Vince Lombardi’s “What It Takes to Be Number One” (1967): Central Idea, Purpose and Structure

What’s It All About? Assessment: Vince Lombardi’s 1967 “What It Takes to Be Number One” Speech

• Central Idea: In one sentence, state the central idea of your speech.
• Central Idea Development: In 2–3 sentences, explain how the author developed this central idea in the beginning, middle and end.
• Author’s Purpose: Was the purpose to explain, express, inform or persuade? In one sentence, explain how you determined it.
• Text Structure: Identify the structure (cause and effect, compare and contrast, chronological, description, problem/solution or sequence). In 2–3 sentences, explain how you determined it.
• Text Feature: What text feature could be added to a printed version to enhance understanding? In one sentence, explain how it would enhance the audience’s experience.

Original example for study purposes. Answers follow the required sentence counts.

Central Idea

Vince Lombardi argues that winning is a habit that requires total, consistent commitment to excellence, discipline and hard work in football and in every area of life.

Central Idea Development

At the beginning, Lombardi establishes that “winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all the time thing,” presenting victory as a constant habit rather than an occasional event. In the middle, he explains that success requires discipline, competitive spirit, mental toughness and leaders who earn respect and loyalty. At the end, he connects these ideas to life itself, describing a person’s finest hour as the moment after they have given everything to a good cause and stand victorious.

Author’s Purpose

Persuade. I determined that his purpose was to persuade because he uses strong, absolute statements and motivational language to convince his audience to adopt his values of commitment, effort and winning.

Text Structure

Cause and effect. Lombardi repeatedly shows that certain causes, such as commitment, discipline, preparation and strong leadership, produce the effect of winning and personal fulfillment. He also explains the opposite effect: half-hearted effort leads to losing. These cause-and-effect relationships organize the speech.

Text Feature

Bold headings for each quality of a winner, such as “Commitment,” “Discipline” and “Leadership”. Headings would help readers quickly identify and remember the key qualities Lombardi believes lead to success.