Of the five coaches Vince Promuto played for in his 11-year NFL career – all with the Redskins – the two-time Pro Bowl guard admired Vince Lombardi by far. Despite being a quarter-century apart in age, the two felt a kinship for each other, in large part because of their Italian ethnicity. They were also tough guys from New York City.

Lombardi coached the Redskins for only one season, 1969, leading them to a 7-5-2 mark in their first winning season in 14 years. The legendary coach changed the culture of a perennially struggling squad. He always believed in having the best conditioned players, whether it was in his nine seasons in Green Bay, which included five NFL championships, or his one year in D.C. He wanted his troops mentally and physically prepared for the rigors of the fourth quarter.