“All coaches see half of themselves in Vince Lombardi. He is committed to the best, a driven man, in terms of simple motivation.” SIR ALEX FERGUSON
They are separated by an ocean, a culture, a generation. At first glance, Sir Alex Ferguson – knighted by the Queen – and Brooklyn tough guy Vince Lombardi couldn’t be more different. Truth is they’re very much alike: Direct. Driven. And obsessed with winning.
While Lombardi willed the Green Bay Packers to the pinnacle of pro football before dying of cancer in 1970, Ferguson rebuilt Manchester United from a fallen franchise to the biggest club in what the rest of the world calls football. And they did it with the same values.
Ferguson arrived in Old Trafford in 1986, and by ’99 had pulled off a historic treble and been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Still, it was Ferguson who counted himself a fan of Lombardi, drawing largely on “When Pride Still Mattered,” David Maraniss’ biography of the coach.
“I read that book; you have to be [a fan of Lombardi’s]. You read it and you get inspired,” said Ferguson, whose Manchester United squad played Juventus last night at Giants Stadium. “All coaches see half of themselves in Vince Lombardi. He is committed to the best, a driven man, in terms of simple motivation.”
Ferguson’s motivation is simple: Win. And, like the Packers of the 60s, winning games wasn’t enough: Winning hardware is the standard.
The 61-year-old from Glasgow also bought a book of Lombardi quotes. Former assistant Steve McClaren appropriated one – “We didn’t lose today. We just ran out of time” – during that 1999 run to the Premiership, FA Cup and European Champions League titles.
That year was the apex for Ferguson, who like Lombardi, took over a team whose well had run dry.
Hired in Feb. 1959, Lombardi took over a team that had been 1-10-1. He went on to win five NFL championships in a span of seven years, the Packers’ first title since 1944. In 1986, Ferguson took over a club that hadn’t won a league title since 1967, and has won eight of the last 11.
The last was one of his most rewarding.
He’d announced his retirement effective after the 2002 season, but he changed his mind midway through that campaign and signed a three-year deal before last season. Then he went on to manage Man U out of an eight-point deficit to archrival Arsenal for yet another EPL title.
“When you announce your retirement, you start thinking, ‘What’re you going to do with yourself?’ It’s a horrible feeling,” Ferguson said recently. “I think I made the right decision to stay on. I’m enjoying it, I must say.”
It’s the toughest challenge of his career. But Ferguson knows tough.
In the past year he’s shown his dogged determination to do what’s best for Man U, showing no hesitation at embarrassing England coach Sven Goran Eriksson, publicly rebuking captain Roy Keane, and even selling David Beckham.
After all, if Lombardi could trade future Hall of Famer Jim Ringo on the spot for having the nerve to bring his agent into the coach’s office, Ferguson could sell the world’s most popular player if it was in the best interest of United.
“He’s one of the great coaches in the world in any sport, obviously,” said new keeper Tim Howard. “You can only benefit from that. Just look at the way he runs his team.”
Giants Stadium attendance records
Last night’s game between Manchester United and Juventus was expected to set a record for the largest crowd to watch a sporting event at Giants Stadium. Here are some of the other record crowds at the stadium:
All-Time: 82,948, Pope John Paul II’s Papal Mass, Oct. 5, 1995
Sports: 79,310, Giants vs. Minnesota, Jan. 14, 2001 (NFC Championship)
Jets: 78,920, vs. Miami, Nov. 10, 2002
College Football: 78,902, Penn State vs. Southern California, Aug. 27, 2000 (Kickoff Classic XVIII)
Soccer: 78,972, FIFA Women’s World Cup, Opening Ceremonies, USA vs. Denmark, Brazil vs. Mexico, June 19, 1999
United Americans
When MetroStars goalkeeper Tim Howard signed a contract to join Manchester United a little more than two weeks ago, it was widely assumed he was the first American to play for the prestigious club. Four others, however, preceded Howard:
1. Scottish-born Jim Brown, who settled in Westfield, N.J., played for the U.S. team at 1930 World Cup. Debuted with Man U in Sept., 1932, scoring 17 goals in 40 games, the second highest goalscorer on the team in his two years.
2. California-born Paul Rachubka was Man U’s No. 4 keeper, but posted a shutout in his debut, a 2-0 win over South Melbourne in the World Club Championship in Jan. 2000. The 22-year-old joined Charlton full-time last May.
3. Jovan Kirovski, joined Man U’s youth program at 15 in 1992. Scored 20 goals in 21 reserve games in ’96 – a class that included David Beckham and Ryan Giggs – but never got a work permit. Played in Germany, Portugal and is at Birmingham.
4. Jonathan Spector, a promising 17-year-old central defender helped U.S. U-17 team posted a record 25 shutouts last year. Now in Man U’s youth system.
