Dick Vermeil Speaker Biography
One of the most distinguished coaching careers in National Football League history officially concluded when Dick Vermeil announced his retirement from professional football in 2006. Vermeil spent 15 seasons as an NFL head coach and was a member of the league's coaching fraternity for 19 seasons. In addition, Vermeil has had a prestigious career as a football broadcaster, analyzing both NFL and college games. In 2006, he was portrayed on the big screen by Greg Kinnear in the film Invincible.
Vermeil's lengthy and illustrious career has many highlights. After coaching at the high-school level, he secured his first NCAA Division 1 position in 1965 at Stanford University. In 1974, he was named head coach of UCLA, leading the Bruins to a Rose Bowl Championship. Soon thereafter in 1976, he joined the downtrodden Philadelphia Eagles, discovering an unlikely football star in walk-on legend Vince Papale and guiding the team to multiple playoffs and a 1980 NFC Championship.
In 1983, after his first retirement from coaching, Vermeil took to a different kind of sideline---the broadcasting booth, serving as an NFL and college football analyst for CBS and ABC. After a 14-year NFL coaching hiatus, he returned in 1997 to coach the St. Louis Rams, leading to the franchise's first Super Bowl victory in 1999. Later he was named head coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Since his "retirement" from the Chiefs, Vermeil has acted as color commentator for ESPN and the NFL Network. Over the years, he and his wife have been actively involved in in numerous charitable efforts, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for organizations that help families and youth, as well as disadvantaged and differently-abled people.
Seven Common Sense Principles of Leadership
With one of the most distinguished coaching careers in National Football League history, Dick Vermeil is well-versed in what it takes to be an effective leader and what it takes to win on and off the field. Vermeil captivates audiences with behind-the-scenes stories and inspiring life lessons as he discusses the common-sense leadership principles that he learned and continually refined over his 15 seasons as an NFL head coach.
