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Richard Albert "Dick" Vermeil 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.
Early coaching yearsVermeil 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 then to Foothill College with Coach Bill Walker. 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. Philadelphia Eagles
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." St. Louis RamsVermeil 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. Kansas City ChiefsSoon after retiring in 2000, Vermeil realized how much passion he still had for football, and decided to return to coaching yet again. He signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on January 12, 2001. 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 stars like Priest Holmes, Trent Green, Tony Gonzalez, Dante Hall, and probable future Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive linemen like Willie Roaf and Will Shields. In 2003 the Chiefs started the season 9-0, and would finish 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 horrible defense, which was ranked 31st out of 32 teams in the NFL.
Post Coaching Career/LegacyVermeil 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 coincidentially, 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 repreimanded 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 good 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 be on the Eagles. Vermeil currently appears in Coors Light commercials. During his first retirement, Vermeil worked as a game analyst for ABC Sports college football and NFL Playoff broadcasts. 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, which can be seen on [1]. Season by season results
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