Robert Mason
Cheesehead
"WINNING ISN'T EVERYTHING... IT'S THE ONLY THING" I always thought this was Lombardi's original quote until I recently saw it used in a 1953 movie "Trouble Along The Way". I did some research and found it was first used in 1949 by UCLA Bruins football coach Henry Russell ("Red") Sanders, who spoke two different versions of the quotation.
The quotation is widely, but wrongly attributed to American football coach Vince Lombardi, who probably heard the phrase from UCLA coach Sanders.[3] Lombardi is on record using the quotation as early as 1959 in his opening talk on the first day of the Packers’ training camp.[3] The quotation captured the American public's attention during Lombardi's highly successful reign as coach of the Packers in the 1960s. Over time, the quotation took on a life of its own. The words graced the walls of locker rooms, ignited pre-game pep talks, and echoed from the rafters of banquet halls. According to the late James Michener's Sports in America, Lombardi claimed to have been misquoted. What he intended to say was "Winning isn't everything. The will to win is the only thing."[4] However, Lombardi is on record repeating the original version of the quotation on several occasions.[5]
The quotation is widely, but wrongly attributed to American football coach Vince Lombardi, who probably heard the phrase from UCLA coach Sanders.[3] Lombardi is on record using the quotation as early as 1959 in his opening talk on the first day of the Packers’ training camp.[3] The quotation captured the American public's attention during Lombardi's highly successful reign as coach of the Packers in the 1960s. Over time, the quotation took on a life of its own. The words graced the walls of locker rooms, ignited pre-game pep talks, and echoed from the rafters of banquet halls. According to the late James Michener's Sports in America, Lombardi claimed to have been misquoted. What he intended to say was "Winning isn't everything. The will to win is the only thing."[4] However, Lombardi is on record repeating the original version of the quotation on several occasions.[5]