St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 21

Long After He's Gone, Lombardi Is Big In Green Bay "I firmly believe that man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of combat victorious. Vince Lombardi NEW ORLEANS I found that quote on the Vince Lombardi web page. Lombardi died of cancer at age 57 on Sept. 3, 1970. But he lives in cyberspace with a site on the Internet.

You can read his philosophies, review his career highlights, listen to an audio excerpt of his favorite speech. Lombardi is being recreated on television. Lombardi last coached a football game in 1 969, but his name and image remain marketable. Nike hired actor Jerry Stiller to portray Lombardi in a series of humorous commercials that aired during the 1996 questions. That's especially true for the good-natured Mike Holmgren, the sixth Green Bay coach to inherit the formidable Lombardi legacy.

Sunday, Holmgren will attempt to win what else? the Vince Lombardi Trophy, which is awarded to the Super Bowl champion. After the Packers won the first two Super Bowls (1966 and '67 seasons), Lombardi resigned as coach. He spent an unsatisfying year as Green Bay's general manager, grew restless, and returned to the sideline in 1969 to push the historically inept Washington Redskins to a winning record (7-5-2). Before the 1970 season, Lombardi succumbed to cancer. The Lombardi legend was sealed.

From 1959-67 See MIKLASZ, Page 8 season. And Lombardi's ghost may be summoning tourists to Allouez, a suburb of Green Bay. There, Lombardi's ranch-style house still attracts a steady procession of fans and followers. The brick home, sold by Lombardi in 1969, has become the pro football equivalent of Graceland. The initials of Vin-ce's wife, Marie Lombardi, remain in the front porch cement.

In Chicago, a marketing firm is busy processing orders for an old motivational film called "Second Effort." Lombardi made the film in 1968, and the secrets of his winning formula are in demand again. This week, as the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots close in on Super Bowl XXXI, Lombardi's name has echoed through the ballrooms, as players and coaches get peppered with Lombardi BERNIE MIKLASZ AP Mike Holmgren's hat isn't the only thing that sets him apart from Packers legend Vince Lombardi. weep! Weranea I. I T-A i-m Tr'--s' ifj -f 'j. u.

f- I i 1 i "i I 1 i Ortmayer And Roland Among Those Ousted By Jim Thomas Of the Post-Dispatch Staff NEW ORLEANS In Philadelphia, some called Dick Vermeil the "Little Dictator." In St. Louis, his new nickname might be "Instant Offense." In little more than 48 hours since his introductory news conference, Vermeil has hired two-thirds of his coaching staff, brought in two administrative aides, and subjected the football operations offices at Rams Park to a vigorous winter cleaning. Out on Thursday were Steve Ortmayer, the ttam's vice president of operations; Doug Wilkerson, the teair-' player relations coordinator; and Ortmayer aide Les Miller. Wilkerson and Miller were Ortmayer hires. 'I 1 1,111111 A- Among the coaching staff casualties was Johnny Roland, the assistant head coach and running backs coach during the Rich Brooks era.

"I'm out of the mix, and unfortunately, that means if I'm going to stay in this business I'm going to have to leave St. Louis," Roland said. "Which I'm not opposed to doing. But it was a good two years, I enjoyed it. I've just got to go on with the next chapter of my life." For Roland, 53, working in St.

Louis has been too good to be true, because his family lives there and he has business interests Post-Dispatch Steve Ortmayer, the Rams vice president of operations, was fired Thursday. OdeH Mitchell Jr.Post-Dispatch The Blues' Geoff Courtnall finds Vancouver goalie Kirk McLean and Chris Joseph between him and the goal. The Blues won 4-3 at Kiel Center. Hull's 2 Goals Turn It Around For Blues there. "It ended up being a lot shorter tenure than I would have liked for it to have been," Roland said.

Roland even had an "in" with Vermeil as well, since he was an assistant on Vermeil's Philadelphia Eagles staff from 1976-78. While conceding the Roland decision was a tough one, Vermeil said, "But if I don't release him, I don't have a position to start a new running back coach's career in Wilbert Montgomery." Montgomery, 42, never has coached before. He played for Vermeil from 1977-82 in Philadelphia. Ironically, Roland was his running backs coach when he broke into the league. Even though he's out in St.

Louis, Roland has several irons in the fire and is considered a leading candidate for the Arizona Cardinals' running backs job. Ortmayer has been in limbo since Brooks was fired on See RAMS, Page 8 By Dave Luecking Of the Post-Dispatch Staff Former coach Mike Keenan blamed Brett Hull for the Blues' embarrassing 8-0 loss to Vancouver on Dec. 15. Whether Hull was completely to blame for that one was debatable, but there was no doubt about Hull's impact on the Blues at Kiel Center on Thursday night. He was the No.

