John Pinero as Vince Lombardi in Cedarburg this Month

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As of this writing, the Green Bay Packers are 12 quarters away from winning Super Bowl LI. (It could happen.) A couple of days before this year’s NFC and AFC conference championships, the late Vince Lombardi will appear onstage in Cedarburg in the form of actor John Pinero.

Pinero almost has more experience being Vince Lombardi that Vince Lombardi did. Between his work at St. Cecilia HS in the ’40s, his long run with the Packers in the '60s and his one year with the Redskins before retirement, Lombardi head coached for just over a dozen years combined. Pinero has been playing Lombardi for over 20 years in his one-man show Vince, The Life & Times Of Vince Lombardi. He’s played Lombardi for the Packers Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He’s given motivational speeches in the role for corporate gigs all over the place.

It’s interesting to watch footage of the two men lined-up. Both men appear to be roughly the same build. They’re both from Brooklyn. The voices are similar enough to sound kind of identical. Pinero even appears to be roughly the same age that Lombardi was when he was coaching the Packers. David Cecsarini's 2008 portrayal of the man for Next Act Theatre will always be my personal favorite, but this might be as close to a three-dimensional representation of the guy as one is likely to get outside of cloning or time-travel. Come January 20th, Green Bay the Packers might be preparing for this year’s NFC Championship . Even if they’re not it’s been a long, strange season in the NFL. Pinero’s one-man show should be fun trip to Cedarburg to celebrate the early days of the league with one of the most recognized personalities in the history of professional sports.

John Pinero’s Vince, The Life & Times Of Vince Lombardi makes it to the Cedarburg Performing Arts Center on Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. For ticket reservations and more, visit the Cedarburg PAC online.