Lombardi and the Kid Who Could Not Hear

Last Sunday, two teams fought to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy in the Super Bowl. Vince Lombardi was the iconic coach of the Green Bay Packers, who many claim is the greatest coach in NFL History. His teams were known for their precision and discipline because Lombardi demanded it. But Lombardi was more sensitive than some people ever realized.

The Washington Redskins gave Lombardi a stake in the team, and he coached there for one season before passing away. A rookie running back during training camp struggled to hold onto the ball. Even worse, he was slow to move after the snap count. The backfield coaches saw no hope in him helping the team and were ready to cut him. Lombardi overruled them, saying in effect, “Not so fast.” Instead, he ordered that this kid undergo a battery of medical tests. Doctors discovered that the rookie was partially deaf in one ear. FOR THIS REASON, he had been moving slowly! Unable to hear the snap count, he relied on watching the offensive lineman fire out.

With league approval, Coach Lombardi ordered the installation of a device in the halfback’s helmet that would allow him to hear the quarterback’s signals. This act of empathy and innovation changed everything for Larry Brown. By the end of the year, Larry Brown made the NFL’s all-star team as a running back. Four years later, he rushed for more yardage than anyone else in football, leading Washington to their first Super Bowl. Lombardi did not live to see it, but Larry remains grateful to this day for his first NFL coach who gave him a career.

America knew Lombardi as a tough yet great coach. But this overshadowed his sensitivity and creative awareness. He had a unique ability to find diamonds in the rough…like Larry Brown. We would do well to practice that same kind of creative awareness in the workplace.

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