1 star. Hull scored two goals in the third period, snapping a 1-1 tie 51 seconds into the period and then a 3-3 tie with 1:14 to play, giving the Blues a 4-3 victory. Pierre Turgeon got the assist on the winner, finding Hull in the slot. Hull snapped a wrist shot between the legs of Kirk McLean. The revenge was sweet.

Vancouver absolutely annihilated the Blues in that nationally televised game last month, but the Blues made up for that with a solid and resilient effort on Thursday. The Blues shut down the Canucks for two periods, then regrouped for two goals after giving up a 2-1 lead by allowing two goals in a 24-second span. "We showed a lot of resiliency," said coach Joel Quenneville, Keenan's replacement. The victory was the first at home for the Blues under Quenneville, who re er goal, recovering from a bad giveaway that led to Vancouver's third goal. Dave Roberts led Vancouver with a goal and an assist on Pavel Bure's goal.

Russ Courtnall also scored for Vancouver. Murphy picked up where he left off Monday in Long Island, scoring 8 minutes 9 seconds into the game to put the Blues on top 1-0. Murphy streaked in on a forecheck and picked up the loose puck when Bret Hedi-can mishandled it in the right circle. Murphy swooped in, went to the front of the net and snapped the puck past goalie Kirk McLean for his third goal in two games. See BLUES, Page? ceived congratulations after the game from Blues Chairman Jerry Ritter and President Mark Sauer.

The victory also gave the Blues four wins in their past five games and a 4-2 mark under Quenneville. They split the season series with Vancouver, going 2-2. Overall, the Blues moved into fourth place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 22-22-4 for 48 points, one point ahead of Edmonton. Vancouver fell to 22-21-2 for 46 points, sixth in the conference. Joe Murphy got the No.

2 star with his third goal in two games and an assist. Rookie Jamie Rivers scored the Blues oth WTO Pats' Martin Found Way To Outrun Trouble 1 i I Lii i-Zii iff' 1 3ft 1 "I knew something was wrong when I was no longer fearing dying. It was like I said, 'If they shoot me, they shoot I realized that I was so used to seeing dying, that I didn't care if somebody died. It became part of everyday life." Through it all he was a good student at Allderdice High School. But before his senior year, his mother wanted him to do something else constructive.

Get out of the house. Join the chess club. Play football. Martin, now a star running back for the New England Patriots, tried to sign up for the high school football team. But he showed up too late for registration and was turned away.

As he was walking a coach called him back and said he'd give Martin a tryout. This turned out to be one of the best moves in the history of Allderdice football. Had the coach not beckoned, Martin probably had a better chance of suffering the fate of the Neale brothers than playing in Sunday's Super Bowl. In his first year of organized football, See MARTIN, Page 8 By Jim Thomas Of the Post-Dispatch Staff NEW ORLEANS Curtis Martin was never in a gang, never in serious trouble. But growing up in Pittsburgh, trouble surrounded him like a gang of tacklers.

Like the time, at age 10, he wondered where his grandmother was. Martin was told by his mother's boyfriend that she was sick. Martin went outside and saw a neighbor. "Sorry to hear about your grandmother," the neighbor said. She had been stabbed to death in a Pittsburgh apartment.

The boyfriend didn't want to tell young Curtis what really had happened. Then, there were his friends, the Neale brothers. Both shot to death within a year of each other. Trouble was all around him. Direction was nowhere.

The trouble nearly swallowed him. "I used to get into fights for no reason," Martin said. "A guy looks at you the wrong way someone steps on your shoes, or looks at your girlfriend. It was kind of crazy. TEAMS Green Bay Packers (NFC) and New England Patriots (AFC).

This will be the third appearance for Green Bay (2-0) and the second for New England (0-1). KICKOFF 5:18 p.m. Sunday. WHERE Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans. This is the eighth game to be played in New Orleans and the fifth in the Superdome.

CURRENT LINE Packers by 14 TUNING IN: KTVI Curt Flood EDWARDSVILLE HIGH QB Jim Dougherty gives Mizzou an oral commitment 2D DAN O'NEILL remembers Cardinals great Curt Flood 3D PETE CARROLL the new coach in New England? No, the Patriots say 8D AP Trouble was a way of life for Curtis Martin as a youth, but the Patriots running back found a way out, and it's carried him to the Super Bowl..