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Run to Daylight!
In the golden years of professional football, one team and one coach reigned supreme: the 1960s Green Bay Packers, and the fiery Vince Lombardi.
Run to Daylight! is Lombardi’s own diary of a week at the helm of that magnificent club. Together with legendary sports-journalist, W.C. Heinz, Lombardi takes us from the first review of game films on Monday right through the final gun on Sunday afternoon. We see the planning, the plotting, the practice and the pain as forty-plus men come together to form that precision unit that makes for winning football. Lombardi gives us his views on life, the game, coaching, success, family, and the famed “Lombardi Sweep.”
Now, in this anniversary edition, with a special foreword by David Maraniss, we are once again reminded of the passion and power behind America's greatest game. Written in W.C. Heinz’s inimitable style, Run to Daylight! is part diary, part philosophy text, part coaches manual. Here, is professional football at its best.
Run to Daylight! is Lombardi’s own diary of a week at the helm of that magnificent club. Together with legendary sports-journalist, W.C. Heinz, Lombardi takes us from the first review of game films on Monday right through the final gun on Sunday afternoon. We see the planning, the plotting, the practice and the pain as forty-plus men come together to form that precision unit that makes for winning football. Lombardi gives us his views on life, the game, coaching, success, family, and the famed “Lombardi Sweep.”
Now, in this anniversary edition, with a special foreword by David Maraniss, we are once again reminded of the passion and power behind America's greatest game. Written in W.C. Heinz’s inimitable style, Run to Daylight! is part diary, part philosophy text, part coaches manual. Here, is professional football at its best.
241 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1963
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 20, 2010
I really enjoyed this. I thought the format and point of view were really perfect for what the book was trying to do. It succeeded in giving the reader a look into what it takes to be a top football program on any given week. You'll certainly gain an appreciation for the coaches and athletes after reading this.
That being said, this is not one of those sports books you can just pick up and read without knowing anything about football for the human interest side of things. If you don't know anything about football, you'll be lost in jargon you don't understand. But if you DO watch football, this is a must read.
It's also a good read for us younger fans of the modern game. It's always interesting to realize these players would go off to the army or other odd jobs during the off season and come back for training to get back in shape. These were the days before huge money got paid out. These were also the days when Paul Hornung could be your halfback all the way down the field and then also kick the field goals. That type of player just can't exist in the current system. Amazing.
That being said, this is not one of those sports books you can just pick up and read without knowing anything about football for the human interest side of things. If you don't know anything about football, you'll be lost in jargon you don't understand. But if you DO watch football, this is a must read.
It's also a good read for us younger fans of the modern game. It's always interesting to realize these players would go off to the army or other odd jobs during the off season and come back for training to get back in shape. These were the days before huge money got paid out. These were also the days when Paul Hornung could be your halfback all the way down the field and then also kick the field goals. That type of player just can't exist in the current system. Amazing.
July 18, 2014
I grew up in Wisconsin during the Lombardi era. My Dad never read a lot of books, but about 50 years ago he received this one as a Christmas gift, read it and enjoyed it. Consequently this book was a wonderful trip down memory lane for me.
Learning more about the personalities of players who were so popular during my youth was quite interesting. Receiving insight into Lombardi's coaching rationale was interesting as well. But I did get a tad bogged down in all the "X's & O's."
Learning more about the personalities of players who were so popular during my youth was quite interesting. Receiving insight into Lombardi's coaching rationale was interesting as well. But I did get a tad bogged down in all the "X's & O's."
March 24, 2013
Best football book outside of Jerry Kramer's books.
November 4, 2021
If you ever get the chance to read David Marinass's book "When Pride Still Mattered," you'll understand that Vince Lombardi was way more complicated a human being than the media image created around him would have you believe. A tough, sensitive, hard-working kid from New York, Lombardi went on to become the gold standard for professional football coaches everywhere. His Packers won the first two Super Bowls ever played, and the trophy given out at the end of the game bears his name to this day. In Green Bay, and indeed in the country at large, Lombardi's is a legend that looms large over the football landscape.
