Super Bowl and Civil Rights Champions

Super Bowl and Civil Rights Champions

It seemed to me that the laughter, crossing 2,000 miles and bubbling up over 52 years, is one of the best indications of Vince Lombardi’s success as both a Super Bowl and civil rights champion. After seeing a photo of herself and Ruth Pitts as part of the “Delay of Game” exhibit at the Neville [...]

Coach Lombardi was a Hall of Fame GM

Coach Lombardi was a Hall of Fame GM

You could fill a library with books about legendary Packer Coach Vince Lombardi and wallpaper a stadium with his quotes. So ubiquitous are the images of him stalking the sidelines in his trench coat and fedora that children whose parents weren't even born during the Lombardi Years still dress like him for Halloween. Coach Lombardi [...]

The 26th pick and he didn’t even know he was drafted

The 26th pick and he didn’t even know he was drafted

In what turned out to be one of the NFL's strongest classes ever, my dad, Ron Kostelnik, was chosen 26th overall and, at the time, he didn't even know he'd been drafted. In December of 1960, my dad's mind was on other things. A defensive tackle for the University of Cincinnati, he had just played [...]

Bless me Father, for I have sinned

Bless me Father, for I have sinned

Bless me Father, for I have sinned and you might want to make yourself comfortable because this one covers several commandments. I killed the garlic. Dead. You might recall, my dad's high school friend Nick sent me a box of garlic to honor my Pap. It came from a line of garlic traced through generations [...]