The Los Angeles Rams entrenched themselves in their new home when they won Super Bowl LVI, marking their second Super Bowl championship in franchise history.
Their first one came in 1999 during Super Bowl XXXIV when the St. Louis Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans 23-16. That team was led by former head coach Dick Vermeil, who was recently inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Vermeil is a welcomed addition to the Hall of Fame and during his speech he made sure to credit the players and coaches who helped him get there as transcribed by Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“I’ve had the opportunity to coach against 12 head football coaches that are already in the Hall of Fame,” Vermeil said. “Many of them kicked my many, many times. But I’m so gracious because they provided me an example, and an opportunity to learn from them. I learned from my players. Many people said to me, ‘Coach, you impact players!’ It’s the other way around – players impact me.”
Vermeil also made sure to highlight several head coaches who he hopes to see join him in the Hall of Fame:
“I will forever be appreciative and grateful for this honor,” Vermeil said to close out his speech. “The only thing that will make me feel a little better about standing here as the 28th Hall of Fame football coach is when I see Mike Holmgren come in, when I see Dan Reeves come in, when I see Marty Schottenheimer come in, when I see Mike Shanahan come in, when I see Tom Coughlin come in, when I see George Seifert come in, when I see Don Coryell come in. Believe me, if I deserve it, so do they.”
Vermeil got his start with the Rams in 1969 as a special teams coach and has seen countless players and coaches pass through his stops. The Super Bowl champion-winning head coach was as gracious as ever during his speech and fans should celebrate his enshrinement.
