Dick Vermeil Elected into Pro Football Hall of Fame

The coach began his NFL head coaching career with the Eagles in 1976 after spending just two years as the head coach at UCLA and turned around a struggling franchise

Dick Vermeil arrived in Philadelphia in 1976, at the age of 39.

He was a college coach from UCLA, where he spent two years and compiled a 15-5-3 record, including the Bruins’ Rose Bowl victory over top-ranked Ohio State.

Vermeil was tasked with what looked like an impossible mission – to make the Philadelphia Eagles winners again. And he had to do it with not just one, but both hands tied behind his back since the Eagles did not have a first-round draft pick until 1979 and hadn’t had a winning record in nine previous seasons.

"Those were some tough years," Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Harold Carmichael said on the team’s website. 

"We weren't a very good team. We had a history of losing and we had that mentality. Slowly, Dick turned it around. He made us accountable. That was the big thing. He made us understand that we were responsible for the wins and losses and that our actions were what would either help us win or lose games."

Dick Vermeil gets carried off the field by Claude Humphrey (left) and Charlie Johnson / USA Today

It didn’t happen overnight, but the Eagles were patient.

Vermeil was able to establish a culture and, in 1979, he had the Eagles in their very first Super Bowl. Eventually, he won a Super Bowl in 1999 with the St. Louis Rams in a career that spanned 15 years as a coach, during which he compiled a 126-114 record, including a 6-5 mark in the postseason.

On Thursday night, Vermeil was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is tentatively scheduled to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 6.

"Congratulations to Dick Vermeil on his well-deserved selection into the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” said owner Jeffrey Lurie in a statement. “During his seven seasons in Philadelphia, Dick elevated the standard for success for this franchise and led the organization to its first Super Bowl appearance.

"His passion and love for the game, his players, and our city are among the reasons he remains a beloved figure in Eagles history to this day. Dick's contributions to the game of football go far beyond his time in Philadelphia. His success as a head coach spanned more than three decades and included a Rose Bowl victory with UCLA and a Super Bowl Championship with the Rams.

“That is quite the resume and a testament to the type of man and leader he is. We could not be prouder of Dick, and we look forward to celebrating this tremendous occasion with him and his family in Canton."

Dick Vermeil / Philadelphia Eagles

Carmichael was a big part of the success Vermeil built in Philadelphia, along with quarterback Ron Jaworski, running back Wilbert Montgomery, linebacker Bill Bergey, defensive lineman Claude Humphrey, and many others.

“He led by example and wasn't going to have anyone outwork him,” Bergey told the Eagles’ website. “He got rid of some of the bad guys on our team and we turned the corner from there. I can honestly say that, to this day, he is one of my best friends. You don't hear that about many coaches. I always say that I wish I could be more like Dick Vermeil, because he did everything the right way.

“He instilled in us the hard work that we were going to go through, and he had certain things that he commanded. The first year – 'Keep your helmet on. Don't take a knee! I'll tell you when you can get some water.' I said to myself, 'Who is this Harry High School coach?' But guys who didn't want to buy in, they were gone. If you bought in, you were part of turning the franchise around."

Interestingly, the Eagles’ current head coach, Nick Sirianni arrived at the age of 39 for his first NFL head coaching job and has been accused by some as being a high school-harry type of coach and a panderer for wearing T-shirts of players and other sports teams in Philadelphia.

Sirianni has a long way to go before he can be the next Vermeil, though.

Vermeil lasted seven seasons with the Eagles, leading them to a 57-51 record, then cited burnout for his reason to step down.

He spent the next 15 years in the broadcast booth before returning to the sidelines as the head coach of the St. Louis Rams in 1997. 

Three seasons later, the Rams won the Super Bowl in 1999. Vermeil retired for a second time following that win, but again returned to coach Kansas City from 2001-03.

When Lurie bought the team in 1994, he fired Rich Kotite and tried to lure Vermeil back to the sidelines, but the two parties could not work out an agreement. Lurie ended up hiring Ray Rhodes.

"Dick was a special coach and he's a special man,” Jaworski tweeted. “and there are a lot of people happy that he has been named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame."

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.