Dick Vermeil
An emotional leader who pulled franchises from the depths, his tearful intensity and turnaround expertise culminated in a thrilling Super Bowl victory.
Born 1936 (age 90)·American football coach·Birthday: October 30·The Silent Generation
Biography
Dick Vermeil coached football with his heart on his sleeve, a man whose emotional transparency became as much his trademark as his ability to resurrect losing teams. His career began in the California junior college ranks before a stunning rise led him to UCLA, where he won a Rose Bowl. Hired by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1976, he took a moribund franchise and, through sheer force of workaholic will, dragged it to a Super Bowl appearance. Exhausted, he left the sidelines for a 14-year broadcast career, only to return with the St. Louis Rams. There, he engineered one of the sport's most dramatic turnarounds, molding a high-octane offense around Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk to win Super Bowl XXXIV. After another retirement, he came back once more to make the Kansas City Chiefs competitive. Vermeil's legacy is one of profound emotional investment, a coach who cried with his players and burned out, only to find the fire to build champions again.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Dick was born in 1936, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dick Was Born
The biggest hits of 1936
#1 Movie
San Francisco
Best Picture
The Great Ziegfeld
Dick's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1936Born
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1941Started school
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1949Became a teenager
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Could drive
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1954Could vote
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Turned 21
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1966Turned 30
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 40
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 50
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 60
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 70
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 80
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Age 90 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led the St. Louis Rams to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV following the 1999 season.
- Guided the Philadelphia Eagles to their first Super Bowl appearance (XV) in franchise history in the 1980 season.
- Won the AP NFL Coach of the Year award three times (1978, 1999, 2003), with three different franchises.
- Coached the UCLA Bruins to a victory in the 1976 Rose Bowl, their first Rose Bowl win since 1966.
Did You Know?
He worked as a television sports analyst for CBS and ABC during his 14-year hiatus from coaching between the Eagles and Rams.
Vermeil's first head coaching job was at Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, California.
He is known for his incredibly long work hours, famously sleeping on a couch in his office during the season.
Vermeil and Bill Belichick are the only coaches to win a college New Year's Day Six bowl game and a Super Bowl as a head coach.
“If you don't invest very much, then defeat doesn't hurt very much and winning is not very exciting.”
