Dick Vermeil’s career will end with him going to the hall of fame in Canton Ohio.
Quentin Morris @Quentincmorris
Chiefs Focus @Chiefsfocus
Vermeil coached in three different decades and took three different franchises from losing to winning.
After winning the Rose Bowl, as the head coach of UCLA, Vermeil received a coach from the Eagles owner Leanord Tose to become the new beach coach of the Eagles in 1976. After three years in Philadelphia he led the Eagles to their first winning season in 12 years. One season later the Eagles won the NFC East for the first time in the teams history.
In 1980 he took the Eagles to the Super Bowl by beating the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship game. While he would fall short of the Lombardi trophy in New Orleans, Vermeil would continue to coach for the Eagles till 1982. In 1982 he would retire from coaching. He would end his Eagles tenure with a record of 54-47 topped off with a Super Bowl appearance.
For the next 14 years Vermeil would work for CBS and ABC as a color commentator. Though the NFL would eventually call him back into action. In 1997 he returned to coaching with the St. Louis Rams.
The first two years were a struggle. Vermieil’s Rams won just nine games and the 1999 season continued to show signs of trouble, exacerbated when starting QB Trent Green went down with a knee injury. Despite all odds against the team, third string QB Kurt Warner went on one of the best single-year turnarounds in NFL history. The team went 13-3 and would be given the nickname “greatest show on turf.”
The record setting offense was built around getting five wide receivers out on the field and strengthening the defense. The objective was to run a variety of routes that would have two run deep or middle shallow routes and screens, draw plays and play action were used to keep the pass rush honest.
The passing offense proved its effectiveness as they led the league in passing (4,580 yards), yards per pass attempt (8.64), passing touchdowns (41) and total offensive yards (6,639).
Under Vermeil star players would emerge like Running Back Marshall Faulk who was traded to St Louis over a contract dispute. Faulk would break the NFL record of scrimmage yards getting 2,429, eclipsing Barry Sanders’s record of 2,358 yards set in 1997.
After the Superbowl win Vermeil would retire from football only to return to football in 2001 when he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs would go 6-10. The following offseason the Chiefs would build the best offense in the league. The offense would have star players like Priest Holmes, Tony Gonzalez, Dante Hall, Trent Green and a stacked offensive line led by Will Shields and Willie Roaf. In 2003 the Chiefs would start 9-0 finish the season with a 13-3 record and only have it end in one of the most iconic playoff games in Chiefs history. The no punt game would end in a Colts victory.
Vermeil would end his coaching career in 2005 with a winning record of 120-109. He would have 2 Super Bowl appearances and one win. He was a major part in turning around three different franchises. He won the AP NFL Coach of the Year award in 1999. All of this combines for a much deserved gold jacket and a forever bust in Canton Ohio.
