WHEREAS, Dick Vermeil received the 2019 Musser Award for Excellence in Leadership from Temple University; and
WHEREAS, The Musser Award is the highest honor afforded by Temple University’s Fox School of Business and recognizes a distinguished member of the Business Community; and
WHEREAS, The Musser Award is given to an individual who personifies the ideal of leadership and exceptional individual accomplishments that also benefit the larger community; and
WHEREAS, Dick Vermeil is one of the most distinguished coaches in National Football League history who coached our Philadelphia Eagles between 1976 and 1982; and
WHEREAS, During his time with the Eagles, Coach Vermeil lead the Birds to their first playoff run in nearly two decades, coached the team during Super Bowl XV in 1980, and engineered three additional playoff appearances; and
WHEREAS, Prior to his time in Philadelphia, Mr. Vermeil coached high school and community college football teams as well as Special Teams for the Los Angeles Rams before being named Head Coach at UCLA in 1974. In 1976, Coach Vermeil lead the Bruins to a Rose Bowl Championship; and
WHEREAS, Following the 1982 Football Season, Coach Vermeil began a fourteen-year broadcasting career where he served as an NFL and college football analyst for CBS and ABC; and
WHEREAS, In 1997, Coach Vermeil returned to football as the Head Coach of the St. Louis Rams and won Super Bowl XXXIV. He later coached the Kansas City Chiefs from 2001 to 2005; and
WHEREAS, After his coaching days, Mr. Vermeil focused on his wine business, Vermeil Wines, which was inspired by his great-grandfathers’ legacies and continues to make eleven different wines in California’s Napa Region; and
WHEREAS, Many Philadelphia organizations have benefited from Dick and Carol Vermeil’s philanthropy including the Boys and Girls Club, Chester County Food Bank, the Mary Campbell Center, the Ronald McDonald House, CHOP Wistar, Elwyn, Inc., Michael’s Way and the Otho Davis Foundation. The Dick Vermeil Invitational also earns money each year for the Boy Scouts of Chester County; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Vermeil also supports People for People, Inc., a community outreach organization founded by former Eagle, Reverend Herbert Lusk, whom he coached; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF PHILADELPHIA, Honors and congratulates Dick Vermeil on his receipt of the 2019 Musser Award for Excellence in Leadership from Temple University’s Fox School of Business.
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