That being said, this book is just fine. It's a collaboration between Lombardi and sportswriter W.C. Heinz, and it's a diary of one week in the (championship-winning) 1962 season for Vince and the Packers, as they prepare to host the Detroit Lions who, in what must come as a shock to modern football fans, were actually a pretty solid team in the early Sixties and a real threat to halt Green Bay's chances to secure a championship in the pre-merger era (when whoever won the NFL or AFL was basically considered the champ of their respective league). We get a lot of coach-speak and, as this was the early Sixties and the book was likely geared towards very young fans, a lot of sanitized content in terms of curse words and the like. It's a pre-"Ball Four" sports book, an "as told to" in which the writer likely had to do the grunt work of capturing the coach's demeanor in his prose. It's a fine book if you go into it with the expectation that it's not going to be the most revolutionary or revelatory book in the world ("When Pride Still Mattered" makes it clear how far from idyllic the Lombardi marriage was, for one thing, and so "light" moments between Vince and his wife Marie play differently if you know about her drinking and his issues with it).
The lead-up to the game is full of preparation, as befitting a world-class organization like the Green Bay Packers, but it's also full of moments where Lombardi gets bombarded by inane questions (as he says, how is he to respond to questions about the Packers' ability to win the game? If he says they will, he comes off as arrogant; if he says no, he comes off as defeatist. He can't really win). It's a fun book in that we get (again, a highly sanitized) glimpse into the locker room and what goes into preparing for your toughest opponent of the year.
I think I liked some of this book better than other parts, and I would recommend it to a Cheese-head or football fan who maybe knows the truth behind the myth of Lombardi (again, "Pride" is probably one of the best sports biographies I've ever read). But I wouldn't go all out for it if you're looking for dirty, racy stories of what really happens in locker rooms and so on. It's just fine, and I paid two bucks for it at a local library book sale. So it wasn't like I invested too much into it, financially or in terms of reading interest.
That being said, this book is just fine. It's a collaboration between Lombardi and sportswriter W.C. Heinz, and it's a diary of one week in the (championship-winning) 1962 season for Vince and the Packers, as they prepare to host the Detroit Lions who, in what must come as a shock to modern football fans, were actually a pretty solid team in the early Sixties and a real threat to halt Green Bay's chances to secure a championship in the pre-merger era (when whoever won the NFL or AFL was basically considered the champ of their respective league). We get a lot of coach-speak and, as this was the early Sixties and the book was likely geared towards very young fans, a lot of sanitized content in terms of curse words and the like. It's a pre-"Ball Four" sports book, an "as told to" in which the writer likely had to do the grunt work of capturing the coach's demeanor in his prose. It's a fine book if you go into it with the expectation that it's not going to be the most revolutionary or revelatory book in the world ("When Pride Still Mattered" makes it clear how far from idyllic the Lombardi marriage was, for one thing, and so "light" moments between Vince and his wife Marie play differently if you know about her drinking and his issues with it).
The lead-up to the game is full of preparation, as befitting a world-class organization like the Green Bay Packers, but it's also full of moments where Lombardi gets bombarded by inane questions (as he says, how is he to respond to questions about the Packers' ability to win the game? If he says they will, he comes off as arrogant; if he says no, he comes off as defeatist. He can't really win). It's a fun book in that we get (again, a highly sanitized) glimpse into the locker room and what goes into preparing for your toughest opponent of the year.
I think I liked some of this book better than other parts, and I would recommend it to a Cheese-head or football fan who maybe knows the truth behind the myth of Lombardi (again, "Pride" is probably one of the best sports biographies I've ever read). But I wouldn't go all out for it if you're looking for dirty, racy stories of what really happens in locker rooms and so on. It's just fine, and I paid two bucks for it at a local library book sale. So it wasn't like I invested too much into it, financially or in terms of reading interest.
