Dick Vermeil Richard Albert " Dick " Vermeil ( ; born October 30 , 1936 ) 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 is in the Sid Gillman coaching tree and has coached at every level ; Vermeil owns the distinction of being named “ Coach of the Year ” on four levels : High School , Junior College , NCAA Division I and Professional Football . In all three of his stops as an NFL head coach , Vermeil has taken every team — Philadelphia , St . Louis and Kansas City , each of which had a losing record before he arrived — and brought them to the playoffs by his third season at the helm . Early coaching years . Vermeil graduated in 1959 with an M . A . from San Jose State University , where he was the backup quarterback . After serving as assistant coach for San Jose ’ s Del Mar High School football team for one season , he became the head coach at Hillsdale High School in nearby San Mateo for two seasons , he then went to Foothill College with coach Bill Walker . During the 1963 – 64 school year Vermeil was weightlifting coach at College of San Mateo , with his brother as an assistant . The following year he was at Napa Junior College as a football coach and , in the 1965 – 66 season , he coached Stanford University ' s freshman football team . Vermeil was hired as the NFL ' s first ever Special Teams coach by George Allen ' s 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 ; he compiled a 15 – 5 – 3 record in two seasons ( 1974 – 75 ) as head coach at UCLA , including a 9 – 2 – 1 record in 1975 when he 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 . Vermeil began his NFL head coaching career in 1976 with the Philadelphia Eagles . Due to past trades by the Eagles , Vermeil ' s teams did not have a 1st round draft pick until 1978 . By 1978 , the Eagles made the playoffs for the first time in 18 seasons . That 1978 season featured breakthrough years by NFL stars Ron Jaworski , Wilbert Montgomery , and one of the greatest games in Eagles history — the seminal Miracle at the Meadowlands . The Eagles were losing to the New York Giants with seconds to play and when the Giants fumbled the ball , Herman Edwards recovered the ball and ran it back for a touchdown for a miraculous 19 – 17 victory . Vermeil was named the NFL ' s Coach of the Year in 1980 , and led the Eagles into Super Bowl XV after defeating the Dallas Cowboys for the NFC championship . The Eagles lost the Super Bowl to Oakland , 27 – 10 . He retired for the first time after the 1982 season citing " burnout " . After Philly . For the next 15 years , Vermeil spent time working as a sports announcer for the likes of CBS and ABC . Vermeil ' s time with the Eagles is featured in the 2006 movie " Invincible " in which the movie depicts open - tryouts and how 30 - year Philadelphia native Vince Papale made the team . In actuality , Vermeil had seen tape of Papale playing semi - pro ball in Philadelphia and invited him to a workout and a subsequent tryout . 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 Rams . Vermeil 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 turnarounds 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 the second time for the 1999 season . He walked away from coaching again after the Rams ' Super Bowl victory . Kansas City Chiefs . Soon after retiring in 2000 , Vermeil signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on January 12 , 2001 despite his retirement following the Super Bowl win with the Rams . His first season with the Chiefs , the 2001 season , was anything but spectacular . The Chiefs finished a 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 Priest Holmes , Trent Green , Tony Gonzalez , Dante Hall , and offensive linemen Willie Roaf and Will Shields . In 2003 the Chiefs started the season 9 – 0 and finished 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 soft defense , which was ranked 31st out of 32 teams in the league . Vermeil returned with the Chiefs for the 2005 season with one of the NFL ' s best offenses , and an improved defense . Vermeil ' s play calling in 2005 uncharacteristically included more high risk calls . Pro Bowl running back and team leader Priest Holmes suffered a season - ending injury against the San Diego Chargers in the eighth week of the season . However , his injury allowed the emerging Larry Johnson to start in his place . Under Johnson , the Chiefs ' offense continued at its usual explosive pace . On December 31 , Vermeil announced that he would retire at the conclusion of the 2005 season , and the next day he led the Chiefs to a 37 – 3 rout over the Cincinnati Bengals . However , the Chiefs failed to make the playoffs , despite their 10 – 6 record . Post - coaching career / legacy . Vermeil is 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 homestead located outside Philadelphia in rural Chester County , Pennsylvania . He is also a huge supporter of the Chester County Council Boy Scouts of America and is a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award , which was coincidentally awarded at the same time he was named head coach of the Chiefs in 2001 . His annual golf invitational has brought 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 father , Jean Louis Vermeil . After football , wine is Vermeil ' s biggest passion . Vermeil was actually once reprimanded 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 former Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs are close 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 play for the Eagles . During his first retirement , Vermeil worked as a game analyst for ABC Sports college football and NFL playoff broadcasts , most of the time paired with Brent Musburger . 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 . Vermeil also served as head coach in the 2012 and 2013 editions of the NFLPA Game . A Coors Light commercial featuring manipulated archival footage of Vermeil at a press conference debuted in 2006 . On November 2 , 2008 , Vermeil was honored by the St . Louis Rams organization with the placing of his name on the " Ring of Honor " around the inside of the Edward Jones Dome in St . Louis . Vermeil had a short cameo in the 2011 film " The Greening of Whitney Brown " , set in Chester County , in which he plays a football coach for the local middle school . The 2001 book autobiography " Touched : The Jerry Sandusky Story " ( ISBN 9781582612706 ) includes a quote in a forward from Vermeil : " He could very well be the Will Rogers of the coaching profession . " In 2011 former Penn State defensive coach Sandusky was arrested on 40 counts of child sexual abuse . A 2011 account about the book said " Sandusky paints a picture of himself as someone who would consistently take risks in pursuit of what he often refers to as ' mischief ' " and there are many other citations and quotes which look " different in light of the horrendous allegations " . After the indictment and the firing of Joe Paterno ( Sandusky ' s long - time immediate boss ) and PSU president Graham B . Spanier , it was reported that Vermeil on November 8 , 2011 , " told [ Philadelphia ] Action News , ' I don ’ t think there ’ s anything that could discolor the quality of Joe Paterno ’ s legacy . ' " Vermeil also served on the Honorary Board of Sandusky ' s Second Mile children ' s foundation , along with Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid , Matt Millen from ESPN , actor Mark Wahlberg and football player Franco Harris , among others . It was reported on November 11 , 2011 , that Vermeil hadn ' t " spoken to [ Sandusky ] since the scandal broke . ' It ' s a blindside , ' Vermeil said . ' That ' s all I can say . ' ' If it ' s true , he ' s a sick man . He had an illness none of us knew about . That ' s all . ' " Vermeil and his wife , Carol have three children and 11 grandchildren , their son Rick and his wife Colleen are parents of grandchildren Kelly , Rick , Billy and Megan . Their son Dave and his wife Janet are parents of grandchildren Jack , Amy and Andy . Their daughter Nancy and her husband Steve Barnett are parents of grandchildren James , Tommy , Stevie and Christopher . The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia named Vermeil their Person of the Year in 1985 and inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2003 .