The Lombardi Honors continues the Lombardi legacy by honoring the Outstanding College Football Lineman offense or defense, that best exemplifies the character and discipline of Vince Lombardi. Just weeks after Coach Vince Lombardi's death in 1970 from colon cancer, the Rotary Club of Houston was authorized by Vince Lombardi's widow, Marie and his sister Madeline Lombardi Werner, to establish the Rotary Lombardi Award. The award began as recognition to only interior line positions that Vince Lombardi played while an undergraduate at Fordham University (offensive and defensive guard), and later expanded to include linebackers and tight ends, with the addition of including non-performance values: leadership, courage, desire, respect for authority, and discipline.
—Rotary