Lombardi and Landry: How Two of Pro Football's Greatest Coaches Launched Their Legends and Changed the Game Forever

In accessible, exciting prose, sportswriter and Giants beat reporter Palladino highlights the achievements of legends Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry, who both worked as assistant coaches under the New York Giants' Jim Lee Howell. Lombardi coordinated offense from 1954 to 1958 before becoming head coach of the Green Bay Packers. Landry strategized defense from 1954 to 1959 before signing with the Dallas Cowboys, an expansion team that would eventually dominate the league in the 1970s and early '80s. Palladino offers generous praise for both. In Landry, for example, "the Giants had a man who would change the entire language of defense." He also compares and contrasts the coaches' styles and personalities. People could hear Lombardi "from five blocks away" but would not be able to hear Landry "from the next chair." Though the men differed in temperament, character, and even spirituality, they worked extraordinarily well together. That each of them would find great individual success in the NFL in subsequent years is a testament to their talent and dedication. Photos. (Sept.)