Saints have a Lombardi, and now they want the trophy

Reporting from Miami Gardens, Fla. — 

Joe Lombardi wants to uphold the values of his famous grandfather.

He also wants to uphold his grandfather’s trophy.

Lombardi, 38, is quarterbacks coach for the New Orleans Saints, who play the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in Super Bowl XLIV. He’s also a grandson of legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi, for whom the championship trophy is named.

The two never met, as Joe was born a year after his grandfather’s death in 1970. But the younger Lombardi has attracted a lot of attention this week, even though his role with the Saints is a fairly low-profile one.

“Some of the coaches were teasing me because of all this attention I’m getting because of my grandfather,” he said.

It’s not a subject he broaches much in his everyday life. Proud as he is of the connection, Lombardi can say with conviction that he has paid his dues in the business.

After playing football at the Air Force Academy and serving his five-year military commitment, he coached at Dayton, Virginia Military Institute, for the New Jersey Hitmen of the XFL, Bucknell and Mercyhurst College. His first NFL break came when he got a job breaking down film for Jim Mora with the Atlanta Falcons, then parlayed that into a position with the Saints.

“I’m sure it hasn’t hurt me,” he said of his name. “It hasn’t fast-tracked me, but I’m sure if there are five resumes there, at least they’re going to remember, ‘Hey, this guy applied for this job.’ But this is a results-oriented business. If you don’t do your job well, you’re not going to keep it.”

Lombardi isn’t a dead ringer for his grandfather, although he does have a similar square jaw and hairline. Hanging on the wall in his office is a framed, handwritten “call sheet” of plays that Vince Lombardi used as offensive coordinator of the New York Giants, before he became coach of the Green Bay Packers. The keepsake is dated Sept. 30, 1956.

Joe’s father, also named Vince, has all of his dad’s championship rings, and a replica of the Lombardi Trophy that Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis had made for the coach’s widow.

“It was in our den of our living room when I was growing up,” Joe said. “One of those rooms you don’t really go into when you’re a kid.”

He said he’s proud of the success his grandfather had as a coach, of course, but also of principles for which he stood.

Asked whether he agrees with the most famous quote attributed to his grandfather -- “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing” -- Lombardi initially said no, but then qualified his answer.

“In this business, yes, because if you don’t win then you don’t have a job anymore,” he said. “But I think he was kind of misquoted in that whole thing. He was misinterpreted. In fact I saw a quote from him that said, ‘Hey, here’s what I meant, and to be honest with you I wish I’d never said the darn thing.’

“I think his point was that certainly your goal is to win, but it’s the process that you take in order to get there, the will to win, the will to prepare, doing everything in your control in order to put yourself in position to win at anything. And I think that’s what his point was, more so than win at all costs even if you’ve got to cheat or cut corners.”

That said, two days before the biggest game in franchise history, the Saints -- and Lombardi -- are taking a win-at-all-costs approach.

Lombardi can almost feel his grandfather’s trophy in his hands. But he’s also realistic.

“Really, no matter how well I do, I’m never going to match what he did and who he was, and the impact he had,” he said. “So you know if that’s your goal, you’re going to fall short.”

sam.farmer@latimes.com

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