Football Daily

Born on June 11, 1913, in Brooklyn, New York, was Vince Lombardi, the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee, NFL coach of the Green Bay Packers, and former NFL executive.

Yes, even the trophy awarded to the Super Bowl Champion each season bears his name due to his importance to the NFL. Before becoming the Packers' head man, he had only five years of NFL experience as an assistant coach with the New York Giants. At his first team meeting, Lombardi challenged his new team by saying, "I have never been on a losing team, gentlemen, and I do not intend to start now!" The Packers responded as they improved from 1-10-1 in 1958 to 7-5 in 1959 in Lombardi's first season on the job. In 1960, Lombardi's Packers won the NFL championship five times in seven years and the first two Super Bowls in just ten seasons! Coach Vince had an overall career record of 105-35-6 as a head coach. The Pro Football Hall of Fame website claims that not only did he turn the Green Bay Packers around and take the league crown in 7 of nine seasons, but he also, in his final year as a coach, took the dismal Washington team and gave them their first winning season in 14! Vince Lombardi was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971, a year after he died of cancer at age 57.

It is fitting that at the end of every Super Bowl, we remember the man that helped define the game.

In the annals of college football history, few nicknames evoke such a sense of power and resilience as the "Seven Blocks of Granite." This moniker belonged to the legendary offensive line of the 1936 Fordham Rams, a unit that remains synonymous with dominance and paved the way for a near-perfect season.

The nickname wasn't a coincidence. Composed of seven exceptional linemen – Leo Paquin, Johnny Druze, Alex Wojciechowicz, Ed Franco, Al Babartsky, Mike Kochel, and Harry Jacunski – this group embodied toughness and technical brilliance. They weren't just big; they were disciplined, coordinated, and possessed a fierce competitive spirit instilled by head coach Jim Crowley and line coach Frank Leahy, both NFL coaching legends themselves.

The "Seven Blocks of Granite" revolutionized the way the offensive line operated in the single-platoon era of college football. They played both offense and defense, a testament to their incredible stamina and versatility. Their primary function was to clear running lanes for the Fordham backfield, a task they accomplished with brutal efficiency. The backs enjoyed the luxury of running behind an impenetrable wall, allowing them to rack up points at will.

The 1936 season was a masterclass in offensive dominance. The "Seven Blocks of Granite" shut down opposing pass rushes and paved the way for a relentless rushing attack. Fordham averaged over 128 points per game, a staggering number in that era. They shut out three opponents and outscored their adversaries by a margin of 128-33, a testament to their offensive and defensive prowess.

While the Rams finished the season undefeated and ranked number one, a heartbreaking loss to NYU in the final game dashed their Rose Bowl dreams. However, the legacy of the "Seven Blocks of Granite" transcended wins and losses. Their dominance redefined the role of the offensive line, showcasing its importance in establishing a dominant running game.

The "Seven Blocks of Granite" story extends beyond statistics and on-field achievements. They produced two College Football Hall of Famers and two Pro Football Hall of Famers, including the legendary Vince Lombardi, whose own coaching philosophy was undeniably influenced by his experiences playing behind this dominant line.

This week, I received a Monday Mailbag question asking me to rank every Wolf Pack football coach in program history, a project I was actually working on as a follow up to my ranking of every Nevada starting quarterback over the last five decades. In total, 26 head coaches have led Nevada football, a number that will rise to 27 when newly hired Ken Wilson makes his debut in 2022. Of those 26 coaches, 11 have winning records during their Nevada tenures.