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When Pride Still Mattered (Abridged): A Life of Vince Lombardi Audiobook
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(4.00) - 2,015 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
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.
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"Very well written and thourough biography about Vince Lombardi. I think biographies are better when you are not so familiar with the subject matter. I knew Lombardi was a very successful coach of the Packers in the 60s but did not know much more than that prior to reading this book. "
— Michael (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Forges a near-perfect synthesis of fine writing and fascinating material. May be the best sports biography ever published.”
— Sports Illustrated -
“Both the reach of the research and the grasp of Lombardi’s character are impressive. It is a wonderful work.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“An astonishingly good book…A triumph, a classic American biography.”
— Washington Post Book World -
“It is simply a superb biography.”
— Chicago Sun-Times -
“A masterly biography…A finely crafted, multifaceted portrait of a life driven by obsession.”
— Miami Herald -
“A superb book, one of the best on football that we have.”
— Philadelphia Inquirer -
“A monumental biography.”
— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A New York Times Notable Book
When Pride Still Mattered Listener Reviews
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" A must read not only for football fans but for anyone interested in definitions of excellence, fortitude, integrity and dedication. "
— Dave, 2/12/2014 -
" America was great once. But it was a long time ago. "
— George, 2/2/2014 -
" Better than the average sports bio. "
— Paa, 1/31/2014 -
" Compelling writing about Coach Lombardi's life and career, as well as his Packers team. It does not try to sugar coat anything; an honest look at an amazing coach. "
— Wendy, 1/19/2014 -
" Of all the books on or about Lombardi, this is the best. It's the best written, most entertaining and in my opinion most important. This is a must read for Lombardi fans, Green Bay fans, NFL fans and anyone else who is interested in sports and the people who made it great. "
— Phillip, 1/12/2014 -
" Very good bio about the history of a legendary sports figure. I am happy that I read it because I had never really known all that much about Lombardi. The fact that he came up through the ranks and earned his position coaching the Packers was interesting. This is the second bio I have read by Maraniss (the other being Roberto Clemente), and he excels at intertwining the sports life and the family life of his subject. After reading this I would think say that Lombardi epitomized the idea of eating, breathing and living football, and because of this his family surely paid a price, yet never really left his side. "
— Robert, 1/8/2014 -
" When pro football held the status of pro wrestling and college football was dominant some of the biggest programs hailed from NYC and one of the best was Fordham "
— Goatville9, 1/4/2014 -
" I really loved this book because it really gives you the life and times of a particular man, not just a coach's story. Extremely well written, insightful, balanced, beautiful. "
— Ichael, 12/3/2013 -
" A necessary read for the serious football fan. "
— John, 9/15/2013 -
" Very dry in places, probably about 200 pages too long, but overall a good book. "
— Jon, 7/5/2013 -
" A good biography. There was a lot of good information and the author clearly did exhaustive research on his subject. It was interesting to delve into the Lombardi mythology. "
— Tony, 6/16/2013 -
" If you like football or have an interest in the legendary coach, Vince Lombardi, this is an outstanding book. If you are old enough, it will bring back memories of some of the great football players from the '50's and '60's. "
— SteveR, 5/16/2013 -
" Very good story. Maybe too many details, but worth it if you like the subject matter. "
— Davehbo, 4/27/2013 -
" A great story, and a great tie in to what was going on in the country. "
— Keith, 3/28/2013 -
" Excellent book on the man, the myth, the method and what mattered. "
— Dan, 3/21/2013 -
" I don't know what took me so long to finish this book. The writing was excellent, the research thorough. I just couldn't get through it. Now that I have, I'm glad I did. Lombardi really was an amazing psychologist and leader. "
— Tiffany, 1/2/2013 -
" This book reads like a novel. Maraniss is a great writer and this book has great narrative. Lombardi was a complex and interesting man. "
— Conor, 6/7/2012 -
" compelling story of an american sports icon, but in my opinion the book could be improved with a bit more editing. "
— Evan, 5/24/2012 -
" Almost certainly the most well-researched sports biography I have ever read. "
— Michael, 3/20/2012 -
" I'm a big Packers fan but couldn't get into the style of writing. "
— Katina, 3/14/2012 -
" There's got to be a reason why the Super Bowl trpphy is called the Lombardi Trophy, this book is a good explanation why. "
— Esteban, 2/7/2012 -
" Same author wrote on Roberto Clemente, also a great read. His style flows easily, captures detail and puts the subject's life in perspective according to the social situation. That's what made Vince come to life for me. "
— Paul, 1/4/2012 -
" Not just a great sports book, but a great story of American history through the prism of college and pro football. "
— Bryan, 1/1/2012 -
" Vince Lombardi is one of the greatest sports coaches of all time. He was discipline with his players and for good reason. He made champions out of his players. The book is amazing! "
— David, 11/26/2011 -
" This was not just another biography. Maraniss uses Lombardi as a hinge to talk about the changing of values in society and the media. This powerful man does embodies many of the strengths and pitfalls of modern success. "
— Joe, 9/27/2011 -
" Great makes me want to do something like him in sports. "
— Max, 9/14/2011 -
" i guess when i say i am currently reading this book, i mean i haven't picked it up in over a year. it is a good book and i have gotten about half way through. it has a lot of great stories on vince lombardi and how he mastered the art of coaching. pretty neat. "
— Derek, 7/10/2011 -
" Freedom through discipline -- a gripping and highly readable account of a wonderfully "old school" coach/athlete/leader. "
— Drewkosztyo, 5/28/2011 -
" Great makes me want to do something like him in sports. "
— Max, 4/11/2011 -
" peaks high but ultimately falls flat. "
— RK, 2/13/2011 -
" This was not just another biography. Maraniss uses Lombardi as a hinge to talk about the changing of values in society and the media. This powerful man does embodies many of the strengths and pitfalls of modern success. "
— Joe, 1/18/2011 -
" Interesting look into the life of a man obsessed with football "
— Dan, 1/1/2011 -
" A great book. I thought I'd reed everything on him. But I was suprised to find out I had not. "
— Dave, 10/18/2010 -
" When pro football held the status of pro wrestling and college football was dominant some of the biggest programs hailed from NYC and one of the best was Fordham "
— Goatville9, 8/25/2010 -
" Great book about thae great coach "
— Geno, 5/13/2010 -
" Great book about the man behind the legend. He was a pill to be around, but he sure knew how to coach a team (but not on game days). It was a bit slow to take off, but then was full of so many great stories from family, friends, and players. "
— Amy, 3/26/2010 -
" Lombardi worked his players extremely hard and was driven to win, so long as his players players played by the rules. When he saw a player commit a penalty he would take that player out even if the player was not caught by an umpire. Imagine a coach doing that in today's game. "
— Larry, 12/21/2009
About David Maraniss
David Maraniss is an associate editor at the Washington Post and a distinguished visiting professor at Vanderbilt University. He has won two Pulitzer Prizes for journalism and was a finalist three other times. Among his bestselling books are biographies of Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Roberto Clemente, Jim Thorpe, and Vince Lombardi. He has also written a trilogy about the 1960s: Rome 1960; Once in a Great City, winner of the RFK Book Award; and They Marched into Sunlight, winner of the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History.