The Old School

With the Vikings players using their lofty 2-5 record as a pedestal to complain about the terrible treatment they get from the media, I got a hankering for some old-time football stories. Here's one - I have no idea if it's true, but it's perfect:

"Lombardi was extremely perceptive and knew a lot about each of his players. He knew that Bob Skoronski was greatly interested in the stock market, that Boyd Dowler had no vices, that Max McGee was great at letting things roll off his back, and that Bart Starr was just the opposite because he had to get everything exactly right.

"But just because each player was recognized as an individual, Lombardi still insisted on a set of rules that everyone had to follow. He forbade racial and religious prejudice, enforced a strict dress code, and insisted that players be on time for everything. Even his wife was forced to follow the rules when she traveled with the team. When she asked to have a scoop of ice cream with her pie, Lombardi shouted, 'When you eat with the team, you eat what the team eats!' "