Lombardi's Left Side
Herb Adderley
Dave Robinson
Royce Boyles
9780983695288
304 pages
Ascend Books
Overview
People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses or the problems of modern society.—Vince Lombardi Winning was not the only thing. Something more important than winning football games occurred during the Lombardi Dynasty. Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers ushered the National Football League to the forefront of American sports popularity during a racially explosive time, proving that teamwork transcended the color barrier. Along the way to greatness, Lombardi’s team demonstrated to the NFL, to America, what football looked like in the modern era: blacks and whites working together to win. And win they did. The Green Bay Packers can tell one of the greatest sports stories our nation has ever seen: five World Championships, including three in a row. No team has been able to win three straight World titles since the great Packers squads. With 40 years of reflection, how Lombardi’s Dynasty occurred is much more important than we knew back then. They won championships because of the character of the players. The task was daunting and the results historical. With a collection of competent people, Lombardi pushed, pulled, tugged and led Green Bay—-and the NFL—into the modern era. Very little has been written about the defensive side of the ball and because of the attrition of the Packer defensive players from the era, there is very little chance much wil be published. Lombardi’s Left Side is the first—and most likely the last—book about the great Green Bay Packers defenses of the Lombardi Era as told by two of Lombardi’s greatest defensive players: Herb Adderley and Dave Robinson. These two players were critical elements in winning championsips and moving our country forward in a racially explosive time. The two men, who were athletic, bright, courageous, disciplined, hungry, confident, proud, spiritual, descent and black, blazed a trail. They played on the left side of Green Bay’s great defenses of the Lombardi Era. For the first time, Adderley and Robinson share what it was like to be a professional football player in the 1960s through personal stories of Lombardi and his management of the entire Green Bay Packer organization. Articulate and intelligent, Adderley and Robinson cover it all: on the field and off. These two great athletes shut down the left side of the football field and opened up the right side of our minds.
Author Bio
Herb Adderley played for the Green Bay Packers from 1961 to 1969 and ended his career with a three year stay in Dallas. Adderley is one of the NFL’s all-time greats. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the 1960’s All-Decade team. He was selected as one of the NFL’s top 100 greatest players and a five time Pro-Bowl member. Adderley has been enshrined in six halls of fame. Herb is one of three players to be a member of six world championship teams, and he played in a record seven College All-Star games. He and Green Bay teammate Bob Jeter were selected as the number four best tandem of cornerbacks in league history. Adderley scored the first defensive toughdown in Super Bowl history with a 60 yard return of an interception in Super Bowl II. In his 12 NFL seasons, Adderley recorded 48 interceptions, which he returned for 1,046 yards and seven touchdowns, an average of 21.8 yards per return.Dave Robinson played outside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers from 1963 to 1972 and was a member of Vince Lombardi’s three consecutive World Championship teams in '65, '66 and '67. The Packers won Super Bowls I and II as a crowning achievement to the great dynasty. He was Green Bay’s first round draft choice for the '63 season after being selected as a consensus All-American at Penn State as a tight end. Dave also played defensive end for the Nittany Lions. Robinson is a member of the Packers Hall of Fame, the 1960’s NFL All-Decade team, and the College Football Hall of Fame. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.Wisconsin native Royce Boyles is a lifelong sports fan with a distinct curiosity regarding Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers. His first book, The Lombardi Legacy,was used and credited as a resource for HBO’s 2010 Emmy award-winning documentary, Lombardi. Boyles also authored The Lombardi Impact, a unique look at Vince Lombardi’s leadership style. Recognized as one of the foremost authorities of the Lombardi Era, Royce resides in rural Rock Springs, Wisconsin, near the tourist area of Wisconsin Dells.