February 11, 2018
This book is a chronicle of one week in the life of a coach in the NFL. The team is the Green Bay Packers, the head coach is the legendary Vince Lombardi and there is a game against an unnamed opponent the upcoming Sunday. While there are workouts and practices, much more time is spent in discussion sections and film analysis. There is obsession to detail, repetition, criticism, concerns over illness and injury and uncertainty over the weather at game time.
Even the legendary Lombardi experienced doubts and uncertainty as he put his coaches and players through a sequence of physical and mental exercises designed to get them ready to face a specific opponent. Lombardi goes to great lengths to never mention the name of that team or the names of any of the opposing players.
While there are insights into the coaching mindset, much of it is the essential tedium of preparing for a game. Spotting strengths, weaknesses and tendencies through lengthy and exhausting analysis, putting all aside in the quest for the next win. The football action is encapsulated into a brief recapitulation of the game, which is in many ways an afterthought.
Even the legendary Lombardi experienced doubts and uncertainty as he put his coaches and players through a sequence of physical and mental exercises designed to get them ready to face a specific opponent. Lombardi goes to great lengths to never mention the name of that team or the names of any of the opposing players.
While there are insights into the coaching mindset, much of it is the essential tedium of preparing for a game. Spotting strengths, weaknesses and tendencies through lengthy and exhausting analysis, putting all aside in the quest for the next win. The football action is encapsulated into a brief recapitulation of the game, which is in many ways an afterthought.
October 20, 2018
I could never keep track of all the play calls, but it’s an interesting insight into the weekly routine Lombardi and his team experienced. Despite all the preparation it comes down to execution. Also interesting how cognizant he was of player personalities and the influence that had not only on individual players but on his ability to coach the game. Nice insight too on the need to continually motivate the team. You also get the sense that he struggled more with Starr at quarterback than commonly known. Interesting to speculate what kind of quarterback Starr would have been without Lombardi. Overall, a must-read for Packer fans and students of the game.
May 3, 2020
Excellent read, one week in the coaches life. All the focus on the next opponent but while all that is going on and all the thoughts in your head there is still life and family that happens.
For all the coaches significant others, thank you for putting up with coach, and being the rock to keep things together, Even Lombardi had Marie to keep things at home in place. This book shows the details of the coaching office and locker room but also shared the life impact as well.
Great read to show all the pieces that go into that weeks prep for your next opponent.
For all the coaches significant others, thank you for putting up with coach, and being the rock to keep things together, Even Lombardi had Marie to keep things at home in place. This book shows the details of the coaching office and locker room but also shared the life impact as well.
Great read to show all the pieces that go into that weeks prep for your next opponent.
September 27, 2021
This book details a week in the like of Green Bay Packer Coach Vince Lombardi. It follows his routing from daily Mass to film sessions to on the field practices. The team is preparing for a big game against the Detroit Lions, a game that proved pivotal in the 1962 season, although the book does not mention it. It gives the coach's opinions on players and also his thought as the game against the Lions progresses. It's decently written and a nice peak into a legendary coach and team.
May 16, 2017
A solid read for any football fan. Recommended to me by a GB Packer fan colleague, this book is first person from Vince Lombardi. Very clear to see why he is one of the best (if not the best) football coach in history.
July 28, 2019
A great inside look at the training and game time philosophy of Coach Vince Lombardi through a week of preparations for a game that turned out to be an ugly one, yet a victory for the Packers. Flashbacks to defining moments of building the legacy of one of the greatest to coach the game!
June 30, 2017
Icons, better then all.
Reminder to all football fans, nobody said it was easy. How the best, did it in one week, onward to another title!
Reminder to all football fans, nobody said it was easy. How the best, did it in one week, onward to another title!
December 7, 2017
3.25 stars.
November 21, 2019
Very interesting! The writing was a bit off putting, though.
April 9, 2020
Great insight to Lombardi and his thought process. Instead of thinking of him as an invincible god, the book shows the brilliance of Lombardi's preparation and knowledge that led to his success.
