"The one big lesson, which we all have to learn, is that a team, like men, must be brought to its knees before it can rise again," Lombardi said.
The Highlanders have been on their knees for a little while, but it is not too fanciful to hope they can rise again. Or at least keep their heads above the quicksand a little longer.
It was a rough old season and, in terms of pure results, it was a dismal season. But the baby steps the Highlanders took this year, their ability to stay competitive with most teams, and their gobsmacking final-round win against the Crusaders point to a brighter future.
A year ago, there was a sense of doom about the franchise.
Greg Cooper had finished his fourth year as coach, with mediocre results, players were leaving by the truckload, the chief executive was going, and an unpopular draft policy was still in place.
Now, there are new faces at the top and a strong finish to the season has suggested the rebuilding work is not going to be in vain.
Eleventh in a 14-team competition is no reason to shout from the rooftops. But it is also not enough of a reason to consign this season to the trash heap.
The bare statistics show the Highlanders were never in contention this season. They started the season with six consecutive losses and, in fact, were in danger of ending with the wooden spoon right until the final round.
With 14 new players to assimilate into the side, the Highlanders struggled in the areas of decision-making and execution, and were also badly let down by their goal-kickers.
It did not help that they were brutalised more than once by game officials, a relatively common affliction for a struggling team.
It is still impossible to understand how the television official awarded two game-deciding tries to the Reds in the opening round. And the dubious decision to award a penalty try to the Brumbies a week later was also bewildering.
After a month, the Highlanders had losses by six, two, three and four points. So it was obvious they were not woefully out of their depth.
They should have beaten the Hurricanes - they completely dominated the game at Carisbrook but found new ways not to score - and should have at least claimed a draw against the Waratahs.
The losses to the Bulls (17-47) and the Blues (15-40) were nasty, but the Highlanders won the two games they had to, against the Lions (29-20) and the Cheetahs (31-28), before the magnificent 26-14 triumph against the Crusaders.
Consider the four teams in the semifinals: the Highlanders beat the Crusaders and lost to the Waratahs, the Sharks and the Hurricanes by a combined nine points.
Outside the results, the Highlanders probably won back a few admirers this year because of their attitude and their style. They never quit, for a start. They tried to play with a bit of pizzazz, which was a welcome development after a few seasons of stodge.
They also scored some cracking tries. Not enough of them, certainly, but there were real signs of ability there.
The line-out was something of a disappointment, considering the average height of the pack, but the scrum operated well despite the departure of three All Black front-rowers.
Glenn Moore had some growing pains in his first year as a head coach at this level.
He wore some criticism for his selections, with a lot of focus on the goal-kicking woes and how the dumped Charlie Hore might have solved them.
There were also a couple of games where he substituted senior players who might have been more use on the field.
But Moore's passion for the job could not be questioned, nor did his belief in his ability to rebuild the team waver.
There might not have been many stars among them but there was a lot more to the players than a few scraggly mullets.
Up front, props Jamie Mackintosh and Clint Newland were a revelation, and it would not surprise if both get an All Black jersey at some stage in the next two years.
Jason Macdonald was generally the preferred hooker but he seemed subdued at times.
Tom Donnelly had a consistent season at lock, Hoani MacDonald ran into great form in the middle of the season but again had injury problems, Hayden Triggs was a mixed bag and not enough was seen of Isaac Ross.
The best loose forward in the first half of the season was Steven Setephano, who provided the blockbusting play at No 8 the Highlanders had been lacking for years, and the star of the second was Adam Thomson.
He caught the imagination of the country with his ball skills and his pace, and he genuinely came of age as a Super 14 star.
Craig Newby finished the season with a surge in form, while Tim Boys arguably impressed more in his starts on the openside flank than rival Alando Soakai.
Jimmy Cowan's form dipped after his stellar 2007 season, and he did not help himself with his indiscretions off the field.
Toby Morland struggled to make an impact off the bench but his first half against the Sharks and his 70min against the Crusaders were superb.
First five-eighth was a problem for most of the season, with Mike Delany, Daniel Bowden and James Wilson all struggling at times.
Delany had a good spell towards the end but the feeling is Bowden has the most to offer and will be a better player next year.
Johnny Leota was the pick of a generally disappointing midfield bunch, and Fetu'u Vainikolo was the star find in the outside backs. It is a pity the "Volcano" will almost certainly be in a Blues jersey next year.
At the back - or occasionally on the wing - Paul Williams was a model of consistency and class. He does not have explosive pace or a massive boot, but he does the little things well and he obviously has a sharp rugby brain.
The big issue for the Highlanders is now whether they can get most of these players back.
That has been well documented and all the franchise can do now is wait and hope the New Zealand Rugby Union will fight for the little guy.
In an ideal world, at least 80% of this year's squad will be back.
Then the latitude they have received in a rebuilding year can change to an expectation of reasonable success.
