Chuck Noll and Vince Lombardi were two of the greatest coaches in NFL history, but they were very different. Lombardi coached the Green Bay Packers in the 1960s. He was tough on his players and motivated his team with emotional talks. Noll coached the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s and 1980s. He was direct and a man of few words. But both coaches accomplished two goals: 1. Create the toughest team in the NFL. 2. He created the most fundamentally sound team in the NFL. And with that objective, the championships arrived.
Lombardi’s catchphrase, “winning is everything”, has often been misinterpreted to mean that winning by any means is acceptable. But his players would probably tell us that “whatever means” had more to do with training him than what they would do to opposing teams. Sacrificing their bodies and routinely using every ounce of energy in practice, they became a formidable team on the field. Lombardi sought to have his players better prepared than any other team.
Noll’s catchphrase was “whatever it takes”. Once again, she is easily misunderstood. Noll expanded on the notion to say that “whatever it takes to become the best team” was its meaning. For Noll, like Lombardi, it was about sacrificing for the team, working for the team, playing his part for the team.
For both Lombardi and Noll, their focus on toughness and fundamentals was demonstrated and forever remembered in two of the greatest moments in professional soccer.
Packers 1967 NFL Championship Game: The Ice Bowl
The Packers played the Dallas Cowboys for the NFL Championship on the last day of the year in 1967. The Packers had a secret weapon: Mother Nature. Few NFL games have been so well celebrated and commemorated. The Packers had seen a lot of cold weather before this game, but the so-called “Ice Bowl” was the start of much of the lore and legend surrounding Lambeau Field. From this game forward, Green Bay fans would not only tolerate the cold in Lambeau, but would enjoy its “frozen tundra.”
The Cowboys led, 17-14, on the Packers’ icy home field in the fourth quarter. With only 4:50 left on the clock, Lombardi’s offense went 68 yards downfield toward goal and began a 12-play game-winning drive. They would need almost every second.
A determined Bart Starr completed a flat pass to Donny Anderson for a 6-yard gain. Chuck Mercein found enough room to run outside for a first down. Starr threw one up the middle to Boyd Dowler at the 50-yard line and Cornell Green, who was struggling with his balance, was able to grab and throw Dowler hard over the tackle to the icy ground. It was nip and tuck all the way. Anderson received a handoff from Starr, but was tackled in the backfield. It was a second down and the first was 19 yards away on a field that was quickly turning into an ice skating rink. Starr looked around and threw Anderson a walk-off pass that the running back converted for another 12-yard gain. Starr followed with another short pass to Anderson, who won the first down. Chuck Mercein was the next target and after the catch he ran the ball to the Dallas 11-yard line. Mercein had a hot hand and took a handball pass from Starr and ran it up the middle to the 2-yard line. Anderson ran inches from goal and a first down. The Cowboys’ tough, determined defense blocked two runs by Donny Anderson. Time was stopped when Starr went to the sideline and told Lombardi that since the running backs were slipping, he would take the ball himself on a wedge play, which normally goes to the fullback. Lombardi replied, “Then do it and let’s get out of here.” As Starr trotted back onto the field, the tension in the stands was almost unbearable.
Starr stepped behind center with 13 seconds remaining at the 1-yard line with no timeouts. He raised his hands to calm the crowd and the ball broke into a fast count. Jerry Kramer jumped on Cowboys big defensive tackle Jethro Pugh, hitting him low, followed by Packers center Ken Bowman hitting Pugh high. The cleats scraped the ice and Pugh was pushed back. Starr followed Kramer and dove into the end zone to score. Mercein, who thought Starr was going to pass him, followed the play and raised his arms in the air to let the officials know he wasn’t pushing Starr into the end zone, a foul that could have caused the Packers to play. . Millions of viewers thought Mercein was pointing to a marker! The fans realized that Starr had scored and amid an arctic field of dreams came the deafening roar of the crowd. Chandler kicked the extra point and the Packers won, 21-17.
The Steelers’ Defining Moment
The defining moment that ended the chain of frustration and put the Steelers on a new way to win came at the end of the divisional playoff game on December 23, 1972. Pittsburgh had the ball at its own 20-yard line with just 1 minute left. and 20 seconds. trailing the Oakland Raiders 7-6. Quarterback Terry Bradshaw wasn’t doing miracles in those days and five plays later the Steelers were still 60 yards from the field of play with just 22 seconds remaining. Bradshaw threw up the middle to “Frenchy” Fuqua, but Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum slammed into Fuqua and the ball with such force that the ball flew backwards as if it had been redirected by an unknown hand. Franco Harris calmly grabbed the ball from his laces and eluded tacklers on his way to the end zone to score and win. The work was called “The Immaculate Reception”. Although the Steelers lost the AFC Championship to the Dolphins, they impressed football fans, their competitors, and most importantly, themselves. they had arrived. Noll’s Steelers were winners and now with the Immaculate Reception, it looked like they had fans in high places.
Harris epitomized what it meant to play fundamentally well and give it all he had. Although he was apparently out of the play, he kept his head on it and when the ball bounced off Tatum, he was able to pick it up and run for the touchdown. The extra point gave the Steelers a 13-7 victory.
In the closing moments of both games, the players took stock of themselves and played solid fundamental football as a team.