Dick Vermeil: Whistle in His Mouth, Heart on His Sleeve

by Gordon Forbes, Ron Jaworski (Foreword)

The first comprehensive biography of one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, Dick Vermeil: Whistle in His Mouth, Heart on His Sleeve, details the coach’s early days as a star athlete in California, through his Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams and coming out of retirement for a second time to lead the Kansas City Chiefs. A behind-the-scene look at a inspirational leader, this biography includes the stories on Vermeil's rapid success with his first professional coaching job and the reasons behind his burnout and abrupt retirement, the years he spent away from the sidelines and the influence they had on his return, his triumphant coaching comeback that culminated with a shocking Super Bowl victory, and an inside-look at the actual Off-Season Conditioning Manual that Vermeil implemented for the 1977 Eagles. This biography stands as an inspiring, enlightening, and often poignant look back at the life of one of the game's greatest coaches and most unforgettable characters.

Genres: Football, Sports

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Gordon Forbes is a veteran sports journalist. He was the pro football columnist at USA Today for 20 years (1982-2002) and has covered more than 900 games - including 39 Super Bowls - in his journalistic career. Prior to joining USA Today, Forbes covered the Philadelphia Eagles for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He lives in Lakewood, New Jersey.

Reviews

[Suneet Bhatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vermeil is the Best of It

Sports? Coaching? Leadership? Ethic? Integrity? Philly? Coach is the best of all of it. This book honors him. I’ll read this again. And try and model more after him. He’s the best of it. And worth reading about.

[Jim Mullen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being genuine and working hard can lead to great feats. Good insight on this emotional coach.

[Dan Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though this is an older biography it was nice to look back on Dick Vermeil's career. Brought back plenty of memories of a great time in Eagles history. If you are an Eagles fan, even a football fan this is an enoyable read.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty quick read. A biography of Dick Vermeil focusing on his years as a Pro coach. How he worked, built up a team and mainly built up relationships. The work was done by a man that covered the Eagles in the 80s. It was drawn from interviews but not directly with Vermeil. I think a lot could have been added to get to his philosophy. He did have a four point approach, have a plan, hire good people with character and values, add hard work and show your people you care.

[Lisa Baer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as inspiring as I thought it would be. Still a great coach. Learned some insight to his success.