Vicky Aldridge was the wife of Lionel Aldridge, who was African American football player. Vicky and Lionel’s relationship started in college at Utah State, where there was little diversity. The college got the two together and told them that they shouldn’t be together and that they would need to keep their relationship private. They got married January 18, 1967. Their relationship was seen as immoral because it was an interracial marriage. During the time period, people were not accepting of these types of relationships. When Vicky got married to Lionel, her family no longer wanted to talk with her because they did not approve of their relationship. During Lionel’s time with the Packers, Vicky was not fully accepted by the white wives nor the black wives. She had one foot in each door. While the players were at away games, the wives would take turns hosting parties, but when it came to be Vicky’s turn, none of the other wives showed up. When Lionel and Vicky were going to get married, Pete Rozelle, the NFL Commissioner, told Lombardi that the marriage would be bad for the league. Vicky remembers Lombardi saying to Pete,
“This is my team. You can’t tell me how to run it.”.1
Vicky thought highly of Vince. When asked about Vince and equality, she said,
“Totally, totally a racial pioneer. I don’t think he believed in any kind of racial discrepancy… I don’t think he had anything – any care at all about color. I think he was color-blind, as far as, that was concerned.” 2
Dave Robinson and Royce Boyles, The Lombardi Legacy: Thirty People Who Were Touched by Greatness (Kentucky: Goose Creek Publishers, 2009), 232.
Dave Robinson and Royce Boyles, The Lombardi Legacy: Thirty People Who Were Touched by Greatness (Kentucky: Goose Creek Publishers, 2009), 233.
