At the celebratory finish of the highly anticipated Super Bowl, the Baltimore Ravens or the San Francisco 49ers will enthusiastically raise the coveted trophy bearing the name of Vince Lombardi (1913-70), the legendary coach who in the 1960s guided the Green Bay Packers to five championships, including wins in the first two Super Bowls.

Fittingly, the Human Race Theatre Company will take a deeper look into the life and times of the winning coach as it presents its local premiere of Eric Simonson’s aptly titled 2010 drama “Lombardi,” previewing Thursday and opening Friday at the Loft Theatre.

The show is based on David Maraniss’ book “When Pride Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi.”

The play, set in 1965 and performed in 90 minutes without intermission, concerns Lombardi’s interaction with cub reporter Michael McCormick, who ultimately gains a greater understanding of him as a man. By examining Lombardi’s relationships with his wife and players, McCormick discovers his subject is not only inspirational but an absolute perfectionist.

Director and Human Race resident artist Tim Lile, a lifelong Cleveland Browns fan who appeared in the Human Race’s “Managing Maxine” earlier this season and memorably co-directed the organization’s superb 2007 production of the baseball-themed “Take Me Out,” views the production as a completely eye-opening experience. During his research he was fascinated by facets of Lombardi’s family life and early career, which gave deeper meaning to the play although the football angle is a considerable attraction.

“No one should come to ‘Lombardi’ expecting to see a football game,” said Lile. “There are discussions of football, but the play is about relationships. The Lombardi family also had some family tragedies. Marie, Lombardi’s wife, suffered significant depression. Both were heavy drinkers as well. But by the time the play starts, everything was sacrificed for Lombardi’s one focus which was football and the Green Bay Packers. Also, Lombardi’s allure came from the consistency of a winning tradition he established. Even as a high school football and basketball coach, he was successful. It is said that Lombardi didn’t know anything about basketball, but he knew about people. He knew about motivating people which contributed to his allure.”

As rehearsals progressed, Lile says capturing Lombardi’s authenticity became a unique challenge. The coach’s iconic status lingered in the back of his mind, but he didn’t want to glamourize him in any way, particularly regarding his colorful personality and personal demons. Nonetheless, he has grown confident in his vision of the coach’s essence, which is a pivotal component of the play’s validity and vibrancy.

“Since the play deals with Lombardi the man as opposed to Lombardi the coach, I’ve been trying to grasp how not to romanticize him,” he said. “Rather than making him nicer, rosier and funnier than he actually was, we’re striving to present him as he was, especially the way he communicated. Icons or individuals we place on a pedestal based on their personal accomplishments have a source of their accomplishment. It doesn’t happen magically. It comes from a drive or commitment. In the end, our idols, our icons, are simply human beings.”

“Glamour is in the eye of the beholder,” echoed Edward Furs, who portrays Lombardi. “The observers are always the ones who want to put someone on a pedestal. I don’t think Vince Lombardi was out on the football field trying to become some kind of iconic image for the world. He was just taking things one day at a time. He had an image, an idea, of what he wanted to accomplish and strove for it with hard work and faith in God.”

Furs, whose credits include off-Broadway (“The Primary English Class”), film (“Michael Clayton”) and TV (“Blue Bloods,” “The Sopranos,” “Flight of the Conchords,” “Ugly Betty”), has enjoyed the daunting yet exciting task of humanizing Lombardi. He acknowledges and respects the coach’s numerous victories, but feels his enduring legacy is tinged with melancholy.

“The play intertwines a nice sense of progress and advancement within the game of football and the larger context of life,” he said. “But there is a certain kind of sadness within Lombardi, especially in the overall scheme of things. If someone is always trying to obtain ultimate success and perfection, will that person ever be happy? After all, nobody is perfect.”

The “Lombardi” cast will also feature Jarred Baugh as Michael McCormick, Marcy McGuigan as Marie Lombardi, Gabriel Lawrence as Dave Robinson, Brandon Dahlquist as Paul Hornung and Wright State University alum Ryan Imhoff as Jim Taylor.

“I think the subject matter of this play is going to attract people who wouldn’t normally come to the theater,” Lile concluded. “I’m hoping they like it and will want to come back to see more theater.”