KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Along the way to tripling his allotted 8-minute window to accept his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday in Canton, Ohio, Dick Vermeil must have affectionately thanked 100 or more people by name.
And no moment was more right and poignant than the way Vermeil honored his wife, Carol, as Vermeil, the 85-year-old with the vitality of a man 30 years younger, was closing his remarks.
“You noticed I didn’t get into talking about a lot of other things that would make me cry, OK? But when I talk about Carol Vermeil,” he said, his voice cracking, “it ain’t going to work.”
Clad in the distinguished gold jacket bestowed upon Hall of Famers, he added, “The only thing I ever put on my body more important than this jacket was the wedding ring she gave me 66 years ago.”
Other than that, the ever-soulful Vermeil defied expectations by being surprisingly composed from the moment he began by nearly immediately thanking former Chiefs president Carl Peterson, his presenter and a friend of nearly 50 years whom Vermeil called a key and cog in his life.
He didn’t crack when he spoke of his quarterback at UCLA (and later a safety in Philadelphia) John Sciarra, who helped unveil Vermeil’s bust: “The reason I’m here today is because of how well John Sciarra played” in the 1976 Rose Bowl when the Bruins upset No. 1 Ohio State, a game that led to Vermeil being hired by the Eagles.
Over and over, he indirectly or directly invoked some iteration of that term crediting others for his success, including Kansas City native and former Mizzou Tiger Mike Jones for making the game-saving tackle of Super Bowl XXXV for the St. Louis Rams.
Through all the stirring images and names of a lifetime journey, though, there was only one other moment when Vermeil seemed to choke up and had to compose himself.
(At least unofficially from watching on television after several flight issues prevented me from a scheduled trip to Canton).
That arose as he was speaking about the Chiefs and, in particular, his longtime friend Andy Reid.
“Thank you, Lamar Hunt and Norma: the finest couple, I think, I’ve ever met in pro football. Unbelievable,” said Vermeil, who in his five seasons with the Chiefs became just the second NFL coach to have led two franchises to a Super Bowl and a third to a division title.
After then expressing his gratitude to CEO Clark Hunt and wife Tavia for attending, he marveled at Reid (accompanied by his wife, Tammy) leaving training camp to say congratulations in person.
“I have never had, in my coaching career, a better display of respect for someone else in the profession that you are in than what Andy Reid did for me last night,” said Vermeil, referring in part to Reid attending the Gold Jacket Dinner. “It will always always touch me. Thank you, Andy and Tammy.”
Vermeil then abruptly bowed his head and appeared to have to collect himself, apparently as a reflection of the deep connection between them.
One that in a number of ways points to why he will almost certainly be joined one day in the Hall of Fame by Reid — whose 252 total wins (regular-season and playoffs combined) is fifth in NFL history.
Moreover, in the Patrick Mahomes era, Reid figures to have a chance to add to his one Super Bowl victory, three Super Bowl berths and nine conference championship appearances (including the last four AFC title games).
The relationship goes back decades, at least to Reid taking over the Eagles in 1999, when Vermeil became a confidante to him and later often came to visit.
“He’s phenomenal, a phenomenal mentor, too,” Reid said at camp in St. Joseph last week. “A great human being.”
In Reid’s letter of support for Vermeil’s induction, he wrote that Vermeil “escorted me into the challenges of being a first-time head coach in the City of Philadelphia.”
As it happens, he also escorted Reid into the job here.
So much so that for all Vermeil gave the Chiefs when he was in Kansas City, his legacy also includes being instrumental in them hiring Reid after the 2012 season.
Vermeil being Vermeil, his relationships extended into all elements of the dynamic.
For one thing, he understood what had gone awry in Philly and why Reid would prosper by a reset with the different environment in Kansas City.
For another, he had the trust of both Clark Hunt, who sought his advice on the best coach to hire, and Reid — who called Vermeil shortly after speaking with Hunt to consult with him.
As a historian of the game, Reid already had an abiding appreciation for the Chiefs and the role of Lamar Hunt in the history of the game. Especially after Lamar Hunt tapped him on the shoulder at Reid’s first NFL owners’ meetings in 1999 and said, “ ‘Welcome to the National Football League. I’ve heard good things about you. I think you’re going to be good for this league.’ ”
Between then and up to Hunt’s death, they developed a friendly relationship and would see each other in such settings as the 101 Awards in Kansas City annually recognizing the best of the NFL.
At some point along the way, Reid recalled thinking he might like to work for Hunt and the Chiefs if conditions ever pointed that way.
But Lamar died in 2006, and the organization was in turmoil.
So as much as Reid and Clark Hunt initially hit it off, Reid needed to understand the terrain as well as he could before making a decision at a crossroads of his own.
When Reid asked Vermeil to tell him about Kansas City, Vermeil’s first words were along the lines of “take the job.” Then he explained.
“He’s coached at the University of Missouri (on the offensive line from 1989-1991),” Vermeil told The Star’s Randy Covitz in 2013 as Reid was deciding what to do after being let go by the Eagles. “He’s been in middle America before and knows what the people are like. He knows how I feel about it. He’s been in that stadium. … And he knows how the fans are there, and how that Arrowhead Stadium is when it’s full.
“And he knows the great respect and admiration people in the NFL have for the Hunt family. So why not go? There are no negatives.”
Vermeil added, “He’s a great person and a great coach. I think he’ll fit in perfectly within that environment, and he’ll fit in the organization. I just don’t think you can do any better.”
Vermeil could hardly have been more prophetic about Reid, who is 103-42 in regular-season games with the Chiefs and conducted them to their first Super Bowl in 50 years.
Brilliant as Reid is, perhaps he would have enjoyed the same sort of success elsewhere. The Cardinals and Chargers, perhaps among others, also were after Reid at the time.
Then again, there is such a thing as a perfect fit … and sometimes even a sense of something meant to be:
After Reid’s 9-hour meeting with Clark Hunt, the alignment seemed apparent to all … and indeed hardly could have unfolded better.
With a little help from one Hall of Fame career, then, another further blossomed.
The number of people who helped Vermeil along the way, and vice versa, is semi-infinite but often intangible.
You could say the same about those who’ve influenced Reid and all those whose lives he’s made better.
But there’s a tangible line here on many levels that helps explain Reid’s gratitude to Vermeil and why Vermeil was so moved by his appearance … and also illuminates why Chiefs fans might treasure Vermeil all the more than they might otherwise.
