Hapless Bills Fan Posted January 7, 2015 Posted January 7, 2015 The man is a class act. Period. A football great no doubt, a great football mind, no doubt he has an ego but he's able to rein it in and respect others. Even those who attack him in the press respect him and now this: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-nfl-player-tackles-homelessness-after-living-under-la-freeway/ In a startling change from most threads around here, I don't want him for our head coach, but I hope our next coach can have some of his character.
vorpma Posted January 7, 2015 Posted January 7, 2015 The man is a class act. Period. A football great no doubt, a great football mind, no doubt he has an ego but he's able to rein it in and respect others. Even those who attack him in the press respect him and now this: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-nfl-player-tackles-homelessness-after-living-under-la-freeway/ In a startling change from most threads around here, I don't want him for our head coach, but I hope our next coach can have some of his character. Great post, Vermeil is a class act, always has been.
Lombardi1 Posted January 7, 2015 Posted January 7, 2015 The man is a class act. Period. A football great no doubt, a great football mind, no doubt he has an ego but he's able to rein it in and respect others. Even those who attack him in the press respect him and now this: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-nfl-player-tackles-homelessness-after-living-under-la-freeway/ In a startling change from most threads around here, I don't want him for our head coach, but I hope our next coach can have some of his character. Cheers!
In space no one can hear Posted January 7, 2015 Posted January 7, 2015 When I lived and worked in Philadelphia, I worked for an inner city agency that needed funding to expand programs. I have a close friend( college roommate) who works with the NFL. He arranged for Dick Vermeil to come out to the club.( to facilitate help) Vermeil was very involved in the community and of course connected to power brokers. He was incredibly personable, approachable, and interested in what we were doing- he took time to talk to the kids(as human beings that mattered) in in the program who were benefitting from the agencies efforts and sought to help us...in a geniune. humble way. Class act through and through. As coach, Vermeil like so many others(Marrone) ,preached that the team was family while they were playing for him- the difference between Vermeil and others is- he really meant it, lived it and his belief in this "family" credo extended to these players long after the cheering stopped. It reminds me of the role Jack Kemp played for the old AFL Bills teams. he facilitated the help of so many Bills players, times the public heard about and so many more times when no one knew. It's something to think about as we go through the hiring process, this credo that a guy like Vermeil inprints on an organization. There are many hired guns, quick fix guys you can hire.....who are in it for themselves( Marrone,etc.). .How great would it be to hire men who will reinstitute this sense of "family" of "brotherhood" while also striving for excellence on the field. I think it matters....
BuffaloBill Posted January 7, 2015 Posted January 7, 2015 Great story and Kudo's to Vermeil for stepping up. A very classy act.
vorpma Posted January 7, 2015 Posted January 7, 2015 When I lived and worked in Philadelphia, I worked for an inner city agency that needed funding to expand programs. I have a close friend( college roommate) who works with the NFL. He arranged for Dick Vermeil to come out to the club.( to facilitate help) Vermeil was very involved in the community and of course connected to power brokers. He was incredibly personable, approachable, and interested in what we were doing- he took time to talk to the kids(as human beings that mattered) in in the program who were benefitting from the agencies efforts and sought to help us...in a geniune. humble way. Class act through and through. As coach, Vermeil like so many others(Marrone) ,preached that the team was family while they were playing for him- the difference between Vermeil and others is- he really meant it, lived it and his belief in this "family" credo extended to these players long after the cheering stopped. It reminds me of the role Jack Kemp played for the old AFL Bills teams. he facilitated the help of so many Bills players, times the public heard about and so many more times when no one knew. It's something to think about as we go through the hiring process, this credo that a guy like Vermeil inprints on an organization. There are many hired guns, quick fix guys you can hire.....who are in it for themselves( Marrone,etc.). .How great would it be to hire men who will reinstitute this sense of "family" of "brotherhood" while also striving for excellence on the field. I think it matters.... Jack Kemp spoke to my little league football banquet in 1966, another class act. He stressed academics with football a supplement teaching teamwork, sportsmanship, discipline, and hard work. As young 11 year old boys he truly inspired for the right reasons. I attended the 1968 training camp at Niagara before he injured his knee, I arrived late missing the players as the moved onto the field. Jack Kemp was the last and waited when he seen me at a dead sprint to get his autograph and then after signing waived to my family several hundred feet away. Class Act!!
Hapless Bills Fan Posted January 7, 2015 Author Posted January 7, 2015 When I lived and worked in Philadelphia, I worked for an inner city agency that needed funding to expand programs. I have a close friend( college roommate) who works with the NFL. He arranged for Dick Vermeil to come out to the club.( to facilitate help) Vermeil was very involved in the community and of course connected to power brokers. He was incredibly personable, approachable, and interested in what we were doing- he took time to talk to the kids(as human beings that mattered) in in the program who were benefitting from the agencies efforts and sought to help us...in a geniune. humble way. Class act through and through. As coach, Vermeil like so many others(Marrone) ,preached that the team was family while they were playing for him- the difference between Vermeil and others is- he really meant it, lived it and his belief in this "family" credo extended to these players long after the cheering stopped. It reminds me of the role Jack Kemp played for the old AFL Bills teams. he facilitated the help of so many Bills players, times the public heard about and so many more times when no one knew. It's something to think about as we go through the hiring process, this credo that a guy like Vermeil inprints on an organization. There are many hired guns, quick fix guys you can hire.....who are in it for themselves( Marrone,etc.). .How great would it be to hire men who will reinstitute this sense of "family" of "brotherhood" while also striving for excellence on the field. I think it matters.... Thanks for the additional Vermeil story....yes, that's what one hears around St Louis, he would stop and talk to the players families and ass't coaches kids and ask them how things were going, how was school, were they settling in? like he was sincerely interested and really cared about the answer, and yes, I think it does make a difference, and that is my hope also. I know a football HC has to have a healthy ego but I'm hoping we hire someone who balances it out with a sense of humanity
Kelly the Dog Posted January 7, 2015 Posted January 7, 2015 Dick Vermeil "who tears up quicker than Sylvia Plath being pepper-sprayed?" I can't get enough of that.
GunnerBill Posted January 7, 2015 Posted January 7, 2015 Yep. Vermeil is living proof that you don't have to be an ass to be a successful head football coach.
Canadian Bills Fan Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 Thank goodness you put Vermeil at the end of that sentence! CBF
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