Dick Vermeil is a Rams legend we should not forget

Former Los Angeles Rams, then St. Louis Rams head coach Dick Vermeil is a legend the organization nor its fans should forget.

Former Los Angeles Rams, then St. Louis head coach Dick Vermeil popped up on the radar this week. During a segment on ESPN’s Mike and Mike, the former coach spoke about his time in the NFL, and his three head coaching stops in Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Kansas City.

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For those who don’t remember, and many don’t, Vermeil is the only coach to win a Lombardi Trophy for the Rams organization. His 1999 team would win Super Bowl XXXIV and come to be know as the “Greatest Show On Turf.” That group is remembered for a lot of names, and should be: Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce, Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt, and recent inductee to the Hall Of Fame, Orlando Pace. Seldom heard or first to come to mind, is Dick Vermeil.

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And that’s unfortunate.

But beyond that, is how stunningly successful Vermeil has been in stints that often seemed brief in the NFL.

Philadelphia, his longest tenure: 1976-1982
St. Louis Rams: 1997-1999
Kansas City Chiefs: 2001-2005

As a head coach in the league, Vermeil has a record of 120 wins, and 109 losses. He’s also 6-5 in the playoffs, having taken both the Eagles and the Rams to the Super Bowl.

With the exception of his last season in Philadelphia, he also seemed inclined to walk away when he had things moving in a winning direction.

Vermeil was honest with himself then, and still is after all these years.

Anyone who follows either one team, or the league as a whole knows the grind of the professional head coach, even from afar. Vermeil always seemed to know when it was the right time to put down the whistle. He recognized the toll personally, and was willing to know which was more important.

Hence, a long marriage and 80 good years on this earth.

The two things I’ll always take away from how I view his successful NFL coaching career, were his willingness to outwork the other coaches, and knowing when that work had become too much for him and his family. Instead of the game driving him away, he knew when to walk with his senses and perspective intact.

Few know how to do that these days as they chase what often remains elusive to them. For Vermeil, he saw more highs than lows, and was contented with the former. He had no interest in chasing rings, knowing one ring validates as much as five.

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He may be the last name you think of when recollecting the “Greatest Show On Turf”, but his footprint in the Rams only Super Bowl Championship is indelible.

He knew the importance of sacrificing the less for the more.

Vermeil got that.

Few others do.