Vince Lombardi on artificial turf

"I've been down in Tennessee looking at artificial grass. I don't suppose that means much in California -- but good artificial turf would be an advantage on rainy days here in the Midwest. The Packers have two fields, one in Milwaukee and one here, so we have to think about the expense. But when it's perfected, we'll put it in, maybe in two or three years."

-- Vince Lombardi, quoted in The Sporting News, Nov. 2, 1968

In three months, the Packers' field conditions would no longer be Lombardi's concern. On Feb. 6, 1969, he was introduced as Washington's new head coach and general manager.

Washington did play one game for Lombardi on artificial turf, defeating Philadelphia 34-29 on Dec. 7, 1969 at Franklin Field.

It's important to note that in the late 1960s the expectation was that AstroTurf and PolyTurf would decrease injuries, not increase them. "There is every indication synthetic surfaces cut down on casualties, particularly of the knee type," NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle said in 1968. (Wendell Davis on Line 1, Commissioner.) It's why even a warm-weather outdoor stadium such as Miami's Orange Bowl had PolyTurf from 1970-75.