The Kansas City Chiefs added a legendary coach to their Pro Football Hall of Fame roster when Dick Vermeil was elected to the hall on Thursday.
Though the only Super Bowl win of his career came across the state in St. Louis as a member of the Rams, Chiefs fans will always remember Vermeil fondly as a fixture of their mid-2000s squads that featured Priest Holmes, Tony Gonzales, and Trent Green.
Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt remarked on Vermeil’s election to the Hall on Thursday, noting how proud he is that the coach exemplifies the Chiefs’ core values even in retirement. Though Kansas City was just a stop on the road for the long-time skipper, Hunt made it clear that he left a lasting impression on his franchise in the time he spent in the Paris of the Plains.
“On behalf of my family and the entire Chiefs organization, I would like to congratulate Dick Vermeil on being selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Hunt said in a statement issued after Vermeil’s selection. “Coach Vermeil led the Chiefs for five seasons on the final stop of his Hall of Fame career. His knowledge, humility, and passion for the game of football reflects the values of our franchise, and Chiefs Kingdom is proud to call him one of our own. We are excited for Dick and Carol and their family, and we look forward to his formal induction in Canton later this year.”
As the ninth head coach in Chiefs history, Vermeil led the team to a 44-36 record over his five-year tenure in Kansas City, which ended in 2005 when he retired after a 10-6 effort. The Chiefs’ recent success is relatively unprecedented and belies the effort and passion poured into the franchise in the early to mid-aughts when Vermeil was steering the ship.
Though it took a series of years for Kansas City to finally secure a championship following Vermeil’s retirement, his grit and commitment to the game of football has marked the Chiefs legacy in an intangible way that endures as a key part of their identity.
