Dick Vermeil inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Dick Vermeil has made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, receiving his honor on Saturday in Canton, Ohio.

The former head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, St. Louis Rams, and Kansas City Chiefs, Vermeil would have been a legendary figure in football with or without the Hall of Fame. Had he not won the Super Bowl with one of the most transcendent and impactful teams in NFL history in 1999, perhaps Saturday never happens for Vermeil. But that would not have changed just how important Vermeil has been to the game of football.

And besides, he did lead The Greatest Show on Turf. Vermeil will go down as one of the most deserving head coaches in Canton.

After seven seasons with the Eagles, including a trip to the Super Bowl in 1980 (the winning coach, Tom Flores, was just inducted into the Hall of Fame last year), Vermeil waited 15 years before deciding to coach again. His 9-23 record through two seasons put him in a dangerous position to potentially regret that decision, but Vermeil was putting the pieces in place for one of the greatest football teams in football history.

The 1999 St. Louis Rams.

When he returned again two years later with the Chiefs, Vermeil oversaw multiple legendary offensive players during that time, including Priest Holmes, Tony Gonzalez, Will Shields, Willie Roaf, Brian Waters, and a 1,750-yard rushing season by Larry Johnson. His defenses were probably consistently underrated too, including of course the ‘99 Rams defense.

Vermeil enters Canton with a career record of 120-109, but a winning playoff record at 6-5 with two conference championships.