.
I’ve been a Packer fan from day one. A Wisconsin resident, I grew up watching Vince and the boys play. I had no idea about this fascinating back story about the Giants, Lombardi and Landry. Recommend highly.
Read
January 30, 2023Incredible. Really fuels the Jerry Jones dislike though.
Read
November 18, 2024These guys were coaches when I started watching football. Dallas was my favourite team until Jerry Jones came along. Curse the day he was born. This was a very good history of football although it could have used some editing. I’m always very happy when the Cowboys get beat.
December 8, 2023
Have read a lot about Landry as he was my favorite coach growing up. Had not read a lot about Lombardi. Great book
February 12, 2026
I love history, and I love football, so this totally satisfied.
June 10, 2020
Two of the Greatest
Ernie Palladino's book chronicles the professional coaching careers of Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry, primarily their years together as assistant coaches under Jim Lee Howell with the New York Giants. They helped turn the Giants into perennial contenders, then did the same with their own teams, the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys, respectively. Very different men and coaches but both dedicated to playing the game right. Jerry Kramer's INSTANT REPLAY would tell you more about Lombardi as a head coach; it is a good follow up book to this one.
I appreciate Palladino's objectivity in his chapter on the 1958 NFL Championship Game, a heartbreaker for the Giants and their fans. I also very much appreciate his comments concerning the Baltimore Colts fans, of which I am one.
Four stars waxing
Ernie Palladino's book chronicles the professional coaching careers of Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry, primarily their years together as assistant coaches under Jim Lee Howell with the New York Giants. They helped turn the Giants into perennial contenders, then did the same with their own teams, the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys, respectively. Very different men and coaches but both dedicated to playing the game right. Jerry Kramer's INSTANT REPLAY would tell you more about Lombardi as a head coach; it is a good follow up book to this one.
I appreciate Palladino's objectivity in his chapter on the 1958 NFL Championship Game, a heartbreaker for the Giants and their fans. I also very much appreciate his comments concerning the Baltimore Colts fans, of which I am one.
Four stars waxing
November 19, 2012
This is a great book about the history of football and the New York Giants. I was looking for a book more about the Lombardi/Packers and Laundry/Cowboys. This is a book about Lombardi and Laundry, but as they grew as assistant coaches for the Giants. It gets a little muddled with all of the games and the scores. Some stuff that I wasn’t aware of such as the beginning of the wireless headset for the quarterbacks. It is a good thing that Roger Goddell wasn’t around as it seemed as if bounties were an every game experience. The bounty being only $5! Wow…………….Great book for football historians.
May 21, 2018
Good book...just soooooo detailed about games
Lifetime member of Cowboys nation, so you can guess that I was highly interested in every word about Coach Landry. I also have great respect even today for the 1967 Ice Bowl loss against Coach Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers. That was interesting reading as well. And I definitely loved how the writer ended the book. Those parts receive a 5-star rating. The reason I rated it an overall 4? Details about sooooo manyyyyyyy gaaaaaaames. I watch, rewatch, eat and breathe pro football...and still, it was too much for me. So, I dropped it 1 star.
Lifetime member of Cowboys nation, so you can guess that I was highly interested in every word about Coach Landry. I also have great respect even today for the 1967 Ice Bowl loss against Coach Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers. That was interesting reading as well. And I definitely loved how the writer ended the book. Those parts receive a 5-star rating. The reason I rated it an overall 4? Details about sooooo manyyyyyyy gaaaaaaames. I watch, rewatch, eat and breathe pro football...and still, it was too much for me. So, I dropped it 1 star.
January 31, 2013
Learned a lot with this book. Sort of a 'what they were before they were famous.' deal. These two great football men who were that close and worked together for so long -- it was interesting to read about. That the head coach was that secure with himself to have those masterminds on his staff has to be a testament to his astuteness.
May 2, 2020
This book assumes that you have seen “The Greatest Game” ever played. This book gives you an insight on Football and how it has changed and not changed over the years. Finally, it gives an overview of Lombardi and Landry that allows the reader to decide whether they want to go further into knowing the background of each legendary coach.
June 25, 2013
Another hidden gem. I had no idea Lombardi and Landry were Assistants together with the Giants, and just how awesome they were as coaches. How Giants history might be different if they'd kept either one around. A fabulous read.
January 31, 2015
Excellent book for long-time NFL fans about about two of the legendary coaches in the game and their years as asst. coaches with the NY Giants. It does get a little slow in the middle with too much detail about specific Giants games.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews