Dick Vermeil

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Dick Vermeil
Date of birth	October 30, 1936 (1936-10-30) (age 71)
Place of birth	Calistoga, California
Position(s)	Head Coach
College	San Jose State
Career Highlights
Awards	2003 Maxwell Football Club NFL COY 1999 AP Coach of the Year 1999 Sporting News COY 1999 Pro Football Weekly COY 1999 Maxwell Football Club NFL COY 1979 Sporting News COY 1979 Pro Football Weekly COY 1978 UPI NFL COY (NFC)
Career Record	126-114-0 (including Postseason)
Super Bowl       Wins	1999 Super Bowl XXXIV
Championships       Won	1999 NFC Championship 1980 NFC Championship 1975 Rose Bowl
Stats
Coaching Stats	Pro Football Reference
Coaching Stats	DatabaseFootball
Team(s) as a coach/administrator
1969-1973 1976-1982 1997-1999 2001-2005	Los Angeles Rams Philadelphia Eagles* St. Louis Rams* Kansas City Chiefs*

Richard Albert Vermeil (born October 30, 1936) is a former American head coach for the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles (1976-1982), St. Louis Rams (1997-1999) and Kansas City Chiefs (2001-2005). He has coached at every level; Vermeil owns the rare distinction of being named “Coach of the Year” on four levels: High School, Junior College, NCAA Division I and the NFL.

[edit] Early coaching years

Vermeil graduated in 1959 with an M.A. from San Jose State, where he was the backup quarterback. After serving as assistant Coach for San Jose’s Del Mar High School football team for one season and for Hillsdale High School in nearby San Mateo,he then went to Foothill College with Coach Bill Walker. In 1965, he coached Stanford's freshman football team. Vermeil was hired as the NFL's first ever Special Teams coach by the Los Angeles Rams in 1969. Except for 1970, when he was an assistant coach with UCLA, he would remain with the Rams until 1974 when he was named as Head Coach by UCLA. Vermeil compiled a 15-5-3 record in two seasons (1974-1975) as head coach at UCLA, including a 9-2-1 record in 1975 when Vermeil led the Bruins to their first conference championship in 10 years, and a win in the Rose Bowl over an undefeated and number 1 ranked Ohio State team.

[edit] Philadelphia Eagles

Vermeil began his NFL head coaching career in 1976 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He would coach the Eagles through the 1982 season. He was named the NFL's coach of the year in 1980, and led the Eagles into Super Bowl XV after defeating the Dallas Cowboys for the NFC championship. He retired for the first time after the 1982 season citing burnout. For the next 15 years, Vermeil spent time working as a sports announcer for the likes of CBS and ABC. Vermeil's time with the Eagles is featured in the 2006 movie Invincible where he held open-tryouts which is how 30-year old Vince Papale made the team. He was portrayed by Greg Kinnear.

Following the 1994 season, the Eagles fired Rich Kotite and owner Jeffrey Lurie inquired about bringing back Vermeil as coach. However, the Eagles and Vermeil could not come to a contractual agreement. The Eagles would eventually hire Ray Rhodes to be their head coach. Vermeil issued a statement saying, "I'm not going to beg Jeffrey Lurie to coach this football team."

[edit] St. Louis Rams

Vermeil returned to coaching with the St. Louis Rams in 1997. His first two years with the Rams were abysmal: the Rams won 5 and lost 11 games in 1997, and the following season they went 4-12. The 1999 season looked to start just as badly, when new starting quarterback Trent Green was injured in the pre-season. However, Green's injury allowed the unknown Kurt Warner to start. Under Warner, the Rams offense exploded, and they finished the 1999 season with a record of 13-3. It was one of the biggest single year turn arounds in NFL history. Vermeil led the Rams to their first ever Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl XXXIV later that season with a 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans. He was also named NFL Coach of the Year for his second time for the 1999 season. He walked away from coaching again after the Rams' Super Bowl victory.

[edit] Kansas City Chiefs

Soon after retiring in 2000, Vermeil signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on January 12, 2001 despite his retirement following a Super Bowl win with the Rams. His first season with the Chiefs, the 2001 season, was anything but spectacular. The Chiefs finished a dismal 6-10 record, their worst record since 1988. Vermeil and the Chiefs made some major changes for the 2002 season, where the Chiefs would improve to 8-8. The Chiefs had the NFL's best offense in 2002, led by Priest Holmes, Trent Green, Tony Gonzalez, Dante Hall, and offensive linemen Willie Roaf and Will Shields. In 2003 the Chiefs started the season 9-0 and finished with a 13-3 record, making the playoffs and winning the AFC West. They also had the NFL's top ranked offense for the second straight year. The Chiefs went 7-9 in 2004, even though they had the NFL's top ranked offense for the third consecutive year. The Chiefs performed poorly due to their soft defense, which was ranked 31st out of 32 teams in the league.

Vermeil returned with the Chiefs for the 2005 season with one of the NFL's best offenses, and an improved defense. Vermeil's play calling in 2005 uncharacteristically included more high risk calls. Pro Bowl running back and team leader Priest Holmes suffered a season-ending injury against the San Diego Chargers in the eighth week of the season. However, his injury allowed the emerging Larry Johnson to start in his place. Under Johnson, the Chiefs' offense continued at its usual explosive pace. On December 31, Vermeil announced that he would retire at the conclusion of the 2005 season, and the next day he led the Chiefs to a 37-3 rout over the Cincinnati Bengals. However, the Chiefs failed to make the playoffs, despite their 10-6 record.

[edit] Post Coaching Career/Legacy

Vermeil will be remembered for his frequent emotional breakdowns during press conferences, including crying when getting emotional. This display of emotion has helped make him a popular coach among fans. Vermeil lives in the historic Country Club Plaza district of Kansas City. When not in Kansas City, the entire Vermeil family enjoys spending time and working on “The Ranch,” a 114-acre homestead located outside Philadelphia in rural Chester County, Pennsylvania. He is also a member of the Boy Scouts of America, serving on the executive board of the Chester County Council, and is a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award, which was coincidentally, awarded at the same time he was named head coach of the Chiefs in 2001. His annual golf invitational brings in over $1 million to the Council's operational fund.

True to his Napa Valley roots, Vermeil partnered with OnTheEdge Winery and produced his own self-proclaimed “Garage Cabernet” wine, named in honor of his grandfather, Jean Louis Vermeil. After football, wine is Vermeil's biggest passion. Vermeil was actually once reprimanded by the NFL when during a game he promised kicker (and fellow wine connoisseur) Morten Andersen a bottle of Bryant Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon if he could kick the game-winning field goal versus Oakland. Andersen made the kick, but upon hearing about the offer, the NFL reminded Vermeil and the Chiefs that the $500 bottle of wine was considered a performance-based incentive bonus not written into Andersen's contract, and the gift was disallowed. Villa di Roma, an Italian restaurant in Philadelphia, named one of its signature dishes “Steak Vermeil” in Vermeil’s honor.

Vermeil and Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs are close friends. It was under his recommendation that Gibbs hired his former offensive coordinator, Al Saunders as a top assistant coach.

Vermeil was portrayed in the 2006 film Invincible by Greg Kinnear. The film showed Vermeil when he was head coach of Philadelphia and gave Vince Papale an opportunity to play for the Eagles.

During his first retirement, Vermeil worked as a game analyst for ABC Sports college football and NFL playoff broadcasts, most of the time paired with Brent Musburger. Currently, Vermeil works as a game analyst on broadcasts of college football and NFL games on NFL Network, with recent work during the 2006 Insight Bowl.

A Coors Light commercial featuring manipulated archival footage of Vermeil at a press conference debuted in 2006.

[edit] Season by season results

[edit] College (UCLA)

[edit] NFL

[edit] External links

• Vermeil @ the Kansas City Chiefs
• ESPN Set to Add Vermeil for Game