Dding tears and edding records
iously loquacious man who later turned that to a 15-year career as a football broadcaster, eil never met a tale he didn’t think worthy ing upon. why the Bay Area native and Super ning coach was the perfect choice to be the ker at the Pro Football Hall of Fame inducmony last month. ways been an emotional guy. It used to s me,” Vermeil said. “When you tear up emo’s because something touches you. The valve that on for me is (for) someone I really, lly deeply care about.” efore Canton came calling, Vermeil already s own wing in a theoretical Hall of Fame for aches. Over his career, he’s unapologeticaled scores of speeches in locker rooms and ws conferences where his tears have flowed. l surprisingly remained mostly dry-eyed s Hall of Fame-record 23-minute speech, the hanic’s son from Calistoga only choking up mentioned his wife of 66 years, Carol. l, 85, made quite a career out of being a meunrelenting, attentive and soft-hearted head oach over five decades. induction ceremonies approached, Vermeil he grew more and more consumed with ity of it all. But in typical fashion, he was for the moment. This is, after all, the guy over three dysfunctional NFL franchises d them all into winners. gh Vermeil hasn’t coached in the NFL in e prepared for induction weekend as if he ng an old rival again. nce Hall of Fame Rams quarterback Kurt me knocking at his old coach’s log cabin ast Fallow, Pennsylvania, six months earlier the good news, Vermeil obsessed over what o the fans — and fellow Hall of Famers — as his turn to speak. untless hours produced scores of impeccaced handwritten notes he condensed into a a lifetime. a challenge for Vermeil to whittle down his about an NFL coaching career featuring
successful stints in Philadelphia, St. Louis and Kansas City, producing division titles at each and a pair of Super Bowl appearances — one loss to the Raiders in Super Bowl XV with the Eagles and a championship with the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.
Vermeil can tell you how many other Hall of Famers have been inducted before him (360) and how many other coaches preceded him (27). But Vermeil might be the only one with his own winery. He and his wife, Carol, founded Vermeil Wines in 1999 in Napa.
He’s been portrayed twice on the big screen: by Dennis Quaid in “American Underdog” and by Greg Kinnear in “Invincible.”
And he’s also just the second San Jose State alum to enter the Football Hall of Fame, joining former 49ers head coach Bill Walsh.
Vermeil’s path to the Hall took some distinctive turns. Most of the early ones were in the Bay Area. After starring at Calistoga High in the early 1950s, Vermeil played quarterback at Napa Valley College — where he was known as the Calistoga Comet — and then two seasons at San Jose State.
“I was a very average to below average player, but we were a below average to average team, so I fit right in,” joked Vermeil.
That’s when his playing career ended and his Hall of Fame coaching career started, first as an assistant
coach at San Jose’s Del Mar High School, the coach at Hillsdale High School in San Mateo there, he became the defensive backfield coa College of San Mateo, which led to the head job at Napa Valley JC.
Vermeil’s big break came in 1965, when he John Ralston’s staff at Stanford.
That drive fueled Vermeil to a successful N coaching career — but it also led to burnout.
The long, sleepless nights — and 18- to 20 workdays — finally caught up to Vermeil afte 1982 season. At age 46, he quit as the Eagles after seven seasons.
“I allowed a passion to become an obsessi told this news organization in 2018.
A career in broadcasting followed, but he r to the sidelines after 14 years, when he took a dling Rams team and turned them into “The Show on Turf.” After they won the Super Bow he briefly stepped away — but this time only
Vermeil came back to coach the Kansas Ci from 2001 to 2005, and retired for good after season.
“I never really pictured myself sitting on th Vermeil said just before the induction ceremo “When I think about it, I tear up.”
No one would expect anything else.