GREEN BAY, Wisc. (WHDH)– A legendary coach, an iconic trophy, and a man from Boston. What exactly do these three things have in common? They are all named Lombardi.
“My name’s Vincent Lombardi. You hear your entire life, you know, ‘any relation? Any relation?” Lombardi said. “When I saw the schedule come out I was like, right away I know where I’m going!”
Vincent Lombardi grew up in the East Boston/Revere area and is not related to Vincent Lombardi, the former Packers coach who won five NFL championships in the 1960s and led the Green Bay Packers to the first two Super Bowls in NFL history. Lombardi said he got his name because his parents were fans of the football icon, who the Lombardi Trophy is named after.
As Patriots nation heads to historic Lambeau field, so will Boston’s Lombardi. This will be his first visit to the stadium where the former coach left a historic mark on the game of football.
“My first time at Lambeau, it’s been a bucket list [item]. You’re in Packers country here, its awesome, the energy’s awesome. The people are awesome,” he said.
Lombardi said he’s seen the Super Bowl trophy named after the Packers’ Hall of Fame coach, and even met members of the coach’s family.
“Billy Lombardi, one of his nephews, lives in Boston,” Lombardi said. “We were at a bar where he was paying and I said, ‘You’re a Lombardi, so am I!'”
Lombardi is not the only one who appreciates the football folklore found at Lambeau field.
“Every time they show the scoreboard, you know, there’s Hudson, right? There’s, you know there’s Lombardi. There’s Lambeau,” Bill Belichick said ahead of the game Sunday. “You see the names literally after every play.”
This will be the Patriots’ first visit to Lambeau since 2014. Lombardi said he feels confident about his team’s odds.
“I know Mac’s out,” Lombardi said. “But I think they’re gonna come in, they’re gonna run the ball, ground and pound football. Let’s see what happens– I think Patriots will come out with a win.”
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