December 22, 2020
An insightful book into a man that has become legendary.
May 7, 2024
A good read but some of the football tactics sections are too in the weeds and hard to follow
February 14, 2016
So much of the myth surrounding Vince Lombardi fails to capture just what a terrific football coach he was, in terms of preparing his team and motivating his players to succeed. "Run to Daylight" (ghostwritten by the great W.C. Heinz) is an illuminating look into the life of Lombardi's Green Bay Packers during a single week in 1962. Some of this story is very specific to the time and place where Lombardi coached, but so much of his observations and plans and worries are timeless and can be applied to any coach and any team. Indeed, the names of the opposing players and team were originally redacted from the book (but later restored in the version I read, which I felt did enhance the book, knowing exactly who was being discussed.) One other fun aspect about the book was reading about a game played in the pre-Super Bowl era, which is largely forgotten and ignored by the NFL today.
October 1, 2014
I'm a football fan, but Lombardi's error was long before my time, and perhaps that was the problem.
While I found the book interesting from a voyeuristic standpoint–it's truly mesmerizing to see how a championship coach gets from the planning stage to the execution stage–but the book felt longer and more plodding than necessary, and bored me at times.
That said, if you're a fan of Lombardi, a fan of that era, or just a diehard fan of the Pack, this book would be of interest.
For me, however, a fanatic fan of modern-day football, it was okay, but I'm not likely to read it again.
While I found the book interesting from a voyeuristic standpoint–it's truly mesmerizing to see how a championship coach gets from the planning stage to the execution stage–but the book felt longer and more plodding than necessary, and bored me at times.
That said, if you're a fan of Lombardi, a fan of that era, or just a diehard fan of the Pack, this book would be of interest.
For me, however, a fanatic fan of modern-day football, it was okay, but I'm not likely to read it again.
August 31, 2014
This book is for Packer fans only. It uses a lot of football terminology that I'm not familiar with in addition to the Packer terms. It's very interesting to read and I loved the last few paragraphs. I could see a movie about him ending with a voice over with him reading the last few paragraphs.
You really had to read between to lines to get a better a understanding of what kind of a person he was. It was a VERY football heavy book but I'm very glad I read it. I gave it only 3 stars because I think it wouldn't appeal to the non-football fan or non-Packer fan.
You really had to read between to lines to get a better a understanding of what kind of a person he was. It was a VERY football heavy book but I'm very glad I read it. I gave it only 3 stars because I think it wouldn't appeal to the non-football fan or non-Packer fan.
Read
January 4, 2011This book was excellent! The inside look at how this football master prepared for a regular season game. Looking at how he struggled with which plays to utilize against different defenses gave me a feeling for his humanity. This LEGEND had the same insecurities as the rest of us.
January 11, 2011
A diary of one week's preparation for next Sunday's game. Interesting psychological insights. Doesn't over glorify the game. Nicely weaves in reminiscences of how various Packer greats came to be a part of the team.
January 2, 2012
Interesting way to detail the week in the life of a professional football coach. From planning and stratigizing plays to keeping each player on an even mental keel, Lombardi showed that he lived football, every minute of every day.
July 20, 2016
Another sports classic. Ghost written by the great W.C. Heinz, this book goes inside the workings of Vince Lombardi's mind and his Green Bay Packers in the week preparing to play the Detroit Lions in 1962. This should be in the library of anyone who loves the Packers.
March 4, 2009
I enjoyed this quite a bit. If you don't know something about Vince Lombardi then you don't truly know about football.
April 7, 2009
Love this book as a kid.
Read
April 7, 2009i love this bookkkk very muuuuuuuuuuuch
September 30, 2013
The greatest coach in NFL history describes one week of preparations before a game. A must-read for all Packers and NFL fans.
February 12, 2013
As close as you can get into the thinking mind of Vince Lombardi. A fun read.
December 12, 2016
Love this book as a kid.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews